Featured Interview With Hayley Reese Chow
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’m an Air Force brat so I’ve lived kind of all over: Japan, Virginia, Alabama, Alaska, Kentucky, Indiana… but now I call Florida home. And I do have one wonderful little rescue mutt named Tula.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I remember, in first grade, writing (and illustrating) my first short story about a group of animals that accidentally go to space. It actually won me some kind of award and free book! Also in first grade, I read my first chapter book (Mr. Popper’s Penguins) and absolutely adored it, so I guess it all began there. Even though, I didn’t really start writing consistently until the last year or two.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Currently Naomi Novik, Ilona Andrews, Amie Kaufman, Holly Black and Leigh Bardugo are a few of my favorite go-to’s. So I guess it’s probably an easy guess that Fantasy is my absolute favorite genre. I find inspiration in the every day mostly. I like finding the extraordinary in the mundane, taking something ordinary and breathing magic into it.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
In Odriel’s Heirs I wanted to take the undead into a high fantasy realm. I wanted a protagonist that was coming to terms with the fact that being the “chosen one” wasn’t all that it cracked up to be. And I wanted her to discover a world that was both fantastical and dangerous. Add in a little “fire-bending”, a snarky cat, and a handsome assassin, and you’ve basically got my list of favorite things. In Odriel’s Heirs, I wanted to write the book I longed to read, and the story grew even beyond my greatest imaginings.
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Hayley Reese Chow Facebook Page