Featured Interview With Holly Graf
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised on a farm, in a small town called Newberg, near Portland, Oregon. I married my high school sweetheart, moved up and down the west coast for a few years (he was in the Navy), finished college at Portland State, and now I live just south of my childhood home, in Salem. We’re still married with two kids, two dachshunds, two cats, two gerbils, and a beta fish.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve always loved books. I remember learning to read BOB books, Frog and Toad, everything. I got in trouble in 2nd and 3rd grade for writing all the time. Our property had a creek and I would make little forts and dams and everything had a story. I was working on co-writing some books in 4th and 5th grade with one of my best friends at the time. We (Krissy and I) have been working on the Elesara Series since 2015. Loving books and loving writing were synonymous with learning those skills – instant passion.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
How do I pick? One of my favorite authors is David Clement-Davies. I’m still a Brian Jacques fan and I’m trying to get my kids to listen to me read Redwall, but my four year old is a marathon reader so if I start one, he’ll stay up until I finish. I like fantasy, romance…I’ve surprisingly enjoyed some war books…I’m not that picky. I love reading books written by people I know and supporting indie authors.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
Blue Note is a book about Hattie Bordelon (an emancipated wiccan) and Talise Alandrial (a fairy princess)…but it’s really about Niels Poulsen. He’s young and famous and he has the world in his hands, but only his world. He’s naive to everything else out there, and you get to see this amazing person show his true colors – which, he’s still a great guy, but he also has views about the world – some right, some wrong – that get challenged. We’ve been working with the idea of Niels for a few years (since 2015). You get to see these three characters deal with their own feelings about the world and their positions in it. It’s a bit of a love story, a lot of an adventure, and something I’m really proud of. We’re working on the sequel now – it comes out December 2019.
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