Introducing Sanna Hines by Mary Woldering  Https://www.maryrwoldering.com

January 15, 2018

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1. Who are you as a person?

Sanna Hines (More next week.) 

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2. How long have you been a writer?

Since I was eight. Waiting for a music lesson in the school office, I watched a woman walk in, pick up the newsletter, and read a poem I’d written. She remarked, “This is good. The girl has talent.” A few words can change a life.

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 3. Are you Traditionally or Indie published?

Indie. I considered the three-to-eight year wait before traditional publishing, and with a contemporary YA thriller in hand, realized the book would need rewriting after that amount of time. Traditional publishing is in such a state of flux with agents and editors changing jobs due to cutbacks and mergers. I like having control over the appearance, cover and release date of a work.

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 4. What writers inspired you? Favorite Authors?

Earliest influence was Edward Eager, who wrote children’s fantasy. I adored the juxtaposition of real life with magical events. I write that way and relish other writers who combine reality with fantasy.

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5. What is your book/series about (elevator speech or quick tweet post)

I have three published books. Stealth Moves follows three characters involved with high-profile kidnappings. Shining Ones: Legacy of the Sidhe brings Irish myth into the modern world. The newest, Elvira Wonders, explores human interactions with other species in a magical town.

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 6. What is the setting and genre?

Stealth Moves, set in Boston and Portsmouth, is YA thriller. Shining Ones begins in New Hampshire and then travels through Ireland and Britain. Elvira Wonders takes place in the tiny, midwestern town of Elvira.

 

7. Who is your favorite character from your book and why?

Holly, novice bodyguard, is my favorite from Stealth Moves. She’s brave, awkward, and always hopeful. Tessa, member of an ancient clan of unaging beings (Shining Ones), grows past her conditioning to think for herself. Josh, from Elvira Wonders, considers himself “just an ordinary guy”, but he’s so much more.

 

8. What character is most like you?

Tessa

 

9. If you had a supernatural power, what would it be?

Shapeshifting like Tessa

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10. Would you say your book has a message or underlying theme?

Stealth Moves emphasizes bravery and protecting the people you love. The characters of Shining Ones overcome prejudice and learn to trust. Elvira focuses on tolerance and cooperation. All these things—love, tolerance and cooperation—could help heal the world.

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11. How are you marketing your book?

Online and through author fairs. Like every other author, I need to learn more.

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12. A wonderful thing has happened! Hollywood wants to make a movie of your book! You get to pick the actors & actresses. You want________________for your lead characters.

Tough question! I’d want unknowns for the leads since they’d best convey characters who are growing.

 

13. What music do you hear (what songs) remind you of your story?

I listen to Loreena McKennitt while I write.

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14. What Favorite foods Anything with potatoes.

If I had to live on one food, it would be potatoes.

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15. What makes you laugh/cry?

Laughter….dry wit always works with me. Slapstick, not so much. I cry when animals suffer or while watching the news.

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16. What do you want written on your head stone and why?

Something in Gaelic. Not sure what yet.

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17. Other than writing do you have any hobbies?

I make jewelry, embroider and costume. Won prizes as a Renaissance costumer.

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18. What TV shows/films do you enjoy watching?

Sci-fi, fantasy, science and history

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19. If you were not a writer what else would you like to have done?

I worked as an editor and marketing communications consultant.

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20. What are you working on right now?

I have a YA sci-fi adventure ready to revise.

 

21. How much research do you do for your novels? Bonus –what’s the weirdest thing you have Googled?

Huge amounts. I had to learn Irish myth—not easy because the stories are so old they vary a lot—for Shining Ones. Also for that book, I had to track every foot of the characters’ travels through pictures and descriptions plus researching modern and ancient accounts of the places. All my writing about New England had to be researched since I lived in the Midwest at the time.

Weird Googles—how bodies decay, chariot burials, corsetry (My! Did I get porn ads after that!)

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22. What’s the scariest thing you have ever done, and did it end up in a story?

The scariest things I’ve ever done were also the most foolish, like going to parts of a city where I did not belong. So far, those errors haven’t made it into stories, but my characters’ frequently leap before they look.

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23. Name 5 fictional characters you would invite to a dinner party. Where would the party be?

In fact, I’d like to meet my characters. On a visit to Boston before I moved to Maine, I was disappointed not to find Holly in the house I chose for the story. Silly, I know, but when I left town, I felt as though I’d missed visiting a good friend. We’d gather at my home, a 1780s farmhouse, and a short commute for all except Josh.