Ask the Author: Harper Valentine
Answered Questions (10)
Harper Valentine
To say one place from all the books i've read - and written - would be hard, but also to say I'd want to go to any of these worlds would be hard, because the story in all these books is struggle, oppression or to fight the ordinary.
For instance you wouldn't want to go to The Hunger Games world, unless you were in sector one and the chances of that are slim at best, Aveyard's Red Queen world would require me to have silver blood, which I don't. I wouldn't want to go to Garth Nix's land above or below the wall, for fear of tedium or magic threatening my existence.
One possible answer would be something like a Steam Punk world, to see the alternative world, one where oil wasn't discovered until it was too late and so steam and metal rule and this is one world I've imagined in my Poppingjay stories.
So maybe one day I will revisit this world to reinvent Roman and the world of the steam cars and the Clangers (hanging, commuter trains).
But the only other answer I can give directly to this question is the world of Robin Hobb's Liveships and the Rain Wild People.
I guess send me there please
HV
For instance you wouldn't want to go to The Hunger Games world, unless you were in sector one and the chances of that are slim at best, Aveyard's Red Queen world would require me to have silver blood, which I don't. I wouldn't want to go to Garth Nix's land above or below the wall, for fear of tedium or magic threatening my existence.
One possible answer would be something like a Steam Punk world, to see the alternative world, one where oil wasn't discovered until it was too late and so steam and metal rule and this is one world I've imagined in my Poppingjay stories.
So maybe one day I will revisit this world to reinvent Roman and the world of the steam cars and the Clangers (hanging, commuter trains).
But the only other answer I can give directly to this question is the world of Robin Hobb's Liveships and the Rain Wild People.
I guess send me there please
HV
Harper Valentine
Well Thank you Harper for this interesting question!
I did spend a long time trying to think of the answer to this (Probably too long and Goodreads deleted it as unanswered). But in the end I guess the first thing I thought of aside from going to Hogwarts! It would be the Rain River Wilds, Robin Hobb's Liveship books and all that entails.
I did spend a long time trying to think of the answer to this (Probably too long and Goodreads deleted it as unanswered). But in the end I guess the first thing I thought of aside from going to Hogwarts! It would be the Rain River Wilds, Robin Hobb's Liveship books and all that entails.
Harper Valentine
I don't have anything new that I am waiting on, I've got books lined up though. So what is lined up? Well Book 2 of The Amtrak Wars - Read it years ago and I introduced my girlfriend to book 1 at the start of the year and surprisingly she liked it (different tastes on books), so book 2 is waiting to be read. Also Book 2 of Ink Heart, The last part of Abhorsen and Stars Above (Marissa Meyer). Other than that I will see, maybe some more from Kit Rocha's Savage series and who knows what else, there isn't a shortage out there, especially for a slow reader like myself!
Harper Valentine
This is not a pleasant answer, really. About ten years ago someone started to harass me, as a photographer (as I was at the time) my reputation was an important part of me and someone started to destroy my name, they hacked my life, my computer and started to slur my name to all and sundry. I have no idea why or who it was.
That would be bad enough, but their mission succeeded, they ruined my career and destroyed any self esteem I had, rendering me depressed and stressed, to the point that I could not work any longer (in my chosen field).
But they didn't stop, in fact they haven't stopped, to this day they continue to hack my computer, websites and even eavesdrop on my phone calls. This sounds like paranoia, but it really isn't it is a ridiculous truth.
Never, not once have they spoken, or in the thousands of emails, texts, sent webpages and thousands of spam and junk mail directed and threatening me, have they told me why they are doing this, or why they feel the need to destroy my life.
Yet I still do not know who it is, many of my friends have left, not wanting the drama of having their lives dragged into this mess and most don't want to hear the drama that I suffer every day.
Most people just laugh it off, saying it's all too improbable to happen to a non-celebrity, but for some reason it does exists and does continue to destroy everything I work for.
Just answering this question will probably have ramifications and more hassle from this unknown idiot and all for a reason I will never understand.
So yes I am sure this would make for a thrilling book, but who would read a stressful book that doesn't have an end?
No one.
That would be bad enough, but their mission succeeded, they ruined my career and destroyed any self esteem I had, rendering me depressed and stressed, to the point that I could not work any longer (in my chosen field).
But they didn't stop, in fact they haven't stopped, to this day they continue to hack my computer, websites and even eavesdrop on my phone calls. This sounds like paranoia, but it really isn't it is a ridiculous truth.
Never, not once have they spoken, or in the thousands of emails, texts, sent webpages and thousands of spam and junk mail directed and threatening me, have they told me why they are doing this, or why they feel the need to destroy my life.
Yet I still do not know who it is, many of my friends have left, not wanting the drama of having their lives dragged into this mess and most don't want to hear the drama that I suffer every day.
Most people just laugh it off, saying it's all too improbable to happen to a non-celebrity, but for some reason it does exists and does continue to destroy everything I work for.
Just answering this question will probably have ramifications and more hassle from this unknown idiot and all for a reason I will never understand.
So yes I am sure this would make for a thrilling book, but who would read a stressful book that doesn't have an end?
No one.
Harper Valentine
I honestly struggled with this question. I don't really get into the whole couples thing. I don't 'ship' couples etc. Quite often I like one of the pair, but not the other.
But after a lot of thinking, I went back to the first thought I had when I read the question, I think my favourite couple would be Cress and Thorne, from the Luna Chronicles series.
I like the way they worked off each other, how they changed for each other and changed each other's general persona.
Of course I loved Iko more, but wasn't really that lucky in her obsessive loves!
Secondly I have to plug my own work a little! Of those that I have written myself (and for the most part you won't know these yet, but hopefully one day this will make sense).
I think my favourite pairing is still Ashley and Sam in The Liquorice Box, closely followed by Mallory and Shedd in The Autumn Crow - You'll have to wait for the publishing deal for that one!.
But after a lot of thinking, I went back to the first thought I had when I read the question, I think my favourite couple would be Cress and Thorne, from the Luna Chronicles series.
I like the way they worked off each other, how they changed for each other and changed each other's general persona.
Of course I loved Iko more, but wasn't really that lucky in her obsessive loves!
Secondly I have to plug my own work a little! Of those that I have written myself (and for the most part you won't know these yet, but hopefully one day this will make sense).
I think my favourite pairing is still Ashley and Sam in The Liquorice Box, closely followed by Mallory and Shedd in The Autumn Crow - You'll have to wait for the publishing deal for that one!.
Harper Valentine
The best thing is getting all those weird and wonderful little creatures and people out of my head. It's like having your own penseive to draw out the imaginations and depositing them somewhere for and sharing them with others.
Harper Valentine
I believe there is no such thing as writer's block, just a lack of 'point of view', if you get stuck on a story or a piece of writing, don't write it, leave it, go for a walk, watch TV, anything, then go back to the keyboard and free write, write about anything, what you saw on you walk, the news, just waffle on about absolute crap, you may find a story in there or you may find the next bit to the book you couldn't write before. Don't put pressure on yourself to write X amount of words a day and don't plan out the book, just write what you want or need.
Harper Valentine
Currently I am taking a break from the books to try to learn some new techniques, along with my editor/Girlfriend I am doing a short creative writing course, each week writing a different genre, different style of short story each week, some are easy and some have proven difficult, especially the short, short stories!
Harper Valentine
I have an over active imagination and I just think up scenarios, then I try to become one of the characters in my mind and that's it I just start writing, my problem is being able to stop!
Harper Valentine
the most recent book is The Autumn Crow, the sequel to The Whisper Tales, (both awaiting publication), the inspiration for the story was a series of drawings I did a number of years ago, the idea that an alien race existed where each was the perfect type of hunter/planter/climber etc. I took this and ran with it, joining it into a story that was already ongoing, then I added another twist.
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