What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write The Spiral Awakens (Spirals of Aztalun Book 1)?
I love reading magical fantasy stories, and I’d never read anything set in the American Southwest. So, I wanted to tap into some of the mystical stories from Sedona and the native peoples of my home state of Arizona. While doing research, I decided to bring in characters from magical places all around the world. That made it so fun to sketch out a great cast of characters from Arizona, Mount Shasta, Juneau, Guyana, Scotland, and Uluru, Australia. Most of those places I haven’t yet visited, so I spent a lot of time researching online to get a feel for where each character lives. It was a lot of fun imagining their homes, friends, and family around the globe.
If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of The Spiral Awakens (Spirals of Aztalun Book 1), what would they be?
For Alayna Archuleta, the explorer, I’d choose “Born to Be Wild.” For Sasha Kahn, I’d have to pick “Witchy Woman.” Finally, for Blair Grindall, I’ll go with “The Skye Boat Song” since she’s from the Isle of Skye.
What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?
I read a lot of books, probably about one a week on average. I love fantasy, science fiction, historical romance, and classic literary works. Fantasy is a lot of fun to write because it’s so creative and versatile. However, at some point, I want to write science fiction too.
What books are on your TBR pile right now?
A couple of weeks ago, I finally read Rebecca Yarros’ Fourth Wing, and now my to-be-read pile includes the rest of that series and everything else by Yarros I can get my hands on. Also, last week, for my birthday, my sister sent me an audiobook of Speaker of the Dead by O.S. Card, so that’s up next on my audiobook account, as soon as I finish listening to the Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells.
What scene in your book was your favorite to write?
This may seem odd, but I really liked writing the scenes when the characters were either sharing a meal together, sitting around a campfire, or sharing their stories of what they missed from back home. Those were the scenes when I really got to know the characters inside and out. They were like the glue, or the tether, that held the Hexad together.
Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)
My home office has beautiful picture windows along one wall, and I love glancing up from my computer to see the wildlife that strolls through my rural Arizona backyard. I’ve seen plenty of rabbits and quail, but also deer, coyotes, bobcats, and javelina trotting by my office windows.
Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?
Leave everything better than you found it.
If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?
Maintain connections with good friends. It’s a lesson I wish I had learned at a younger age, because I have lost touch with far too many people whom I think of often.
Sara Langhe is the author of the new book The Spiral Awakens (Spirals of Aztalun Book 1)
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