Interview with Jessica Huntley, Author of The Hanging Tree

What’s the story behind the story? What inspired you to write The Hanging Tree?

The two main characters, Stephen and Graham, first appeared in a three-book series of mine (The Darkness Series), and when I finished the series, I didn’t feel that their story was finished yet. So, I decided to write this standalone so anyone could read it and get to know them. The Hanging Tree first came into my head after a rather tragic news story broke around where I was living at the time. I mulled some ideas over for a while, and then another story broke about the Sycamore Gap in 2023, where the tree was illegally felled, and I wanted to then write a story about an ancient tree with a past.

What’s your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

I love reading thrillers of any kind, whether they be psychological, crime, dark, mystery, etc. But yes, I mostly read in the genre I write, as it helps me learn new ways of writing and inspires me.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

I have a very large TBR pile! But I plan to read John Marrs’s book Dead in the Water the minute it’s out, plus catch up on Claire Douglas’s backlist of books.

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

Not really. I can pretty much write anywhere as long as I have my laptop, but I do always like to start my writing sessions with a coffee.

Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?

Dream. Believe. Achieve. But also, I love a quote that’s in this book written by Stephen Mallow, the main character. “Be the light in the darkness”.

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

To be kind to others, to strive to be the light in the darkness. There’s a lot of darkness in this world, but if we can all be kind to each other, then it makes the world a better place to live in.

Jessica Huntley is the author of the new book The Hanging Tree

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