I was lucky to get an interview with Laura Huie, the author of The Unchosen, one of this year’s #SPFBO9 entries.

Please, tell us a bit about yourself…
I am the master of keys! According to my computer, one of my favorite keys to hit is the spacebar. Between my day job of programming and my hobbies of writing, and video gaming, I use the spacebar often. I live in the outer area of Cleveland, Ohio and love the snow. My pandemic hobby was crocheting. Like my yarn, I have knotted up feelings on my skills on it. As a parent I sometimes only get to pick one hobby a day to do.

Why should I buy your SPFBO9 entry?
Instead of giving a “chosen one” the various team players and gifts they need to save the world, I am having the world turn against the “chosen one.” Fia and Winston must use their bestowed gifts to survive. She is trying to master making a portal across the street when the people who want her dead can make them across an entire country. Winston can fly, but it came at a cost, affording to pay it again will save Fia’s life, but ruin his. If they can find a solution to fixing her magic and her missing past, both of their lives can be saved.

What got you into writing? And how long have you been doing it?
Casually writing I have done a long time since my mom would drag me out of the bookstore before finishing the book I was reading there. She wouldn’t buy me the entire bookshelf. I would try to make up the endings to these incredible books that I did not get to finish reading. This lead into making up my own beginnings and middles. I attempted writing a full novel back in 2015.

Have you participated in the SPFBO before and where did you hear about the competition?
This is my first year participating! I learned about SPFBO 7 from blogger Dom on his YouTube channel.

Why did you choose to write fantasy?
I love escaping reality to find magical adventures, which is why I have always loved a good portal story. Narnia of course was being my first with Pagemasters, and it grew from there. I really fell in love with darker fantasies that have the gray heroes, the horrid worlds because it felt so much better when the big fight finally happens and the Big Bad gets a beat down. I like to also think of the morals of the characters. Winston was once this pixie (yes) pure good character. But the story evolved with time and it was not him anymore.

Which other author has had the biggest influence on your writing?
Garth Nix. He was my entry point and addiction to “darker” stories. I have read The Old Kingdom over so much the glue bound pages fell out. I wanted grimdark tales and just enjoyed writing about betrayals.

If you were to win the SPFBO, what impact do you think this would have on your writing career?
The timer I have on finishing my series would be kicked into a faster speed to feed those poor hungry fans. I have book two almost done editing and I want it ready to be published by the end of this year 2023. I also would be so happy to hear/read the discussions and theories people have on my characters.

What challenges did you face during the writing or publishing process, and how did you overcome them?
Patience is my weakness. I need to give things more time, such as a cover artist or ARC readers. I had to learn what an ARC reader was and where to find them. I am still learning that actually. I also became a parent and moved during the publishing processes. Since I self-published, I really should have delayed the start date until later. But “with time, things have been working out”, is the mantra I tell myself as I struggle to solve another writing or marketing hurdle.

Do you have any tips or an author app, tool, or resource that you can really recommend we try?
I have limited writing time, about an hour a day. The only way I can get writing done is to have the basics. I have my outline in a notepad journal and have a basic word document open so I can write. I don’t have my phone near me or any social media. No matter the mood I am in, the writing has to get done, and this set up helps spur more creativity for me.

And now it's time to yank out your Palantir! Let’s talk about the future. What new projects are you working on?
I am hoping to wrap up the edits for book two soon of The Thedre Trilogy. I will be sending it out to beta readers very soon. I have a co-author serial project called Off My Dock, it’s a comedy lo-scifi story that follows two Captains, one in the military and one is a pirate who are after control of one military ship. Its on Royal Road if you wish to check it out. I am also in a writing derby event where I was assigned a pen name and cover and have to write and publish at least 10k by the end of July 31st. I am hoping to have a 30k-50k size novella. It’s a fun way to test out marketing tricks that I missed out for The Unchosen.

Apps that are based on artificial intelligence (AI), such as ChatGTP and Midjourney, along with apps aimed specifically at authors, have caused quite a stir. Do you expect these new technologies will make your life as a self-published author easier or harder, and do you expect that they’ll mean you’ll earn more or less?
I expect them to make my life easier, faster turn around. I can clean up my grammar faster and tighter for my editor. I can see a quick summary of my story put out and decide if the flow is off or not, and where. Similar to how using a drone on a farm to spot an infestation or blite early on. I can generate art concepts and hand them to a cover artists and they can draw it out. Will there now be more competition because AI is out there helping others? Yes! There will be more incredible stories that you have to outshine, just like when self-publishing became readily available.  

Do you have any dreams you’d like to share?
My writing dream would be to afford pizza dinner every month for my family from my writing works. Another dream I have is having a comic or animation made of one of my stories one day, I would love to do a voice line in it! Outside of writing I would like to master making a good curry from my own spice blend. I love a good curry sauce and how you can use any type of scrab vegetables or produce to make a good meal.

Anything else you would like to say before we close?
The SPFBO community is incredible. The information everyone shares, the way they cheer each book on, the fun crazy stories on how we all barely got into the contest. I wrote out all my answers on a Notepad file for my husband to fill out while I did my commute. Without him, I wouldn’t be in this contest. I am excited to start reading some of the 300, I already grabbed a copy of Sadir S. Samir’s book The Crew. The TBR pile is  growing the more I learn about these incredible writers and books.

That was some interesting answers. I wish you the very best in the SPFBO. I hope a lot of readers discover your writing. Thanks for doing the interview.