Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Author of 8 novels and 3 short story anthologies, I love trekking through time. Deep into the past. Far into the future. I’ve walked the hills and dales of northwestern England (the setting for the Tapestry of Cumbria 5-book series, beginning in the 6th century) and through the fjells and along fjords of inland Norway (the setting of TROLL AND TRYLLERI, set in the 9th century)
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
ONE SEA, MANY SHORES brings the reader quick glimpses into life around the world, flashing back to pivotal moments in the past. I delight in exploring the warm common traits and colorful differences among my distant kin. We’re all in this boat together!
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to learn and practice the dialect and accent of my characters, and read aloud their dialogue.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I lean toward the style of Ursula K LeGuin, J.R.R. Tolkien, Diana Wynne Jones, Stephen R. Lawhead. I admire how George R.R. Martin threw his readers into Game of Thrones without providing any backstory, yet brought his setting and history to vivid life…though I must object to his killing off my favorite characters.
What are you working on now?
I’ve finished translating a book of obscure folktales from Telemark, Norway (land of my ancestors), and have been turning them into short stories in flash fiction form. These will eventually appear as SPUN AGAIN 2: Telemark.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ve been using Facebook. I have an online newsletter with a small number of subscribers. (http://joyceholt.com/banner) A writer friend suggests I make use of book bloggers.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Writer’s block, for me, means my subconscious wants me to back up and fix something. The hard part is figuring out what needs fixing! I hold my plot up to the framework described in “The Writers Journey” by Christopher Vogler; any discrepancies might shed light on the problem.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Six steps to becoming a good writer:
1. Read.
2. Read.
3. Read.
4. Write.
5. Write.
6. Write.
What are you reading now?
I just finished The Baker’s Secret, by Stephen P. Kiernan — a fascinating and compelling read, through the viewpoint of a disheartened but gritty young woman finding ways to keep herself and her neighbors alive through the Nazi occupation.
What’s next for you as a writer?
My science fiction trilogy, Phoenix Afire, still lacks the final book.
What is your favorite book of all time?
The Lord of the Rings. It swept me away! I still feel homesick for the Shire.
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