Author interview: M.H Soars

I love when authors switch between contemporary and sci-fi/fantasy!

Dear readers,

I’ve known MH Soars (or Michelle) from her first published book in The Prophecy of Arcadia. That’s 3 years now! From now and then we’ve talked about her books and other things. I’ve been a big fan of her writing from the very beginning. She may be an indie author but she sur knows how to write a captivating story!

So when she agreed to answer my questions I was really thrilled as it was the opportunity to have others, that would be you, knowing her better.

I hope you’ll enjoy this interview and give her books a chance ;-).  I promise you’ll love her dream book boyfriends!!!

You can find all her books on -> http://amzn.to/2eWiUcr

Already a big THANK YOU for reading this and a huge thank you to Michelle as she took her time to answer all my questions!

Some words about you first: who was little Michelle? And what’s become of her? Who is the woman behind the author?

The woman behind the author is a mess! LOL. Joke aside, I love to create stories in any shape or form. When I was younger, I created a comic series. I only had one fan (my little sister), but I want to return to that medium. I’m a very visual person. The only problem is that I haven’t drawn since my days in Fashion Design school, so I’m a bit rusty (translation, I suck at drawing right now). But don’t worry, I’m still very passionate about writing and the plan is to become a full time writer by next year. J

Tell us more about your first steps in the writing world. Was The Prophecy of Arcadia the first book you’ve ever written?  How did you end publishing and promoting your book? What was the most difficult thing you had to do?

The Prophecy of Arcadia was the first book I’ve ever written and my sister was the first beta reader. She really loved it from the start (see a pattern here, LOL). I didn’t know anything about publishing or how to promote a book. I would do many things differently back then with the knowledge I have now. I was terrified before I hit publish and the following week I was plagued by nightmares. I dreamed that readers hated my book and tore it to pieces. Thank God it didn’t happen.

Did you always know you would be a writer or did it come one day out of the blue?

I didn’t always know I wanted to be a writer, it happened out of the blue. Actually, I wanted to be a Fashion Designer. But I hated sewing, so that should have been a huge sign. Abort. 😉

What makes you decide to write fantasy instead of contemporary and vice versa? I know it’s one of the things I love about you: you change universe and I love both. So do you decide on a whim? After watching some movie? After a dream (you would go all Stephenie Meyer on us LOL)?… And do you have a preferred genre?

A book or a movie will definitely motivate me to write in a particular genre. But switching genres is also something I do to avoid the dreaded writer’s block. I did have a vivid dream once, though, and it involved vampires. I started writing that story, but after the high from the dream faded, I realized I didn’t have much to go on. Right now, the idea is archived.

Where do you get your ideas for your stories? How do you build your book: find the plot, flesh out the characters, find the places, all the side characters…? What’s your writing process? Is it a linear process or rather a “stop and go”? What’s inspiring you and who inspired your main characters?

With the Prophecy of Arcadia, I didn’t plan anything, I didn’t outline anything, the scenes and characters would just appear in my head and I would write them down. I changed that process in the following book because I had way too many subplots going and I needed to be more organized. Today, that’s the only way I write books. I start with the general idea, then I develop the main characters. For romance, the outline is fluid, but for fantasy, I need to be more specific.

Do you always know right from the beginning where the story will go or do the character hijack your story and have a mind of their own?

Most of the time yes. However, sometimes characters will “try” to hijack the story and that’s never good (for me anyway), or scenes don’t work out as I planned in the outlining phase, so I make changes when needed.

Is it more difficult to write about fictional world like the Arcadian series or contemporary ones? What’s the most difficult and easiest part when writing a book? What was the easiest and the most difficult book you had to write and why? I know I was impressed with the world building in your Arcadian world. You must have a very vivid imagination to be able to create a whole new world. Do you even live in our contemporary world when writing science-fiction? I also loved how you left some clues left and right to make us guess who the villain was (I still don’t know who he is nor do I have answers to my questions!!!!)

Writing fantasy is definitely harder. Word building is fun, but at the same time, a daunting task. I just finished writing Savage Dawn (which is the extended version of The Fall of Arcadia, by the way), and to help with the world building, I watched a lot of science fiction anime.

Do you cry when your write? Or laugh? Or get moody? Do you have a “writer survival kit”? 

In order to get the right emotions on page, sometimes I do have to put myself in my characters’ shoes, feel what they are feeling. I might have cried a few times. I need silence in order to write and I’m most productive early in the morning, around 5am. Unfortunately, I do have to write during regular hours otherwise I wouldn’t get anything done.

 What do you think are your main assets as a writer? What sets you apart from other writers?

I do like to write stories with a large cast of characters which is more common in fantasy than contemporary romance. I don’t like to waste words describing places and things excessively, and that’s because as a reader, I don’t have a lot of patience for it. I just need a few clues and I can imagine the rest. I wouldn’t say these examples are assets, exactly. They are just my unique writing style. Some people might think they are liabilities. 😉

What is your next project?

Right now, I’m writing my newest standalone contemporary romance novel which will be included in the Hot & Sinful Nights boxed set, releasing in September. Next month, I will be writing the final book in the Saylor and Oliver’s saga and I’m also planning a new Urban Fantasy series. Lastly, I’m picking up again the Arcadian Wars series, which has a new name, Legends of Gattica.

If you had to go out on a date with one of your characters, who would you choose and why?

I would go out on a date with Oliver. He’s hot, funny, and so swoony. Or perhaps Femror, which is a character I introduced in Savage Dawn and has become one of my favorites.

As I’ve recently written a post about favorite female characters in fantasy and PNR, I’d like to know your own female characters “billboard” first (fantasy and /or contemporary) AND male characters (book boyfriend if you like).

Okay, I know she’s not from a book, but I’m totally crushing on Diana, aka Wonder Woman. Feyre and Aelin are my top picks for female characters in fantasy. I can’t think of contemporary female character I adore besides my own. As for top male characters, nothing can beat Rhysand, Cassian, and Azriel from the ACOTAR series. 😀

Could you give us one/a few books you kept thinking about for a long time after you finished your read?

All books by Marion Zimmer Bradley had that effect on me, especially her Darkover series which was a huge inspiration for my Arcadian Wars/Legends of Gattica series. A Court of Mist and Fury also left me with a huge book hangover.

Do you have advices for aspiring writers?

If they want a career in writing, I would suggest picking the genre first and studying the market. Join authors groups on Facebook and learn from others. Improve the craft, which means, write, write, write.

What is your biggest dream?

I would love to see my stories turned into comics by me.