Beautiful Beautiful Blog Tour : An Interview with Author Heidi Garrett Part Two

 

      Hello once again pretty bookworms! Today, I'm going to post the second part of my interview with Ms. Heidi Garrett. I decided to divide this interview into two parts... because it turned out to be pretty long..uhmmm, maybe, Ms. Heidi got carried away with words?! As always! Hehe. which I think was a good thing, since I love , love her words! Thank you Ms. Shane of Itching for books for giving me an extra day in your Beautiful Beautiful blog Tour. :)

    So, before my introduction starts to get long... and steal Ms. Heidi's spotlight! Hehe. May I present to you my "SERIOUSLY SERIOUS" Q & A with Ms. Heidi Garret :

Me: Let’s talk about the 3 short stories you wrote. ( which I read and really, really love! ) What inspire  you to write those? Do you write based on your mood?

Heidi:                              

With my writing, I do go with inspiration. I became very inspired to begin this collection this summer, and I had to write the first one. LIKE NOW. The short stories came as part of that process. Maybe it’s like your pregnant, and the baby is coming. NOW.
 Thank you! I’m glad you love them <3 Since I’ve been wanting to write this collection for SOOOOO long! And I finally did it. (Well, not the whole collection, but the first installment!) I was like, I want to write about why this is SOOOOOOO important for me to write. All this year, I’ve been meditating on fairy tales. I know, kind of wacky. But we’ve already established that I’m kind of wacky above:D And it just made sense to me to write stories about a girl who believed in fairy tales, and how that helped and transformed her life. And I wanted to do it in a creative way that served the collection. So using… uhm… drawing truth from my own life, and wrapping it up in a huge bow of fiction, to create new fairy tales—for adults (well, readers over 15) fit in with the whole series concept. SEE I want ADULTS to have their own fairy tales TOO!

        Me: Of these three , which one was your  favorite?  If you can describe each book with one word what would it be?

Heidi:

 Gosh, they are truly each favorite in different ways.

The Girl Who Watched for Elves. I love it because it’s set in one afternoon, but encapsulates within it an entire life. TIME is another one of my obsessions, so I love how the story plays on TIME. Plus the short story aspect, adds a whole other level of TIME, since it doesn’t take much TIME to read:D

One Word: Magic!

The Girl Who Dreamed of Red Shoes. I love this one, because I really did come across the audiobook referenced in the story, and I did listen to it over, and over, and—yes—over again. And yes, it did awaken me to an entirely different way of viewing my life, and it allowed me to make some significant changes that have brought me great joy!

One Word: Joy!

The Girl Who Couldn’t Sing: I love this one because the main character is so trusting and sincere, but also kind of clueless. And even though, in many ways—logically and practically—what she’s doing makes no sense, on another a level, it makes all the sense in the world. Her final destination is so far from what she envisioned, yet it was the end that her heart longed for all along. By being determined to remain true to herself, she found herself. And when she looks back, it was an amazing journey, much more amazing than if she’d silenced or buried her dreams.

One Word: Faith!

Me: This is the first time you wrote a short story. How was the experience? How is it different from writing a novel?  How long did it take you to finish it?

Heidi: 

It was pretty good:D In fact, it was so good, that when I was done, I announced, “I am never writing another series!” Haha.

I can’t say short stories are easier to write, but when you write a novel—especially a series—there is so much detail to keep up with. Each book has to incorporate everything from the prior books. It can make your head spin, just trying to keep up with that!

So taking a break from The Queen of the Realm of Faerie was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed it.

Ugh… I can’t remember. I think I wrote the first draft in a week. It always has a rest, goes to the editor, and has some more rest. I’d say the entire process was three to four weeks, with the first week being the most intensive.

Me: How was “The Queen of the Faerie Realm Series” different from your upcoming book, “Beautiful Beautiful”?

Heidi :  

The Queen of the Realm of Faerie is set in the Enchanted World and the Mortal World. The Enchanted World is a hardcore fantasy world. It’s inhabited by  faeries, elves, dwarves, trolls, and other fantastical creatures. An epic quest story, the series revolves around the main character, a half-faerie named Melia, finding her strength, her courage—love—and her faith in herself. It’s G-rated, and can be enjoyed by readers considered young adult thru adult. The series is a spin off of the 14th century French fairy tale, Melusine, but it reaches well beyond that too.

“Beautiful Beautiful” was written for adults. Although there are no explicit sex scenes, there is adult language and adult situations. It is an expanded fairy tale retelling of the Hans Christian Andersen tale ‘“Beautiful.” It’s set in a contemporary “fairy tale” world.

Me:  Speaking of “Beautiful Beautiful” ( which is  really a beautiful, beautiful book! ) , I’ve noticed the cool pretty names like Kerrin… Mirabella ( which is now my new favorite name! ) , how do you came up with such pretty names?  ( as all of your books have pretty names in it! ) Even Demion Glass is… uhmmm, a sexy , sexy name! *purrs* haha. What was the inspiration behind each name?

Heidi: 

My first name for the main character was Karen Mayham. However, this is where writing and creativity gets fascinating. When I was considering the name for Karen’s daughter, I wanted a name that meant beauty. When I did the research, I discovered that a variation of Karen—Kerrin of Hebrew origin—means beauty. Of course, I had to alter the spelling! I settled on the name Mirabella for her daughter—with the nickname Mibi. Mirabella is of French origin, and it means “of incredible beauty.” I really loved how the origin of the mother’s and daughter’s names were rooted in beauty. It became another play on the title “Beautiful Beautiful,” the kind of play on names and words, that readers and writers love!

Kerrin’s last name is a play on the word mayhem, which alludes to things like injury, to hurt, and random violence. Although Kerrin isn’t violent, some people around her are violent—to themselves and to others. Kerrin has been internally injured by her relationships with those people.

Demion Glass. Demion is a play on the word demon. (Of course!) And Glass… well, it’s a reflective surface...

Me: As I came across many, many books everyday ( and most ended up on my  endless, ever growing tbr’s!)  I often wonder how do authors  choose their book titles?  What made you decide that it’s going to be “Beautiful Beautiful” ? ( which was, a very “catchy” title by the way! )

Heidi: 

This one was easy. The original tale is called “Beautiful,” but the last line in the tale is “… beautiful, beautiful.” I love that, and thought it would make a great title.

Me: How much research did you make , since  "Beautiful, Beautiful" has that “Hollywood  Showbiz feel” ?

Heidi:

I’ve always been in love with movies, and have actually shot some video footage myself. I’ve taken acting classes in the past, and performed in some local productions. I also religiously listened to the Wrap-Up podcasts for the Showtime hit series, Dexter.  The podcasts often included interviews with directors of the different episodes, and I was always taking notes. I’ve also lived in Southern California and visited Los Angeles enough, and met enough people in the industry, to have a feel for what it might be like. I used internet research to fill in the blanks and details

Me:  I love how Kerrin’s life was told as a fairytale . When she shared this bedtime story  to her daughter Mirabella, it was picture perfect and magical for me. How do write / create something like that?

Heidi: 

I wrote the core story for Kerrin’s “real life” first. When it was finished, it felt like a solid retelling of ‘Beautiful,’ but as with the original tale, it lacked the magic and enchantment that would make it sparkle. I went back and studied the original story: to make sure it really was included in my Hans Christian Andersen anthology of fairy tales, cause, by that time, you know, I thought maybe I’d gotten it from somewhere else! But no, “Beautiful” was right there in the Table of Contents. So then I was stumped. How to bring the magic into the story?

I just began writing and experimenting. When I finished the first section, I nervously shared it with my husband. When he loved it, I knew I was on the right track.

I love how Kerrin telling the story to her daughter, allowed me to show the oral tradition of fairy tales, and how they are shaped and adapted by questions from the listener. There are many in my mother’s family who have a great talent for telling extemporaneous tales. I drew on my experience of listening to them, to help me shape the interaction between Kerrin and Mibi.

Me: What are your plans after "Beautiful Beautiful"? What’s next for Ms. Heidi Garrett?

Heidi:

 First off, finish Half Mortal, The Queen of the Realm of Faerie Book 4. Then… the next novella in the Once Upon a Time Today collection!

Me:   Last ( serious ) question, What ‘s your Beautiful, Beautiful ?

Heidi:  

A life well lived. One that is imbued with meaning. For me that has come through the experience of love. Knowing, seeing, experiencing, and sharing yourself with the irreplaceable other. When we see the divinity within the irreplaceable other, we are, in those moments, perhaps as close to the experience of god as we will ever come on this planet.

Me : Pheeeeeew!!! Now we are completely done?! I hope I did not drain all your energy, Heidi?! I do really hope I made you SMILE …and be SERIOUS at the same time?! (what?!)

Heidi : Billie, you made me laugh and smile… and think very hard! I have to go take a nap now, and rest my head:D Thank you for having me!

   

    Again, thank you so much Heidi for gracing my Pink blog with your presence!  Good luck on your Beautiful Beautiful which will be released tomorrow... November 15th. So, Lovely bookworms, mark your calendars PINK ( Yes! it's my favorite color! haha) . Be sure to grab your copies and discover what's your "Beautiful Beautiful ".

     

****Pictures and gifs found in this blog are from google****