Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Sabitha: If you like your fantasy and science fiction epic, you’ll have Hannah Steenbock’s rich, sprawling fantastical worlds. Hannah, can you introduce us to your writing? 

Hannah: I’ve been writing for 20+ years, mostly fantasy, some science fiction. I like telling stories about people being suppressed and fighting for their freedom. They can be mages, wolf shifters, teenagers, vampires or dragons. I also write happy, satisfying endings—feel-good stories, in other words.

Sabitha: Let’s pick one to start with. What inspired you to write South Breaks?

Hannah: South Breaks is the first book in my Winds and Pillars series. I wanted to incorporate some Aztec vibes into my story and chose the perspective of a sacrifice who escapes. All my main characters in the series escape that fate, some more actively than others. I wanted to show the brainwashing that happens in captivity and how it can be undone. I also wanted to show the strength it takes to overcome life-long conditioning and to build a new life. Fortunately, South does find friends and new love. 

If you’re intrigued, South Breaks is free in all online bookstores.

Sabitha: What book do you tell all your friends to read? I’m guessing it’s fantasy too!

Hannah: I tell my friends about How I Stole the Princess’s White Knight and Turned him to Villany by AJ Sherwood. It’s a hilarious book, a male/male romance in a fantasy setting with fun adventures, an adorable Black Sorcerer (and his weird siblings) and a not so White Knight. It also makes great fun of role-playing tropes. It’s a pick-me-up book when I’m feeling sad.

Sabitha: That sounds so much fun. Now, back to your work. Have you ever killed off a character your readers loved?

Hannah: I rarely kill characters, and I haven’t killed one that readers loved. It really breaks my heart when I have to, but sometimes, the plot demands it. There are a few side characters that die. I do my best to make every death worthwhile. I mean, these are feel-good books, even if I put my characters through hell.

Sabitha: How much research did you need to do for your book?

Hannah: Not a whole lot. I mean, I do soak up knowledge, I studied archaeology for a few semesters, I can do medieval worlds easily. And I used to be fascinated by Mid- and South-American cultures as a kid. It’s one of the reasons I rarely write historical fiction, because it does take so much research. In fantasy, you can hand-wave a lot more and do your own world-building.

Sabitha: Do you have any suggestions to help people in our community become better writers?

Hannah: Writing is a craft, it takes practice. So write what your fancy tells you. You’ll grow with every story—but do your best to finish them. Also read extensively in your favorite genre, in the one you write, and beyond. Reading imprints story-telling techniques into your Writer Brain.

On the other hand, do not write by committee. Don’t let beta readers, critique circles and such water down your voice. Learn the rules and then break them with confidence. Protect your voice and your stories.

Sabitha: What’s your next writing project?

Hannah: Right now, I’m writing a vampire tale with a twist, for funsies. Another work in progress is A Wolf’s Hacker, Book 8 in my shifter series Wolves of the South. The next book I’ll publish, however, will be Sky Falls, Book 6 in my Winds and Pillars series.

Sabitha: Thanks for sharing your story and your process. We’re looking forward to reading! Where can the Night Beats community find you and your book?

Hannah: You can get South Breaks here. I’m on Facebook, Mastodon, and Youtube, and I have a website. 

Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Sabitha: Hockey, small-town Ontario, alien vampires … we love it all! Arlene F. Marks, can you tell us about yourself and your latest fantasy novel, The Bloodstone?

Arlene: I’m a Canadian and the author of eleven published books of speculative fiction. Number 12 just came out on March 29, 2024, and that’s the one I’d like to talk about here. The Bloodstone is the second installment of The Nash’terel, an urban science fantasy series about a family of shapeshifting essence vampires who have fled to Earth from a genocide on their home world, only to find themselves dealing with a whole other set of problems.

Sixteen years after the events of the first book, the Nash’terel have resumed their quiet lives on Earth, hiding their true nature from the human population. Then…

“In small town Ontario, Travis Fiore lives with his adoptive grandpas, dividing his time between school and hockey practice. Everyone, including Travis, thinks he’s an ordinary Canadian teen, until a series of uncontrolled shapeshifts and a growing telekinetic talent reveal his Nash’terel heritage. Having “superpowers” sounds great, until he has to put his dream of NHL stardom on hold and move across the country to train them.

He may not like it, but he’s going to need control of those powers in order to survive. Someone has put a bounty on dashkra, the alien mineral that all Nash’terel carry inside them. While Travis struggles to adjust to his new existence, his grandpas and their contacts must work to find out who has turned their kind into prey—yet again.”

Sabitha: What inspired you to write this book?

Arlene: Actually, it was my own family history. My mother was a first-generation Canadian, and I grew up hearing stories about what it was like for her and her parents in the early days. I believe that all beings, regardless of their place of origin, will have things in common as they settle into a new home. So, I decided to explore the new immigrant experience from the viewpoint of aliens from another world. The first book was about the older generation resisting assimilation and the younger one embracing it. In The Bloodstone, old conflicts follow the Nash’terel to Earth, making life especially dangerous for the youngsters who were born here.

Sabitha: Do you have any suggestions to help people in our community become better writers?

Arlene: There are two things that I’ve always told my students. First, there’s no such thing as a minor character, just a minor role in some other protagonist’s story. Second, you should always read your work aloud when editing, since the ear will catch what the eye misses.

Sabitha: What’s your next writing project?

Arlene: I have two books coming out in 2024, The Bloodstone and The Stragori Deception, and I am currently working on a sequel to my paranormal mystery, Weekends Can Be Murder (Brain Lag, 2022).

Sabitha: Thanks for sharing your story and your process. We’re looking forward to reading! Where can the Night Beats community find you and your book?

Arlene: To learn more about me and my work, please visit my website (www.thewritersnest.ca) or find me on Facebook (Arlene Marks, Arlene F. Marks). The Bloodstone can be preordered from Amazon or Amazon.ca, or from the publisher, Brain Lag.

Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Sabitha: Ready for a gritty fantasy? That’s why Bardlyre is here, to tell us about Darkhelm and a Knight which serves the realm … 

Bardlyre: “You are a brief candle in a long night. You pass through, and we are grateful, but the blackness will take you.”

Yet another village full of complaints. Daine listened, delivered all the justice she had power to give, and prepared to move on. 

All in a day’s work for a Knight of the Road.

Of course, some disliked her intrusion into their schemes, but they were of little concern. They had tried to stop her before and would doubtless try again.

Things change when Daine is charged with the protection of a simple stable boy. Shadows gather around those like Daine who seek to bring light, and their eyes are fixed on the boy.

Can Lady Darkhelm stand in their way? The realm needs heroes, and Daine Darkhelm may not be enough.

Sabitha: What inspired you to write this book?

Bardlyre: I recently became very engaged with literary role-playing-game-based fiction, but I found so many of the stories were about borderline psychotic young men. I felt, for balance, an older woman with her own mental baggage was appropriate. It’s been great to see people agree!

Sabitha: Do you have a playlist for your book? 

Bardlyre: I like to have Oasis on in the background when I write. ‘Live Forever’ is very apt for my main character. Likewise, The Verve’s ‘Bittersweet Symphony’ captured the vibe nicely!

Sabitha: If you could meet your characters, what would you say to them?

Bardlyre: I think someone needs to tell my villains that, no matter how foolproof they think their plan, Daine will find them. And she will kill them…

Sabitha: Do you have any suggestions to help people in our community become better writers?

Bardlyre: I think the best advice, really, is to not let perfect become the enemy of good. For so many people, they never get past writing those opening few chapters because they get stuck endlessly in an edit and rewrite cycle. I was the same with the first bit of Darkhelm – and even then, there were pages upon pages of edits from my publisher. I wasted so many weeks tweaking. Blank pages are the most intimidating thing. Makes people want to keep working on their early chapters.

Sabitha: What’s your next writing project?

Bardlyre: I’m currently polishing Book Two – Stonehand! It’salso published by Nef House Publishing and on audio from Tantor Media.

Sabitha: Thanks for sharing your story and your process. We’re looking forward to reading! Where can the Night Beats community find you and your book?

Bardlyre: You can order Darkheam here. I’m on Royal Road as Bardlyre, and also on TikTok and Facebook.