Phil Treagus-EvansWendy Higgins is the USA Today and NY Times bestselling author of the Sweet Evil series from HarperTeen, the high fantasy duology The Great Hunt, her independently published Irish Fantasy See Me, and her indie NA science fiction Unknown trilogy. After earning a Creative Writing degree from George Mason University and a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from Radford, Wendy Higgins taught high school English until achieving her dream job as a full-time writer. Wendy Higgins lives on the Eastern Shore of Virginia with her husband, daughter, son, and little doggies Rue & Nessie. Please enjoy my interview with Wendy Higgins.
How do you describe your occupation?
I’m a full-time fiction writer/author. I write for both teens and adults. I’ve been published traditionally with HarperCollins and independently.
What is something about you that people might find surprising?
I am super shy and introverted. My online persona comes across as a bit more confident and bold than the real-life version of me. I try to be outgoing at book events and while I love every minute with readers and fellow authors, I’m exhausted afterwards.
What are you reading at the moment and what made you want to read it?
My current read is The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer. I wanted to read it when it first came out and then got busy and it fell off my radar. When I saw it was becoming a movie I knew I had to hurry up and read it to beat the film! I love historical fiction, especially when it revolves around times of war and has a touch of romance.
What was your favourite book as a child and why?
As a very young child, my mother read us the Little Golden Books. I loved The Poky Little Puppy by Janette Sebring Lowrey because the puppy was sweet and mischievous like my little brother. As I got older, during the 80s and 90s, I gravitated toward the spookier tales of Christopher Pike and RL Stine.
Can you remember the first story you ever wrote?
Clearly. I was five or six. I wrote and illustrated (with stick figures because I was never much of an artist) The Day the Hole Class Got Chicken Pox. Please forgive the misspelling. I made several copies and stapled the pages together. Then I went through the neighborhood and sold them to neighbors for $5 each. When my mom came home and saw my pile of money she took me down the street to return the money to each person, allowing them to keep the books. I recall one woman who refused to take the money back. She said with a smile, “When she’s a famous author someday I want to be able to say I bought her first book!”
What was the last book you purchased, and why did you buy it?
I bought Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken from Barnes&Noble for my 12-year old daughter. Alex is a friend of mine, so I’m honored to support her and garner my daughter’s love of reading at the same time.
For someone starting out in your career, which three books would you make required reading and why?
I’m not much of a self-help or craft reader so I can only think of one, and it’s a great one. On Writing by Stephen King because of its message about the necessity of perseverance to make it in this business.
What book have you found most inspiring, what effect did it have on you?
The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling completely swept me away. It’s a study on the importance of amazing setting and beloved characterizations in fantastical fiction. Those books made me want to create my own worlds where I, and my readers, could get lost and escape and fall in love.
What’s the most obscure book you own; how did you discover it?
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. It’s not the type of book I would have bought—it’s sort of a Biblical satire. Ironically, I came across it in a Sunday school room when I was helping to clean our church. Someone told me to trash it and I was scandalized that they’d throw away a perfectly new-looking book. So, I took it home, read it, was delighted, and then made my husband read it. We were both thoroughly entertained. I still have it. The angel and demon narrators are what loosely inspired my first book.
What’s the best book you’ve read in the last 6 months?
What is your proudest achievement?
Aside from raising big-hearted children, it had to be when I hit the New York Times bestseller list for the first time in May 2014.
Can you talk us through your writing process, from the first spark of an idea, to having your first completed draft?
When I first get an idea I take several days to daydream about it. I literally just roll the story around in my mind as I sit like a zombie on the couch or go about my daily tasks. I’m a “panster” not a “plotter” so I tend not to do a full outline. I might write a loose synopsis to make sure I have the larger plot points figured out, and then I dive in. I write during the day while my kids are at school. I take evenings/weekends/holidays/summers off unless I’m behind on a deadline. I write at home, alone, with no music. I need quiet and no distractions because I lose focus easily. My first drafts tend to be bare-boned; details are added during several revisions to bring the characters and setting to life.
If you were trying to impress a visitor, which book that you own would you leave on the coffee table?
Most visitors might not be impressed by my romance collection—I’m obsessed with love stories—but perhaps I could lay out my copies of Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. At least her romances are considered classics.
What two pieces of advice would you give a young aspiring writer?
Write the story on your heart, even if it doesn’t seem to coincide with current trends. Trends change, but if there’s passion in your story it will shine. And perhaps the most difficult advice, even for a seasoned writer would be not to give up. This business requires a lot of patience and waiting. Try to focus on writing and not let yourself be distracted by the noise.
If an alien landed in your garden; which three books would you gift them to showcase humanity in the best possible way?
I wrote a science fiction trilogy about aliens, but since they are naughty and get kicked off the planet I won’t hand that story over. This is a tough one because most books that showcase the best of humanity do so by contrasting against the worst of humanity. Let’s hope aliens are the glass-half-full type. I’ll go with The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer. For good measure, I might throw in Chicken Soup for the Soul by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Amy Newmark.
Are there any books you haven’t mentioned that you feel would make your reading list?
Other all-time favorite books are anything by Frank McCourt (I cherish ‘Tis), The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, and Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. But I’d be untrue to myself if I didn’t mention any romances. I gravitate to high fantasy, paranormal, urban/modern fantasy, and science fiction. My favorites are the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning, the Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout, A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas, and The Arcana Chronicles by Kresley Cole.
Which book sat on your shelf are you most excited about reading next and why?
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. I’ve heard beautiful things and I’m in a romantic wartime mood. There’s something about finding connection during the darkest of times that squeezes my heart.