YG: What do you love most about what you write?
HH: Getting fully involved with my characters and plot! I’m a pantser – I don’t plan out my novels before I write them so I love seeing how the stories unfold as I write and how they characters develop and change. Sometimes I feel giddy with excitement at the twists and turns that pop out of nowhere and sometimes I’m sat at my desk in floods of tears because something awful has just happened to them.
YG: Tell me the name of one of your characters, and what you loved and struggled with most while writing them?
HH: Zoe. She’s the main character of my Dreamweaver series and she starts out as an agoraphobic young woman who’s essentially trapped in her house. I found it interesting because the more I write – which is essentially a very solitary lifestyle – the more I realise how easy it would be to shut myself away the world and never talk to anyone. The fact that you get just about anything delivered to your door these days doesn’t help! I loved seeing Zoe adapt and become more confident, essentially becoming able to venture into the outside world. Her journey was difficult though!
YG: What’s the oddest thing you’ve ever received from a fan or bought for your writing?
HH: I haven’t bought it yet but it’s on my list as I’ve just moved house – Idea Paint. It’s essentially paint for your walls which you can then scribble all over with whiteboard pens. I like the idea of jotting down ideas by graffiti-ing my own walls!
YG: What do you want your readers to take away from your books?
HH: Pure escapism, a whole lot of fun – and that just about anyone has the potential to be a hero!
YG: Monopoly. Twister. Halo. The Sims. Pokémon Go. What’s your pleasure?
HH: I’ve recently been introduced to board games and have been meeting up with friends once a week to do battle. I absolutely love Pandemic because it’s not you versus your friends. It’s you and your friends versus the game. Plus, you get to try and save the world which is always fun!
YG: What do you have coming out next, or what just came out?
HH: The final book in my Highland Magic series came out on December 1st. It’s a great tale and very close to my heart because it’s set in my homeland of the Highlands of Scotland. I’m also particularly proud that I started and finished a series in a year. I hate waiting around for books to come out when I’m following a storyline!
YG: Will you have espresso, mocha, cappuccino, latte, coffee, tea, or some other concoction?
HH: Quadruple espresso. On repeat!
After teaching English literature in the UK, Japan and Malaysia, Helen Harper left behind the world of education following the worldwide success of her Blood Destiny series of books. She is a professional member of the Alliance of Independent Authors and writes full time, thanking her lucky stars every day that’s she lucky enough to do so!
Helen has always been a book lover, devouring science fiction and fantasy tales when she was a child growing up in Scotland. She currently lives in Devon in the UK with far too many cats – not to mention the dragons, fairies, demons, wizards and vampires that seem to keep appearing from nowhere.
You can find out more – and learn how to get a FREE copy of Corrigan Fire – by visiting Helen’s website: http://helenharper.co.uk
Gifted Thief is available at: Amazon/Kindle Unlimited
I absolutely love the Highland Magic series. Loved the character’s with all there own quirks. It was just a joy to read and relax with a good plot and fun character’s.