Last month, I got to sit down with Hannah, or H. J. Bogue, author of the short story “Aligned”, and book one of the Queendom series, Pawns of Salistya. Hannah wrote “Aligned” about the star-crossed love of Ophiuchus, the thirteenth signs of the zodiac, and… well, read on, and let Hannah tell you all about it herself.
- What was your inspiration when writing “Aligned?”
- Why did you choose the title “Aligned”?
- How did you find Banksia Journal, and why did you decide to submit to us?
- You have a novel published now, can you tell us about that?
- You self-published your book. Why did you decide to self-publish?
- What were some of the challenges and some of the rewards of self-publishing?
- How does writing a short story compare to writing a novel?
- How do you handle moments of creative doubt, or writer’s block?
- Do you have any advice for writers looking to be published?
- Any final words?
What was your inspiration when writing “Aligned?”
It’s about Ophiuchus, the thirteenth zodiac sign. I am very much into my zodiac signs, and every couple of years there are articles that come out about this thirteenth zodiac sign. I’m a Cancer, but with the thirteenth zodiac sign I’m a Gemini, and the star sign community goes a bit in a heap and wonders is this true, and it never quite goes anywhere. So I thought, you know what, let’s bring Ophiuchus’s story to the forefront, and let’s give him a name, let’s give him a little bit of the spotlight. And so, that’s kind of where the thought process for Ophiuchus and “Aligned” began.
Why did you choose the title “Aligned”?
In the short story there is a curse placed on Ophiuchus, and me being me, it was always going to be tied something to a romantic plot, something of a romantic nature. And so every century for one night the stars align and Ophiuchus is allowed to come down to a realm, to a certain continent, and meet with his loved one. But of course it’s not as easy as that, there are the trials and tribulations to get through in order to find her, but that’s the reason that I chose “Aligned”.
How did you find Banksia Journal, and why did you decide to submit to us?
I was referred to Banksia Journal through a family member. And, the reason I chose to go head and submit to Banksia Journal was because you guys are Perth based, and being a Perth-based writer, there’s not a lot in Perth, it’s usually on the East Coast—which is kind of the story of our lives—and international. So, it was really important to me that I worked with people within my community. I was also a newly published author, it was the first piece that had ever been sent out into the world, so it was great that I could start from my roots and where it all began.
You have a novel published now, can you tell us about that?
Yes, so I published my novel, book one of the Queendom series, Pawns of Salistya, in October of last year. It is projected to be a five book series, epic fantasy, adult romantasy, but very heavy emphasis on political intrigue and people not being who they say they are.
So, there’s a lot of mystery surrounding the characters and the world. We go on a journey with Valare, who has married a king and was sent to take over his kingdom. When she gets there she starts to realise that maybe the queendom that she grew up in wasn’t telling her everything that there was in the world of Fyriane. And so, she goes on this journey of discovery of what really happens, and questions whether killing her husband is the right thing to do.
You self-published your book. Why did you decide to self-publish?
I just felt like it was the right move for me. My book tends to straddle a couple of genres, and it isn’t necessarily what is popular at the moment—it is, and it isn’t—self-publishing just gave me the freedom to do what I wanted, to publish when I wanted, and it didn’t matter about the word count. I’m very much a person that if the book is supposed to be 100,000 words … well, for me the story is done when it’s done, and I didn’t want to be constrained by any of that.
What were some of the challenges and some of the rewards of self-publishing?
The challenge of self-publishing was that I didn’t know what I was doing.
I think you go into it saying oh you know I’m just going to write a story, and I’m going to publish it, and you really don’t know how the extent of what that experience is from conception to actually publishing. And so, for me, it was wading through all of that. I had no idea there were various types of editors, I thought an editor was just grammatical; I learnt that that’s not the case. So, I think the challenges were very much that I was just I was learning along the way, just adapting and doing the best that I could.
The most rewarding part of it was by the time it had actually been published I’d gone through such exponential growth as an author, and really worked out, OK, what are my lessons learnt? There were plenty of things I wouldn’t do again, but for me that’s rewarding because I know that I’ve grown.
How does writing a short story compare to writing a novel?
It’s different.
I actually quite like short stories, because—especially with what I’m writing at the moment being epic fantasy, there are so many layers, so many subplots—it’s nice to have a short story where you’re contained by a few thousand words. You don’t have to explain everything, sometimes it just is what it is.
If that was in a novel, you really have to … it’s like the five whys: why? And then there’s another why that comes up, well why did they do this, and then why why why. So, I think in that regard, it’s quite freeing. You also don’t get too caught up in your head about all of these other characters, you really just focus on that one piece of work. I’d say that’s the biggest difference.
How do you handle moments of creative doubt, or writer’s block?
It’s hard. I don’t think that impostor syndrome ever gets easier; it’ll always be there for creatives, I think, and for just anyone in general in different areas of their life.
For me, I try to step away. I used to do yoga quite a bit to try and like centre myself. I’ll step away and play with my dog. But most of the time I’ll ask myself why am I feeling this way? Usually something has happened—I’ve read a chapter, and haven’t enjoyed it or whatever—and I just try to separate myself from that particular piece. It doesn’t mean me as a writer or my creativity is stinted, it’s just that one piece maybe isn’t where it needs to be.
But usually just stepping away from it, really. Which isn’t always helpful for deadlines, but we try and contain it as much as we can.
Do you have any advice for writers looking to be published?
Don’t be afraid to do something different.
When I first started writing my novel, I didn’t even know what a trope was. So, I never set out going I’m going to hit a female main character that’s a black cat, and a golden retriever male main character or whatever. I didn’t know any of this. I just, I wrote, and I felt the characters, and they became people to me. So, I think it’s really important that although tropes, and all of that stuff is great for marketing, and it’s going to bring in some people, and that’s what they’re looking for, don’t let it define the piece of work that you’re doing.
I’m always about pushing the edge in my writing, taking on a bit of a darker element that maybe is a little bit taboo, and I don’t think you should be afraid of that. People are going to love it, and people are not going to like it. It does not matter what you produce, no one is ever going to be 100% happy with what you produce, that’s just not life.
So, make sure you write for you, and you put out something that you’re proud of, because if you write to market then, in my opinion, it’s a losing game.
Any final words?
Just thank you, you guys were my first published piece of work, it was very exciting when that one released.
For those who have read Pawns of Salistya there are some Easter eggs that have been hidden in “Aligned” for future works that I have planned. So, if you haven’t read it, and you’ve read Pawns of Salistya and want a little bit more, check out Banksia Journal’s website, and check out “Aligned”.
I’d also like to thank Hannah, it was great to chat with her! You can also find “Aligned” for sale in our ebook, Banksia Journal Quarterly volume one. And, you can find Pawns of Salistya on Goodreads, Booktopia, Dymocks, and Amazon.
H. J. Bogue
Hannah is a writer from Perth, Western Australia. After years of dreaming of writing her own fantasy books, she hung up her corporate shoes and jumped into the world of writing. A self-proclaimed “Romantasy” addict, you'll often find her head buried in a book, doing yoga, sipping on coffee and hanging out with her puppy Walter.
Her debut novel Pawns of Salistya is now available.
Brittany Lee is the co-founder, and editor of Banksia Journal. She is a writer from Perth, Western Australia, with a BA in Linguistics, and Postgrad Diploma in Journalism. Her work has appeared in AntipodeanSF, Dusty Attic Publishing, and Perth’s Raine Square Story Dispenser. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, knitting, and taking photos of flowers (such as banksias).
You can find her online at brittanyerinlee.com.