What is your favorite part of the writing
process and why?
Not
only do I write romance, but I love to add a little (or a lot) of
mystery/suspense into my stories. For the past few years, this has been my
favorite part of my writing process. I love putting on my Sherlock Holmes hat
and trying to figure out the mystery and the villain’s motivation. I absolutely love throwing twists into the
story, too. This is what keeps me enthralled in my stories.
When did you decide you wanted to be an author?
Many
years ago I was an avid romance reader. And of course, I loved watching romance
movies. One particular movie was romantic—an unforbidden love—but in the end,
the hero and heroine did NOT end up together. I was so upset that this movie
hadn’t ended happy. That night I had a dream (which was very common for me at
this time) about a romance, and when I woke up, that was when I decided to
write my dream into a story. Most of my stories start that way now. Of course,
now I have to figure out how to turn my stories into movies…
Who has influenced your writing the most?
I
don’t think there has been just one person who influenced me. I give credit to
the author of the first romance novel that I read – Kathleen E Woodiwiss. The
book was “The Rose in Winter”. That hooked me on historical romances. But I
have a lot of author friends now, and they all have a little part of helping me
along the way.
You’re known for your romance writing, so what
made you venture into fantasy and fairy tales?
Most
of my romances were Cinderella type stories, anyway, so it wasn’t hard for me
to venture into writing a real Cinderella story. The first book that led me
into this direction was my YA Fantasy, “The Witch Hunt”. I had a dream one
night (see, I told you that usually starts my stories…) about children being
sucked into a book. I was so excited about this story—mainly because it was so
very different—that I realized I could turn this into a series and call it my
twisted fairy tale series. Instead, the series name is “Where Dreams Come
True”.
How did you decide on the title of this book?
It
was easy to find a title for this particular story. My twisted fairy tale is
about three teenagers who get sucked into a fairy tale book. The story they are
sucked into is about Hansel and Gretel. And, because Hansel and Gretel are
kidnapped by a witch… Plus, there are other twists that I won’t tell you about,
but believe me, “The Witch Hunt” is the perfect title!
Who is your favorite character in The Witch Hunt
and why?
Rick
Stevenson is my favorite. He and his sister are two of the characters in this
story. Rick is the dumb jock. Not that he’s really dumb, but he acts that way
to get attention. The jabs he and his sister give each other during the story
really crack me up. All of my characters learn something about themselves in
this story, and they all have to overcome one of their fears. I think Rick is
the one who has the best experience doing this, and his character grows so
much. I can’t help but smile when I think of him and the trials he goes through
in the story.
Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
Do
NOT give up! If your dream is to become a writer, don’t let anything stop you.
Do all you can to achieve your goal.
Links to “The Witch Hunt”:
Book trailer - https://youtu.be/j1SbMz76fpQ
Kindle - http://a.co/f9vQK9c
Paperback - http://a/co/bWqnD0X
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Marie Higgins-
Since Marie Higgins was a little girl playing
Barbies with her sister, Stacey, she has loved the adventure of making up
romantic stories. Marie was only eighteen years old when she wrote her first
skit, which won an award for Funniest. A little later in life, after she’d
married and had children, Marie wrote Church roadshows that were judged as
Funniest and Best Written. From there, she branched out to write full-length
novels based on her dreams. (Yes, she says, her dreams really are that silly)
Marie has been married for several years to a
wonderful man. Together, they have three loving daughters and several beautiful
grandchildren. Marie works full time for the state of Utah, and she’s lived in
that state her entire life. Marie plans to keep writing, because the characters
in her head won’t shut up. But her husband smiles and pretends this is normal.
Marie Higgins is a multi-published author of
romance; from refined bad-boy heroes who makes your heart melt to the feisty
heroines who somehow manage to love them regardless of their faults.
Visit her
website to discover more about her – http://mariehiggins.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mariehigginsxox
Facebook: https://facebook.com/marie.higgins.7543
Dusti Miller-
Dusti
Miller is an avid book adventurer, frequently traipsing through the written
worlds of heroes and villains alike. She enjoys putting ink on blank pages to
create worlds of her own and is on a quest to find her characters’ real-life
doppelgangers. So if you ever run into her and she wraps you in a bear hug
while calling you by one of her characters’ names… Just go with it. Dusti
lives with her husband and four children in the quaint little town of Malad,
Idaho.
You
can follow Dusti on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DustiDMiller
Instagram:
Dusti_Miller
And
Twitter: @DustiDMiller
