Interview with Traci Hall

www.tracihall.com

First off, thanks so much for joining us for an up-close and personal interview for TeensReadToo.com! My name is Jen, and I’ll be your server toda…oh, wait, wrong job! Anyway, thanks so much for taking time out of your writing schedule—which I’m sure is busy!—and answering a few questions for your readers and fans.

Let’s get some of the typical interview questions out of the way first. When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?

I knew I wanted to be a writer as soon as I found out that I could rhyme. “Got a nickel? Buy a pickle!” I think I was four when I crafted that masterpiece, lol.

Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?

I’ve been writing FOREVER, including the not to be forgotten terrible teenage poetry that is what my daughter calls ‘emo’. Once I got past that and the (throat clearing) rhyming thing, I moved on to short stories. I published one in a small magazine that won a People’s Choice award, so that gave me the mistaken impression that writing an entire book would be easy. After twelve years and many false starts, here I am…

Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one thing about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?

My first novel, Her Wiccan, Wiccan Ways is available now from Samhain Publishing. It’s about Rhiannon, a teenage psychic. Her parents are Wiccan – but she believes in science and has totally turned her back on magick. Her entire life is in conflict as she tries to figure out where she belongs. Which she’s pretty sure isn’t Crystal Lake Washington, home of the Dairy Cow. This is the first in a series – the next book, Something Wiccan This Way Comes, will be available later this year.

What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?

My Aunt really encouraged imagination in all of us cousins – nothing was impossible, but to be honest I have a very supportive family and they’re all inspiring in one way or another, (snickering).

Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!

Everybody is really excited! I’m married to a terrific guy who understands about fast food and paper piles. I have an 18 year old who is off to college next year, a 16 year old daughter who WISHES she was going off to college, and lots of assorted kids that help empty the fridge. Three dogs, two cats, plus a large extended family that I adore.

Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?

Kentucky Fried Chicken mashed potatoes and gravy. Hands down.

What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?

Bathroom, turn on the computer, and guzzle coffee.

If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise me the most?

The mess. Yes, you would be horrified by the mess.

Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to know: If you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?

Periwinkle. It’s not quite purple, or blue or gray, and it is shimmery. Like magic.

If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!), during any time in history, where and when would it be—and why?

I am a huge Medieval England fan, and I would love to go and be a princess and live in a castle and I’d make sure to bring my own private stash of toilet paper and toothpaste. And Doritos.

So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while you’re writing?

I love alternative music, but I don’t listen to music when I write unless I am searching for a certain mood. It can’t have words in it or I’ll get distracted! And I am very easily distracted…

Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie you saw at the theater?

Run Fat Boy Run! I love the hero in this movie – he’s in my all time favorite movie, Shaun of the Dead – Hot Fuzz wasn’t bad, either, lol. I’m a horror movie fan, the bloodier and gorier the better. Bones is the only television that I watch consistently, although Tru Crime tv is pretty cool, lol.

You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?

Don’t be in such a hurry – I see it with own kids, and I know that I did it too, rushing toward the next new experience without always thinking the consequences through. Enjoy the moment that you are in

One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?

Something Wiccan This Way Comes, and the third book in the series which does not, at the moment, have a name. I write paranormal romances for adults too.

Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!

Thank you! It was my pleasure.

Traci