“The Heir of Night” Guest Author Series: Tracey O’Hara
When Eos (HarperCollins, USA) purchased the North American rights to publish The Heir of Night in 2008, they were also about to publish a hot new Australian author, Tracey O’Hara, in 2009. Naturally, Tracey and I got to emailing—at least semi-regularly in between edits, copyedits, first pass proofs et al—and then earlier this year we both joined the Supernatural Underground, a blog of HarperCollins USA specfic authors. (In fact, Tracey played a major role in setting it up.) So it is with very great pleasure that I now welcome Tracey as the fifth guest in the F-SF Guest Author Series, blogging on our theme of “Why F-SF Rocks My World.”
F-SF Guest Series Post: Tracey O’Hara
Fantasy and Science Fiction have always rocked my world as a reader, watcher and now, as a writer. It all started with Enid Blyton’s THE MAGIC FARAWAY TREE series that my year two teacher started to read us. I never much got into THE FAMOUS FIVE or her other ones, but that tree with pixies, fairies, Moonface and the ladder to other worlds totally had me captivated.
As a watcher – I fell in love with Star Wars and then came the rash of SF movies of the ’80s. I read Issac Asimov’s ROBOTS OF DAWN when I was 14 and totally loved it. Then came Stephen King and my love of horror. But it was at 20, when met my (now) husband, that I got into fantasy. He gave me Raymond E Feist’s MAGICIAN and I was totally hooked. I was suddenly transported to other worlds where anything was possible.
I was never one of the people that wanted to write from a young age. Actually – I was the opposite. A total maths and science geek in school, I would break out in a cold sweat if I had to do a creative essay for English class. Don’t get me wrong, I loved to read, but I didn’t have any desire to write at all. However, looking back, the story telling was always there. As a child I had a “tribe” of tiny 3-inch people dressed in bright colours that I used to teach things and tell stories too. My mother said I was always off chatting away to myself – well I wasn’t really, I was talking to my very-visible-to-me imaginary friends.
I do remember the day the writing bug hit me in March 2004. I had written some small piece on my family history that I was researching and showed it to a friend who said “you know, you have a flare for writing, have you thought of doing fiction?” Well no, I hadn’t – until that point. That same friend said there was heaps of money in “bodice rippers” and we should write one together. It was easy to bang one out and easy money (yeah right, and pink space monkeys live in my closet and dance the fandango).
A story idea hit me like a tonne of bricks – only it turned out to be more of a colonial saga type story using the research I’d been doing. It soon became apparent that my writing partner and I had differing ideas and voices and I was soon working on my own – taking the story in the direction I wanted it to go. I’m such a control freak.
In the process, I had the spark of an idea for a vampire story, seeing I loved horror. Again it was someone saying the market was looking for paranormal romance that got me started. So I turned that spark into the beginnings of a paranormal romance, having never even read one before. It soon became apparent that I was going to go a little darker than was really acceptable at the time for romance. Or so I thought until I read Charlaine Harris. All of a sudden this entire new world opened up to me in more ways than one and NIGHT’S COLD KISS was born.
Being grammatically and punctuationally challenged, I actually had to learn the rules of English literature. But it was the fantastical world of mythical beings opening up in my head that really had me ticking. It was like it had been there all the time, this fully functioning world with rules and structure and I became an explorer, discovering the hidden secrets. The story came first, and then the craft. And I finally finished my first book.
Now I can’t imagine doing anything else. I watch a lot more SciFi than I read and read more Fantasy than I watch. So between that and writing, SciFi and Fantasy not only rocks my world, it’s become my life.
About Tracey:
Tracey O’Hara made her publishing debut in 2009 with the release of her Eos Books urban fantasy novel NIGHT’S COLD KISS which went on to be short listed for the Aurealis for Best Horror novel for 2009 and win the RWA 2010 Romantic Book of the Year – Romantic Elements. Tracey grew up reading Stephen King, Raymond E. Feist, and J.R.R. Tolkien, where she developed her taste for adventure and the paranormal thriller. When she’s not writing, reading, or listening to heavy metal, she spends time with her husband, two sons, and two cats. To find out more, please visit Tracey on her website.
I with you – I had imaginary friends I used to have adventures with. Although, can’t quite understand being a maths geek… Great post Tracey 🙂
Tracey! I loved how you said, ‘It all started with Enid Blyton’s THE MAGIC FARAWAY TREE . . .’ I’m reading that series to my granddaughter right now!
Wonderful post. It’s great to hear about your process. Inspiring!
Nicole – geek was my middle name. Numbers always made much more sense.
Kim – that series is so wonderful and one day I will read it to my grandchildren too. If I ever get any :). Hope your grandchildren are enjoying the stories – but really how can they not 🙂
I agree with Kim – as soon as I saw “Enid Blyton”, I had to read this post. It’s something my mum/grandmother encouraged me to read – and I can’t imagine a better introduction to Fantasy. I also wanted to go to an all girl’s boarding school, but thankfully, I was stopped from pursuing any such notions. Just wondering what your thoughts are on the series now – I mean, Chinky’s name has been changed, among other things. It disappoints me a little, changing classics like that…
Good Post ! I visit the EOS Supernatural Underground blog too.
Archee – it has been sometime since I have read any of the Magic Faraway Tree stories – I will have to reaquaint myself with them. Also your talk of an all girl boarding school – which puts me in mind of The Naughtiest Little School girl and The Great Ghost Rescue. Both I which I also loved. 🙂
Thanks for visiting June. And thanks for reading the Supernatural Underground.
Hey Tracey, I live, breathe and love, read and write SF/F/romance – couldn’t do without my daily does in any form! 🙂 For me, I vividly remember Han’s Christian Anderson’s fairytales (my dad bought me a compilation when I was about 7 or 8). I think I even still have it somewhere stashed in a box.
Then my 5th grade teacher, Mr Baggust, read us THE HOBBIT, and I was hooked on epic fantasy. Of course, I fought with my sister over the TV channel of choice in the evenings so I could watch Dr.Who, and then the family put up with my addiction to Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica and the Star Wars saga.
And as for imaginary friends, still have them, only now they not only appear in my daydreams but on the pages of my manuscripts! 😀
Kylie – I was late to the hobbit but was totally addicted Hans Christian Anderson and the Brother’s Grimm. Love them even more now that the darker versions are coming out.
Totally understand the addictions to all things Star… if it has star in the title then I’m in.
And yes – very true with the imaginary friends.
Didn’t know you were a heavy metal fan too. Excellent!
The Famous Five was a hoot – but I couldn’t help wondering how 4 children could do so much. It didn’t seem realistic. Or the Secret Seven.
Yet I loved the Faraway Tree and never questioned the magic.