Welcome to BookView Interview, a conversation series where BookView talks to authors.

Recently, we interviewed author El Holly about her writing and her book, Finding Fae, an immersive YA fantasy novel that explores one young girl’s coming of age journey after she learns about her fae heritage.(Read the review here.)

El Holly enjoys writing about a lot of things, but her heart is taken by the fantasy genre. Her most recent book, Finding Fae, is a YA contemporary fantasy which readers have said they “could not put down.” When she isn’t writing, she reads, teaches, drinks coffee, and goes on adventures with her family. She lives in Minnesota with her husband, their two kids, and her favorite fluffball, Mack.

Website: http://elhollywrites.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/elhollywrites
Instagram: http://instagram.com/elhollywrites 

How many hours a day do you write?

*Laughs in mom* Hours a day to write sounds heavenly. Since I’m a mom of two energetic, book-loving boys and a high school English/Language Arts teacher, my writing time is limited to minutes, not hours. But I try and write a little every day. You’d be surprised how much gets written when you chip away at it like that!

Tell us a little about how this story first came to be. Did it start with an image, a voice, a concept, a dilemma or something else?

Finding Fae started with an idea. I’m an adoptee, and have some unique circumstances in my life because of it. Many people had told me I should write a book about my experiences, but I’d always said I prefer writing fantasy. Then one of my uncles said, “Who says the birth family has to be human?” and that stuck with me. 

How long on average does it take you to write a book?

On average? I would say it takes me anywhere from six months to many years, depending on the book.

How often do you read? 

I read every day, if I can. I mostly read books in the YA genre, since that’s my favorite genre to write and read, but I do take a break from YA to read the occasional historical fiction.

Which scene, character or plotline changed the most from first draft to published book?

The chapter where Eevee is at the Equinox celebration went through the most revisions from first to final draft. One of my beta readers pointed out that something was missing, and that beta reader was right. I think the chapter is much better now. But really, the whole book is different compared to how it looked after the first draft. That’s the beauty of editing and revising!

Do you Google yourself?

…no. (That’s a lie.)

Would you rather read a book or watch television?

Both? Both is good! Seriously, though, it depends on the day. Sometimes I enjoy the visual of watching something on TV, and sometimes I just want to dive right into a book. (Sorry to my husband who I sometimes ignore when reading at night after the kids are in bed.)

What do you hope readers will take away from this story?

Ultimately, I hope readers get a new insight into an adoptee’s views on adoption. Eevee’s struggles and emotions are her own when it comes to adoption, but I would be lying if I said none of it was based on my own. I also hope readers take away the theme of following your heart, no matter where it leads you.

What’s next for you?Next up is finishing the second book in the Finding Fae trilogy. My goal is to release book 2 in 2022 and book 3 in 2023. Fingers crossed I can stay on schedule!

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