We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful HD Reavis. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with HD below.

HD, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I have a vivid memory of filling a spiral notebook with scribbles that told a story about a princess and a dragon. Clearly the lines and shapes made only sense to me; the pseudo-cursive weaving magic that only I could understand. But I understood it well. I can see my six-year-old self, standing in my parents’ room, reading this story, building this world, and believing in it. I knew at that moment storytelling was going to be a part of my life. Unfortunately, I would not come up with the courage until my late thirties; after years of hiding behind usernames on different forums, filling notebook after notebook, that I would finally commit to writing professionally. I had given my life over to marriage and raising kids, putting the writing part of me on hold. As a mom you do lots of creative things to entertain your kids and pass the time, but writing was simply one thing too many for a good ten years. My oldest though kept pestering me about an idea for a story regarding monsters under a bed and a young boy dealing with said monsters. There was a line where the boy jumps up and yells, “I eat monsters for breakfast!” My son would not let the idea die. There was something in his enthusiasm, in his delight, that solidified in me that it was time to start writing once again and to commit to being an author.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

The world needs everyday magic, and even more so, people need a safe space to enjoy those magical moments. As a fantasy writer this is what I want to accomplish. I want all the adventure, the strange creatures, the interesting folks, without an agenda. Even with fantasy romance, I want the thirteen-year-old to be able to enjoy what I’ve written just as much as the thirty-three-year-old does. Does that mean toeing a PG guideline and more of a closed-door policy? Yes. Because I want it to be about the story and the characters more than anything else.

When Jane Fae was released, I was so thrilled to find people who agreed with this philosophy, who craved clean magical romance as much I did. This last year I’ve been using the same approach on Kindle Vella, writing the series Fairy Boy and Mundane Girl. It’s such a different format, but the challenge is worth it because those two main characters are an absolute blast to write.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I get paid to make stuff up. One time I heard from an improve performer who said something to effect of, “I’ve performed for a full house, and I’ve performed for an audience of one- making that one laugh was the best feeling.” And I like to take that attitude with me in my own writing career. There is something truly fantastical about this sort of joint or shared consciousness that occurs between authors and readers, and how it becomes a point of shared interest. When you connect with a reader and you’ve given them something that entertains them, that intrigues them, even makes them smile, it is an amazing feeling.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

The creative juices aren’t a faucet that can just be tapped at will. It is weirdly its own master. What I mean by that, is it takes work and the ideas sometimes just do not come together. I’ve had people make requests before for certain stories- “you should write about this or that.” And then there will be disappointment when the story doesn’t come to fruition. Or they want a tale instantaneously and then there’s frustration when I simply cannot perform. Not only does there need to be an idea, but then we have to see how the idea works and feels and sounds and tastes. Ask almost any author and they will tell you they have loads of unused ideas because all of the components and chemistry needed for a story weren’t there.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.amazon.com/author/hdreavis
• Instagram: hdreavis.author
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/hdreavisauthor/
• Good Reads: www.goodreads.com/hdreavisauthor