We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Heather Ashle. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Heather below.
Alright, Heather thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What were some of the most unexpected problems you’ve faced in your career and how did you resolve those issues?
I think a lot of fiction authors believe in the tweaked adage, “If I write it, they will read.” That may sound like it comes from a place of arrogance, but I believe it stems from untamable passion. Our characters and the worlds they inhabit are so deeply rooted in our minds and hearts that bringing them to life for others to enjoy is like sharing our souls with the world. We hope our love for our creations will translate to readers as much as it consumes us as storytellers. But writing the story and marketing it require us to handle that translation very differently.
My idea for the Realm Riders Series felt intriguing to me when I began writing it. Two young heroines—one on dragonback and one portaling between realms—fight draconic parasites and systemic misinformation to save their realms from extinction. I thought devouring the story would be equally intriguing for epic fantasy readers. I won’t say this idea was wrong, per se, but like that old adage, it’s terribly reductive. It fails in its simplicity to account for important aspects of the writing process—aspects I thought I’d handled for my readers… and hadn’t.
Especially in the fantasy genre, if an exceptional amount of foundational structuring doesn’t ground the world building and the characters, readers won’t believe the story. But if these aspects aren’t carefully woven into the plot in such a way that the basic tenets of good storytelling are maintained in the detail, readers won’t connect with the story either. As an avid reader of fantasy, I thought I understood this balance from my study of the authors who came before me. But my preoccupation with obscuring the mysterious elements of my tale too often came at the expense of giving readers enough payoffs to feel invested. My beta readers helped me understand—rather bluntly, at times—what to disclose, what to enshroud, and what closure to give readers to keep them from feeling confused or distanced from the story because too much remained beyond their reach.
To sort this out in book one, I had to find plot points that I could divulge without revealing spoilers. This meant thinking more “globally” about the series. What can I tell them about the Exchange without giving too much away down the line? If I expose this secret about the dragons, will it transparently point to other revelations later? Such discernment proved challenging with only one complete book under my belt. I knew where the story was going, certainly. Yet, the detailed forward thinking these decisions required propelled me so far into the story at large that it took considerable effort to rein myself back in to the more “local” place of An Heir of Realms when I began marketing it.
To promote book one, I had to focus on only the introduction of these mysterious, fantastical, and expansive ideas and present them to potential readers in an eye-catching and comprehensible way. Marketing the series necessitated a baffling transition from the decade-long world of storytelling required to nurture book one toward publication. I didn’t write these books to market them. I only slogged through one marketing class in college—and I didn’t keep that subject as my minor for a reason. I wrote these books to write them. Writing has always been my passion.
I’ve improved with time and practice—writing the back cover blurb for book two was a much lesser feat than that of its predecessor—but I have yet to become comfortable with marketing. Writing is comparatively easy. I often consider myself a mere catalyst for getting the tale on the page. But communing with prospective readers about what they might experience and connect with in my series, especially without giving its secrets away…? That is far from easy.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am Heather Ashle, owner of the publishing imprint HB Ink, LLC, and author of the Realm Riders Series. I write character-driven epic fantasy novels about interconnected, dragon-filled realms mired in sociopolitical espionage. And I love every minute of it.
I’ve read fantasy novels as far back as I can remember. They provide a welcome escape from the daily grind, which, for me, has always included hours of medical treatments to avoid succumbing to the wear and tear of Cystic Fibrosis, a terminal lung disease that we breathless folk shorten to “CF.” Writers like Anne McCaffrey, Storm Constantine, JK Rowling, Deborah Harkness, and countless others preoccupied me during the pulmonary treatments that have kept me alive to write my own novels today. Their inarguably well-honed craft and the serene escapism they provided instilled in me at a young age one undeniable desire: I wanted to write fantasy novels, too.
And not just any old fantasy novels. I wanted to transport my readers the same way my idol-authors did because I know all too well the need for a respite from life’s challenges. The trials of my illness have helped me appreciate others’ struggles, and through that, I have learned about people—about how their actions have reactions and how the far-reaching ripples of decision and indecision affect those they touch.
My study of my favorite writers’ works told me much the same story. The immersive nature of their tales wasn’t just a product of well-written prose, unusual environments, or creative creatures. Success in storytelling correlated strongly to relatable characters whose realistic motivations drove their actions and the plot at large. It took me years of media consumption to realize that my attraction to character studies was synonymous with an interest in humanity. My instinct to write fantasy novels may have been deeply rooted in escapism when I started the series over a decade ago, but once I made the connection, I understood what I wanted my fantasy novels to do for my readers and me: explore us and the way we think.
Humans are fascinating. Our interplay, as influenced by personality and varying levels of self-understanding, leads us into interesting situations that can teach us about the condition of our existence. We are the main and supporting characters in our and others’ lives, driving our individual plots forward with irrepressible results. It’s easy to become mired in our own existences or judge others for theirs, but if we can try on another’s dragon-riding boots, we can learn more about them and ourselves than we may ever have thought possible. The dutiful spy, who informs on the king trying to retain his power through unsavory means, may not fully grasp why he also serves the monarch so sympathetically. But if the reader knows the spy has a history of serving those trapped by self-imposed circumstances, that foible may become more meaningful. Others’ unique experiences influence their decisions, and choice contributes to identity. I like to share my characters’ rich backstories in the hope that my readers gain greater perspective about people, perhaps subconsciously, as they read and escape into the realms I create.
But it’s not just about our behaviors. To increase the mysterious elements in my books, I include patterns of uncertainty. I present my characters with dubious information that causes them to second-guess what they’re being told about how their realms really work. How could a realm be impervious to smoky, draconic parasites that break through tears in the fabric of existence just because that realm is classified differently from other realms? As they seek to uncover the truth behind that classification by testing the unproven theories rampant around them, they question the status quo that everyone else seems to blindly accept. I hope my readers will extrapolate that these kinds of inquiries can apply to their own lives—perhaps not because Narxon threaten their existence, but because we don’t have to be portal-traveling activists to stop accepting our choices and the choices being made for us as law. Not all my characters are the fearless, careless hero types—many possess a common person’s eye toward self-preservation and the safety of their friends and family. Anyone can query their path, and if they work hard enough, they can alter it. My books ask readers to consider whether they’ve asked enough questions to do this for themselves. We are the arbiters of our paths, and it’s our responsibility to make the most of life, not simply trod along without agency, like sheep.
To this day, I write while I medicate. That time is mine. While I take care of my body, writing nourishes my soul. We all need to take better care of ourselves, especially if we want to take better care of those around us. So, if my books foster a moment’s escape for someone, then I’ve done my job. If they also inspire my readers to think more critically about life and those living around them, then I’ve shared my passion. That’s a win-win “in my book.” (Sorry—I adore a pun.)
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
I use my exploration of the human experience—through my characters’ motivations and choices—to entice my readers to think. We live in a very polarized climate that seems to pit extremes against each other: right vs. left, dark vs. light, correct vs. incorrect. I have experienced little in my life that was all black or all white. Rather, most choices reside on a grayscale. Circumstances are often so complex that starkly judging a decision as all good or all bad is, in my mind, nearly impossible. An employee choosing to expose her boss’s questionable gambling habits creates two very different impressions if she does so out of spite or if she hopes to protect a realm from being snuffed out by the man’s existence-altering bets. Neither motivation may exonerate the crime, but it may affect our reaction to it by registering the motivation along a different segment of the grayscale.
Our daily choices—from the dragon we train with to how we treat our colleagues in the spy ring—are affected by our mindset, which is a product of our circumstances and our interpretation of them. Motivation matters, not to justify behavior as good or bad, but because understanding breeds understanding. Much of the divisiveness we experience today stems from a lack of understanding and the critical thinking necessary to ask questions that lead to better understanding.
If my series causes just one person to think critically about a situation they may once have condemned or applauded outright because of personal bias, then my labor of love was worth the effort. Because one moment of consideration may lead to two. Two may lead to three. And if we all give things a little more thought than our knee-jerk reactions would initially allow, we could take a moment to ask the questions that propagate better understanding in this world—and stamp out righteous polarization.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
I think anyone with a passion can understand the drive of a creative. We do what we do because we’d explode if we didn’t. For me, writing is a natural extension of myself. Words are my lifeblood, and putting them together provides an outlet for pent-up creative energy that I hope to use for good, not evil.
My characters call to me at all hours, begging to have their stories told. They don’t have an agenda. They don’t wish to moralize. They wish to exist. I bring them into existence because they deserve to have their stories told as much as any living being does. And while I want their stories to read like a fun romp on dragonback, I also want to juxtapose them to make them more relatable and meaningful, even if the reader doesn’t initially recognize the realistic gravity tethered to their tales.
Ironically, my interest in promoting greater understanding of the human condition will probably strike some people as arrogant or righteous, as if I somehow have all the answers and wish to impose them on my readers. Yet, I’m not telling my readers what to think about the parents who withheld information from their daughter that could protect her against her uncle’s realm-threatening machinations. I’m asking them to think.
Where we deem something to fall along the grayscale of understanding is determined by our interpretation, which is predicated on our personal experiences and beliefs. This necessarily means that my attempt at understanding something could cause me to plot it along the grayscale in a wildly different position from where someone else might.
I’m not promoting my ideas as a different brand of uniformity; I’m promoting general consideration. Thought. An interest in how other’s views could alter the way they think from the way someone else does—and an appreciation for that difference rather than a quick condemnation of it. Call it acceptance or tolerance or whatever you wish, but don’t box it in with these terms. I believe art seeks to remove the barriers we construct for ourselves that limit how we think, feel, and experience life. Hopefully, the Realm Riders Series entices readers to break free of the boundaries they believe their lives to possess. I think most creatives desire their work to do the same thing.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.heatherashle.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realmridersseries/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Heather.Ashle.Author
- Twitter: https://x.com/realmriders
- Other: https://www.facebook.com/HBInkLLC/
Image Credits
Heather Ashle