Coastal Magic Convention is a beachside reader weekend in Daytona Beach, Florida each February. The 15th annual weekend is February 25-28 2027, celebrating the magic of stories & storytellers. Each year’s goal is to bring authors and readers together for a memorable weekend with old friends (and new!) and to build TBR piles!
Today we have a Q & A with Hank Edwards!
Hank: I am an “own voice” author of gay fiction and gay romance. I’ve written a lot of paranormal mm romances, my most popular being my long running Critter Catchers series. I’m a Michigan native, born, raised, and still living in the southeast portion of the state, and while growing up I never got to read positive depictions of queer people in fiction, so I really wanted to be able to write stories about gay characters facing extraordinary circumstances and supported by biological and found family.
What got you into writing? How long have you been writing?
Hank: I’ve been writing stories pretty much all my life. In middle school, I claimed my older sister’s typewriter she brought home from college and spent my summers writing stories while other kids were outside playing sports.
What is your favorite part about being an author?
Hank: The gift of imagination. All these characters and differing points of view in my head have helped me see the world from outside my bubble. I’ve never had a “quiet mind”, so to speak.
How many books have you written? Which of your books is your favorite?
Hank: Oh, such a tough question! I have written over 50 books, including the Lacetown Murder Mysteries, a humorous mystery series I co-wrote with Deanna Wadsworth. My favorite book is a tough choice, and I need to cheat and give two answers. My first favorite is my time travel romance “Destiny’s Bastard,” in which a medieval knight travels to the future and meets the love of his life. The second favorite would be “Dread of Night”, the 7th book in my original Critter Catchers series. I had a great time writing it, and I always felt it was a great season finale for Cody and Demetrius with a lot of high stakes action and sacrifices.
Have you experienced writer's block, and how do you handle it?
Hank: Funny you should ask, I’m sort of in that space right now. I’ve experienced this in the past as well, and I’ve learned it’s a signal from my inner self that something in the story isn’t working right. When this happens I take a break from the writing and let my subconscious work on the knot. So I’ve set the writing aside this week and have focused on reading, day job responsibilities, and time with friends and family. Usually I’ll get a spark for a storyline change that will get me going again.
How do you choose names for your characters?
Hank: Sometimes the name just comes to me, but when I need to be inspired I use a tool inside the writing software I use, Scrivener. It has a Name Generator and you can use different settings to create a name with different heritages. I’ve also used the online fantasy name generator to come up with city or world names.
Can you describe your writing space?
Hank: I have two main writing spaces. One is my office at home, where I have all of my own books on shelves along with favorite books by other authors I know. There’s a tall cat tree and fun pop culture figurines all around as well as a bunch of cat toys. The other space is the loveseat in my living room which faces a large front window and a fireplace. I sit down, put my feet up on the ottoman, and can easily lose myself in my imagination sitting there, usually with 2 or 3 cats curled up either on my legs or beside me.
How much research have you had to do for your book(s)?
Hank: Most of my books lately have been paranormal, so my research has consisted of digging into cryptid lore or understanding the geography of an area I’m not familiar with. I should be better about doing research up front, but a lot times I don’t yet know what I don’t know when I start writing a book.
What has helped you the most while writing?
Hank: Finding a time that works and thinking of it like an appointment with myself. I get up early and feed the cats and myself, get a cup of tea, and sit in a favorite spot and start to write. Showing up at the same time every day helps my brain click into creative mode more easily.
What has hindered you the most while writing?
Hank: The outside world and the day job. While it pays for the mortgage and groceries, it is a distraction. Also, I work from home a lot and I am owned and managed by 3 cats, so…yeah.
Do you outline, plot, and plan, or is your writing more organic?
Hank: I try to outline a story, but once I begin writing, the characters kind of take over and things just sort of happen that derail the outline. So I’m partially a plotter, but mostly a discovery writer.
Do you read much and if so, who are your favorite authors?
Hank: I do try to keep up with my reading, but often doze off! There’s never enough time! Some of my favorite queer authors are Gregory Ashe and C.S. Poe, both attending CMC27. Meg Perry writes several awesome mystery series, and RJ Peterson writes wonderful mm romances featuring older characters (we older guys need love too!).
What can you tell us about your upcoming release?
Hank: Right now I’m working on book 3 of 5 in the third “season” of my Critter Catchers series. These five books involve Cody and Demmy and the rest of their found and bio family members going up against monstrous threats inspired by my love of the classic Universal Monsters. The first two books featured a mummy and then vampires. No release date yet, but I can say the guys are in another state for this one and don’t have their usual support system around them.
What are you most excited about for Coastal Magic 2027?
Hank: Seeing friends I’ve made at the conference over the years and meeting new readers. I really enjoy spending time with the group of friends I’ve made at conferences along the way who have come to feel like family. And, of course, getting the chance to talk about books and hear about all the new books authors have been working on.
How can readers discover more about you and your work?
Hank: There are a few ways to stay tuned to what’s coming up next. They can sign up for my newsletter on my website here: https://www.hankedwardsbooks.com/newsletter/ or they can ask to join my Facebook author group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/hankshangout
I post to Instagram at this account when I remember to (hey, I’m GenX, I’m trying, LOL): https://www.instagram.com/hankedwardsbooks/
Many of my books are in Kindle Unlimited, but I will be having them go to wide release either late 2026 or early 2027. Either way, my Amazon author page is: https://www.amazon.com/author/hankedwards and my website is https://www.hankedwardsbooks.com
Information about #CMCon27, including this year’s list of Featured Authors and how to register to attend is on the website, http://CoastalMagicConvention.com.
You can also get involved and have some bookish fun between now and February by joining the Facebook Authors & Attendees group: http://Facebook.com/groups/CMConAuthorsandAttendees and Reading Challenge group: http://Facebook.com/groups/CMConReadingChallenge.
Comments
Post a Comment