Author Interview: Erin R. Howard |

Welcome, Erin! Tell us about yourself and your family.

Hi Julie, thanks for having me on your blog today! I live in Western Kentucky with my husband and three kids (ages 14, 9, 4) and I’m an Author and Developmental Editor for Mantle Rock Publishing.

How long have you been writing? What was it that gave you the motivation to pursue publication?

Reading and writing have always gone hand in hand for me. I honestly can’t remember a time that I didn’t have the desire to one day write a novel. I started writing short stories in middle school, and by high school, I was writing poetry and starting manuscripts. It wasn’t until I went back to school and got my degree in Creative Writing/English that I started to tackle a manuscript and finish it.

My youngest son was diagnosed in December 2016 with Leukemia, and my whole world stopped. I owned and ran a retail store at that time, and we eventually had to close due to traveling so much, but before we did, a publisher walked into my store. We talked, and she invited me to her writing meetings. Before I knew it, my store had to close, but my writing life opened. The publisher was interested in my book, so while we traveled back and forth to St. Jude, sat in waiting rooms, and hospital rooms, I finished my book and submitted it to her. It was accepted, and here we are!

Tell us about your new release.

It’s a supernatural fantasy about two estranged demon and angel brothers that are forced to work together to save the life of a teenage girl who is the last Seer (can see into the spiritual realm) in her bloodline.

What inspired you to write this?

I’ve always loved fantasy and speculative novels, and I love characters that are messy and flawed. So I started asking questions. What if the main character is not your usual hero? What if he’s the villain?

However, instead of strictly a villain, what if he’s got this desire to change but doesn’t know how? What if he couldn’t fully be redeemed? I mean, he is a demon after all. From these questions, I jumped straight into this story about two brothers: one who was a demon, and one that was an angel, and how they were fighting over this girl who could see into the spiritual realm.

Did you face any challenges writing this book?

I think my biggest challenge was learning how to turn off my internal editor and just write. Before I would always get so far and then go back and edit, always trying to make each chapter perfect before I moved on, and I learned that doesn’t work for me at all! If I edit as I write, I never finish. I’m always editing. It was challenging at first to write and not go back to look at anything, but I did it, and it works for me.

What is your hope that readers take away from it?

My biggest hope is that readers will connect with The Seer and find pieces of themselves throughout the book. We all struggle in different areas of our lives, whether that’s trusting others, or yourself, or not feeling like you’re good enough. I want readers to walk away from The Seer and realize that everyone can be redeemed; you can always change and grow. That they are enough.

What are you working on now?

Right now, I’m finishing up The Soul Searcher, book two of The Kalila Chronicles. I’m excited about this series and the journey that the characters are taking in book two and three.

How can readers find you?

Great question! I love hearing from my readers and connecting with them. They can find me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Also on my blog and website.

What is something most readers would not know about you?

Readers may not know that I’m a huge movie fan, and I love to watch the same movies over and over. My sisters and I have tons of inside jokes that stem from our favorite movies and quotes. I also love to watch the director commentaries and behind the scenes. The different aspects of how a movie is made and how they all fit together fascinate me.

Do you have any questions for the readers?

On my FB and Twitter page, I like to throw out random questions of the day to readers. So make sure that you join in on the fun. I love reading everyone’s responses!

Erin R. Howard is a Developmental Editor, Fantasy/Speculative Author and has earned a Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing/English from Southern New Hampshire University.

When she’s not writing, Erin enjoys spending time with her family, being a youth leader, and teaching crochet and cake decorating classes. Erin resides in Western Kentucky with her husband, three children, and a cantankerous tabby cat named Jack-Jack.

Erin is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and the KenTen Writers Group.