We always enjoy featuring good writers of good books. So we were delighted when S.D. Howard took us up on our offer for an author interview. (Say that 10x fast! That’s okay. We’ll wait.)

S.D. Howard is the author The City of Snow and Stars. Read our review: Fantasy Reveals Truth in ‘City of Snow and Stars.’

In the meantime, let’s get to know this talented author better. Ready? Set? Go!

God, Writing, and Things Between

Firstly, I want to thank my wonderful host for inviting me to share a post with you all!

As I thought about what to share, I couldn’t pick just one topic, so I broke it down into a couple of different ones to help you get an idea of who I am and what I am about.

What motivated you to write your book(s)?

The love of writing. I used to hate writing, but I turned sixteen I fell head-over-heels in love with it and haven’t stopped since. Ever since I was a kid I have been telling stories, and once I began working on my original trilogy (now slotted as the 3rd trilogy out of 4) the world kept growing bigger and bigger.

My primary motivation when starting out was not to honor God through my writing, but to make it big as an author. Needless to say, that didn’t happen in my 20s, and thank God it didn’t. During the publishing process, God forced me to my knees and to give Him control of the pen (or keyboard in this case) and allow Him to do the work. He wanted me to label it Christian Fantasy… on purpose… knowing very few people, even Christians, read the genre! Oh, and He said the story was for Christians.

The more I got into the process, though, the more He showed me that my story (the book and my testimony) were not just for me, but for others as well. He showed me I write for the people who feel alone, silenced, outcast, and rejected. The brokenhearted and messed up. And yeah, even Christians feel that way.
They are my motivation now.

What do you want readers to take away from your book?

It’s a big question. My primary thing is that God is Good. He is Just. He is Merciful. He is Wrathful. He is Loving. And there is no contradiction between those things. I pulled heavily from the Prophets while writing the 3rd draft of the book and weaving it into the narrative because God doesn’t shy away from it.

Do you need total quiet or do you like “background noise” when writing?

Oh, I need music. It changes depending on my mood, but usually, it will be epic orchestra music, RED, NF, Chillstep, or something in-between. If there is a particular scene I’m working on that needs the right type of song, nothing else gets done until I find it. Which is both good and bad.

Any other books in the pipeline?

Oh, do I have books planned! The City of Snow & Stars is the first of 12 books I have planned within the world I introduce you to. They will be broken up into 4 trilogies and will span (roughly) 3,000 years from the events of this book. In addition to that, I’ve got a stand-alone book planned that connects with the world, which I very excited about.

Aside from those (as if they are not enough) I’ve got a whole notebook FULL of book ideas for the future.

What are some additional hobbies and interests?

I love playing Minecraft with my kids, reading, and being an author coach. Several of the students I’ve worked with have gone on to publish their books, and I am beyond proud of them. My family and I live in Eastern Oregon, so there is plenty of hiking and fishing to do when the weather is nice.

I also enjoy learning new things. From website design, SEO, basic graphic design, building brands, developmental editing, and more.

Thank you!

I want to thank you all for taking the time to read this and get to know a little more about me and what I do. Writing is my passion and something I hope to do until Jesus calls me home. If you would like to connect with me and my community, here is my One Link to Rule Them All: https://sleekbio.com/sdhowardauthor

Bio

Author of Christian Fantasy. Developmental Editor. Story Coach. Entrepreneur. S. D. Howard helps authors create and polish their books through his work in the publishing industry and through his own platform at The Editing Bard. For years, Howard has devoted himself to helping authors put their best books forward.

Snow capped mountain and stars image credit: Public Domain.