Hummingbird: Broken Wings isn’t your typical young adult fiction novel. Here, the supernatural takes hold of a young woman who already felt like her world was falling apart and her mind failing her. What do you do when you find your life suddenly spilling over with angels, demons and witchcraft? Well, if you’re Abigail Anderson, you feel extremely thankful that there’s a method to the madness. Maybe now she’ll be able to fight away the awful recurring nightmares, at least, and finally find some peace.
Our author spent a lot of time fighting her own voices in her head. These voices, however, were much less insidious and nefarious; these voices told her to chase her dreams of becoming a writer. And write she did! We at BookTrib got to hear all about how Spencer K. Prescott threw herself into her creation and the knowledge that she gleaned from her leap into the unknown. Read our review of Hummingbird: Broken Wings here.
Q: What was your inspiration for the novel?
A: When I was 8 I received a book for my birthday from my late aunt called The Kincaid’s Book of Wizards, Giants, Trolls, and Magic. I can remember thinking, “A book, great. I don’t suppose there is a Barbie van hidden in your car, maybe?” But later that weekend I curled up in my bed with a flashlight and opened the glossy book. I was first drawn to the images and the artwork. At 8, I already enjoyed several scary movies too mature for my age, but it was a different time back then. Anyway, I loved the adventures. I sat up most of the night reading the eerie tales. Going to the library became a new fun adventure. I gravitated to ghost-like stories when I was young and I found a whole new place full of dark tales somewhere other than the TV. I grew up reading scary stories and watching the next new horror flicks to hit the screen. It’s been a genre of interest for a long time, and it dates back to the early eighties with a book I still keep in my office today.
Q: Can you explain what your writing process is like?
A: I have loved writing my entire life, but it was always a hobby. My full-time job is my big-girl career (it’s what I like to call it anyway.) I was raised in a generation where going to college and doing the responsible thing was the right choice. All our parents ever wanted was for us to have a better life than they did, and that meant not going after crazy dreams that would result in living in their basement for 15 more years. And that’s okay: college is a great choice. Becoming a responsible contributing member of society? A resounding yes. But after a week of standing and staring at the biggest dry erase board I had ever seen, it was finally my time to take my chances and go after my dream.
I am very visual in that I need to see the big picture drawn all over a big wall, or preferably a giant dry erase board. Honestly, they don’t make one as big as I need. I align my characters at the top. The plot and the conflict sit in a circle in the middle, then I write in the details, conflicts, motives and draw relationship lines between ideas or characters. I fill it all in. I reserve one side for ideas that I know I have to fit in but I’m not sure where they belong quite yet. Once I have the best visual draft, and that’s just a gut feeling, I begin typing with the board in front of me as my outline. I keep going until the first rough draft is done. Fine-tuning is what takes me the most time, and that’s my second run-through.
Q: How do you motivate yourself to write, and do you have any advice for aspiring writers on how to stay motivated or combat writer’s block?
A: I have had writer’s block that has lasted only a couple of hours to a couple of weeks. So my first suggestion: when you don’t have writer’s block, just keep writing. Don’t stop. Your brain is firing off all sorts of ideas, so write them down before you forget. It’s terrible when it happens only because we are eager to get it done. That being said, I don’t necessarily believe that writer’s block is negative. I believe writer’s block is your creative brain needing a recharge. We don’t run 24/7 without ever needing a break, no matter the profession. The block is the brain’s way of saying “Hey, I need to rest. Let me be and I promise good things will come.” I am a true believer in listening to your gut, your body. There have been times, especially when my writer’s block has progressed into weeks, that I worry; will it ever come back? It will, I assure you, and when it does, it comes with a creative force that will have you smiling and madly typing at your desk.
So don’t fret, and do use the time in between to pay attention to the world around you. Observe people and their mannerisms. Listen to the sounds of the city or of nature. Smell flowers and run your fingers through tall grass. Lock them away in your head so when it’s time you can use the things you feel, touch, taste and smell to add that extra punch to your creative ideas.
Q: Hummingbird deals with a lot of supernatural components, from demons and angels to witchcraft and other magical elements. What was your approach in balancing each of these aspects and making sure that it didn’t come off as superfluous and jumbled?
A: Editing, Editing, Editing. From the beginning, I knew I wanted all the magical elements in this book, but it did involve a lot of editing. I spent weeks going back and forth between chapters making sure I was seamlessly weaving it all in. I had the help of book-loving friends and family that read it early on and offered reader insight. In the end, and based on the reader feedback I’ve received, I have created the foundation for all of the wonderful, supernatural tales still to come in this series.
Q: The themes of found family are heavily implicated throughout the novel. In what way, if any, has this played a part in your personal life?
A: When I was little I had an idealistic view of what family means and it was certainly very traditional by nature: mom, dad, brother, sister, etc. I have learned through the numerous people I have met over the years that sometimes the family you need is not blood. Sometimes family is a group of people that provide the love and support your blood relatives can’t provide, for whatever reason. But it also doesn’t mean that your blood relatives don’t play an important role. There is room for everyone in this life.
Q: In what ways do you think readers will relate to Abby or any of the other characters? Which character resonates with you most?
A: I think readers will identify with Abby’s funny and snarky wit. She is a temperamental teenager dealing with the age-related social issues that most teens can relate to. She just also happens to live in a very supernatural space surrounded by angels, demons, witches, and ghosts. The poor girl can’t catch a break! What I personally love the most is that she is not a damsel in distress awaiting some hot boy to come and save her. Don’t get me wrong, she is a 17-year-old girl with feelings, and there are potential suitors in the story, but her world is not ruled or managed by how a boy feels about her. She is becoming her own force to be reckoned with. With that I will also say for those who love love, it’s in the book too: just not with Abby. Not now, anyway.
Choosing one character that resonates with me the most is so hard. I’ve had dinner with all of them in my head! I have a long relationship with each, so I witness them from a different vantage point than my readers who have just finished Book 1. Without any spoilers, Luca is one of my favorites. She embodies strength and resilience with a mysterious edginess that I love. Her full story will be an exciting and dark one to tell.
Q: Can we expect more adventures with Abby and the crew in the future?
A: Yes! Hummingbird Broken Wings is Book 1 of the Allison Creek Series. Book 2 will be out later this year with others to follow.
https://booktrib.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Spencer-K-Prescott-credit-at-photosbybeca-300×300.jpg
@PHOTOSBYBECA
About Spencer K. Prescott:
Spencer K. Prescott was born and raised in a small town in Ohio. As a child, she gravitated towards books involving witches, ghosts, and magic. As an adolescent, she spent many nights reading eerie tales by the light of a candle or hidden behind interlaced fingers, watching another thriller play out on film. In her college years, professors noted her ability to capture an audience with her elegant sentence structure. With a genuine love for the written word, she spent any free time between working and raising a family, fine-tuning the delicate craft of storytelling.
As an adult, she has focused on weaving tales around ideas that are difficult to reason. The world she constructs is magnificently designed and provides an escape from the mundane. Her characters are equally bold, powerful, mystical, magical, and dangerous. Hummingbird: Broken Wings was born in an attic where she hid alone, with a pack of markers and a giant dry erase board. It started with a passion for writing, a love of dark fantasy, an interest in the unknown, and a dream to become an author.
