How long have you been writing?
Since I was eight years old, so that’s a little more than ten years at this point.
- What is your favorite genre to write?
Ugh, this is so hard. I have so many story ideas in a bunch of different genres, but I guess I’d have to say romance since it shows up in a bunch of my ideas regardless of the setting.
- Which genre have you never tried before, but would you like to try out?
I would love (and plan) to write a mythology retelling at some point. Greek Mythology is why I loved reading when I first started, so I’d love to pay homage to that.
- Please tell us about your book.
The Belgrave Legacy is an upper-YA paranormal romance novel that features a witch learning magic, a dark angel sent to recruit her for evil, and a prophecy that ties them together.
- Which character was your favorite, and why? Which character was your least favorite, and why?
My favorite character is definitely Caleb. He kind of stole the show when I was writing this initially as a trilogy, and to appease him, I wrote Part 2 Tears of an Angel solely from his perspective to balance out Fawn’s from Part 1. When I revised though, he wanted his half of the story told throughout, and I couldn’t refuse. He’s my favorite because he’s flawed, misguided, and has a heart of gold. I can’t say more without spoiling The Belgrave Legacy.
My least favorite character is probably God. I tried to not make him a complete jerk, but when someone is omniscient (I don’t give him omnipotence), and still lets bad things happen, I just can’t like them. It’s the problem of evil, and I think it will always be there as long as there is belief in higher powers.
- What was the hardest part about writing your book?
The hardest part of writing The Belgrave Legacy had to be fitting it all into one story. I originally planned for this to be a trilogy, so each Part was a lot longer and had more action in each. When I decided a single book made more sense, picking what had to go, and finding new ways to tie the sections together without making readers hate me for two cliffhangers was definitely a challenge.
- What is your writing routine? Are there things you absolutely need to start writing?
My writing routine is I write an outline, then write in the morning, night, and whatever free time I find during the day in between homework and classes (I’m a college student).
- How long did it take you to write your book from start to finish?
If you just talk about The Belgrave Legacy as the single book, that took 3 months. If you include the time I spent writing each section as an individual book, then condensing it into the book being published, that’s closer to a year and a half (not including long breaks where I couldn’t write at all due to SATs, college applications, etc).
- Can you tell us about your editing process?
As I’m writing a story, I’ll normally know if something isn’t working and make a note of it. If the change is so pivotal that it affects everything after it, I go back make that one change, and then keep writing. In general, I draft fast, take a week off, then edit as I read based on the list I made while writing the story. Then I revise, take a few days’ break, then edit. This cycle repeats until I’m done.
- Is this book part of a series? If so, how many installments do you have planned?
Like I said, it was supposed to be three books in a trilogy called The Belgrave Legacy, but now it’s a single book, so it’s no longer part of a book series. I am toying around with maybe writing a novella and/or a set of short stories though, so it probably won’t be a one-shot either.
- Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?
Keep writing, reading, and learning. If this is really what you want to do, you’ll know that you can never stop improving. And, don’t get discouraged by writer’s block, rejection, or anything else. No one is forcing you to write. If you need to take a break to take care of yourself, do. But don’t think that just because you’re not writing that you can never be a writer.
- Why should everyone read your book?
It has everything you love about paranormal romances and magic, but also has someone who didn’t sign up to be the heroine like so many other YA stories today. Oh, and there’s a feminist twist even with so many supernatural men in the mix trying to control the heroine’s fate.
- If you could meet three authors, dead or alive, which authors would you choose?
Jane Austen, J.K. Rowling, and James Patterson. And no, I’m not obsessed with the letter J. I want to meet Miss Austen because Pride and Prejudice is one of my favorite novels ever. J.K. Rowling because of 2 words: Harry Potter. And James Patterson, because his Maximum Ride series is what officially hooked me on reading.
- What inspired you to write your book?
My grandma’s death and a guy at school. My grandma’s death triggered the whole idea of inherited magic, the power of 7, and the dream sequence in Chapter 1. The guy actually inspired a character named Bryan who acted a lot like Caleb in another story I had and eventually scrapped. You can read more about my inspiration here: http://www.zarahoffman.com/blog/the-belgrave-legacy-blog-series-day-1
- Are you working on something at the moment? If so, can you tell us more about it?
Yes, I am! I’m working on a YA dystopian romance novel called The Matchmakers. It’s set in the future where WWIII has happened, and a new government requires all eighteen year olds to have arranged marriages to people from the opposite side of the war to ensure peace. I wish I could say more without spoiling it, but I can give a hint: biopunk. You can read more about The Matchmakers on my site: http://www.zarahoffman.com/the-matchmakers
About the Book
A Reluctant Heroine. A Snarky Angel. A Big Mess.
Fawn doesn’t believe in magic. But when she is unexpectedly thrust into the middle of an ancient feud, she must learn to control her powers.
Caleb is sick of Hell. But when a simple seduction becomes complicated by real feelings, he is forced to pick between keeping his past or fighting for his future.
Can this young witch navigate a dangerous world with the dark angel assigned to romance and seduce her by her side?
Author Bio
Zara Hoffman is a college student and has been writing since she was eight years old. She spends most of her time doing homework and writing new stories because if she didn’t, her head would likely explode. She writes YA multi-genre fiction to share the crazy products of her imagination with the world and hopes that you find them as entertaining as she does. Her books are for young adults or the young at heart. After all, growing up is overrated.
When she isn’t wrapped up in projects, Zara listens to music or hangs out with friends. As an avid reader, Zara loves writing book reviews for her favorite books. She is a PR intern at Inklings Literary Agency She is also the founder of Our Hope Is Here.
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