Two Ends of the Pen: Interview with T.H. Hernandez, RESISTANCE

Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series?

THE RESISTANCE is the fifth book in the series. Without giving too much away to those who still want to start this series with book 1, The Union Series follows the adventures of a spoiled rich girl, Evan Taylor, who discovers her beloved utopian society, the Union, is not what she believed, and the government has been hiding an ugly secret from their citizens. When those outside the Union mount an uprising, Evan is forced to grow up fast and start to think about people other than herself in order to save those she loves. THE RESISTANCE picks up immediate after the end of the fourth book, THE INVASION, and finds her mounting a resistance against the invading force.

Nothing goes according to plan and they discover they have a traitor among them. Before they can put any plans into action, they have to root out whoever is working against them from the inside before that individual can warn the enemy of their plans. There’s lots of action and drama as well as some super sweet romantic moments.

Have you ever had a minor character evolve into a major one? Did that change the direction of the novel at all?

Yes, as a matter of fact. In this series, there was a secondary character who played a pivotal role but was no longer needed at the end of book 1, so off she went. She has always been one of my favorite characters, though. She was deeply wounded emotionally, and I couldn’t just let her suffer off page. So I brought her back in the fourth book. In book 5, she continues her development as she deals with a pain so profound, I often wonder if she’ll ever heal. Now she’s a key character in the series and will have her own arc that will wrap up by the end of the series in book 7.

Are you currently under a traditional publishing contract for future books or do you have manuscripts that you will self-publish? Are you doing both?

I’m a hybrid author. I have traditionally published books with Soul Mate Publishing and Entangled Teen, as well as self-published books. The Union series I published myself. SUPERHERO HIGH is published by Soul Mate and PROM-WRECKED through Entangled Teen. I am working on another book with my co-author for Entangled, but it’s not under contract yet. I have two more books in The Union series and at least two more books in the superhero series, Heroes & Zeros. Beyond that, I have some stand-alone projects in various states of planning, and I will probably submit those for publication, though I never say never when it comes to self publishing.

What is your writing process? Do you listen to music or do you like silence?

I cannot function in silence. Like at all. I grew up in a family of seven, so silence usually meant something was wrong. Whenever things get too quiet, I get anxious, even when I know for a fact nothing is wrong. As a result, I have a music playlist for writing. Most of my books have their own playlist, depending on the mood I need to set for myself for a particular scene. And I play that music LOUD!

Do you outline your story or just go where your muse takes you?

A little of both, I guess. I have a very rigorous planning process that includes character sketches, a detailed list of scenes, etc. But once I start writing, if I get an idea that wasn’t part of my original plot, I run with it. I can’t start writing if I don’t know what I’m writing about, if I don’t understand what motivates my character. But I don’t like to be too confined by the planning phase, so I do give myself a wide berth to listen to my muse when she sings to me.

Did you hire an editor to review your manuscript before publishing?

Absolutely!! I’m an editor by day, so I understand how important editing is for the final product. The two things I think you absolutely cannot skimp on are editing and cover design. And the one thing you can NOT do yourself, no matter how talented you are, is edit you own writing. My editor works for our local newspaper, so she’s one of the best when it comes to finding my mistakes.

Besides Amazon, are there any other sites where your books are for sale?

Most of the online retailers carry my self-published books, including Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo and more. Entangled Teen distributes widely as well, but Soul Mate takes advantage of Kindle Unlimited, so SUPERHERO HIGH is only available on Amazon. But if you have KU, you can read it as part of your subscription.

Do you find it difficult to juggle your time between marketing your current book and writing your next book?

Find me an author who doesn’t. Just kidding, but also totally serious. I learned how to write, not market or advertise. I have no background in marketing and no basic understanding what works and what doesn’t. So I’ve had to take a crash course in this area. And still, I’m not very good at it because a) I don’t really enjoy it and b) I really don’t know what I’m doing. Every minute I spend promoting myself I’m not writing, even though I know, KNOW on a fundamental level, that no one will read my books if they don’t know that they, or even I, exist. So while a lot of writers mess around to avoid writing, I tend to write to avoid marketing. I’m toying with hiring someone to help in this area, but I’m busy procrastinating on that, too.

Besides writing, do you have any other passions?

So many. First and foremost is my family. I adore spending time with them. As my kids get bigger, and begin to tower over me, I know our days of taking Sunday hikes together and morning Star Wars matinees in the comfy reclining chairs are nearing an end. So I grab whatever time I can with them. When they’re off hanging with friends or at rehearsals for school musicals, marching band, or following their own passions, I read a lot, scrapbook our moments, and knit. I can knit while watching TV or reading, so I tend to make lots of really wonderful things with soft yarns, that not only feeds my need to create something physical, unlike writing, but my tactile need to touch things and fidget.

Some fun facts about you, which do you prefer – dogs or cats? Chocolate or vanilla? Coffee or Tea? Talk or Text? Day or Night?

I cannot choose between dogs and cats. We have both and it’s a joy to watch them play together and then snuggle when they get tired. Cats like to cuddle, and dogs like to play. They serve two needs and I could never just have one or the other.

Definitely chocolate.

Coffee all the way.

Text. As in, only call me if it’s an emergency or someone is dying. And even then, text first.

Both. I love sunshine and being outside. I love to write at the table on my back deck. But I love night, too, when family is home and we’re all together. And after everyone goes to bed, that’s when I do most of my writing.

The Resistance
T.H. Hernandez
(The Union Series, #5)
Publication date: February 25th 2020
Genres: Dystopian, Young Adult

After the Union is invaded by the Uprising, life for Evan and her friends becomes even more dire. If they have any hopes of saving the world they know, they’re going to need help. And it looks like there may be someone already out there trying to accomplish the same thing.

Now living in an encampment in the Ruins, life is hard for most Unis in the Resistance. For Cyrus and the other Ruins survivors, it’s just more of the same.

While they train for their ultimate mission, tragedy strikes, upending everything once again.

Complicating their plans, someone in their midst is working against them. Evan, Cyrus, and the rest of the Resistance need to locate reinforcements to help them bring down the Uprising while rooting out the traitor. With trust at an all-time low, no one is above suspicion as danger walks among them.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo

Author Bio:
With flawed strong characters, characters you can relate to, New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author Lorhainne Eckhart writes the kind of books she wants to read. She is frequently a Top 100 bestselling author in multiple genres, and her second book ever published, The Forgotten Child, is no exception. With close to 900 reviews on Amazon, translated into German and French, this book was such a hit that the long running Friessen Family series was born.

Now with over sixty titles and multiple series under her belt her big family romance series are loved by fans worldwide. A recipient of the 2013, 2015 and 2016 Readers' Favorite Award for Suspense and Romance, Lorhainne lives on the sunny west-coast Gulf Island of Salt Spring Island, is the mother of three, her oldest has autism and she is an advocate for never giving up on your dreams.