A Chat With Debut Mystery/Romance Author Hanga E. Pavel
As a member of Pavel’s Street Team I felt very lucky to receive an early copy of her debut novel OUR DARKEST SUMMER. This novel is the perfect blend between mystery and romance. ODS was easily a 5 star read for me and as soon as I finished I reached out in hopes of speaking with Pavel. I am so excited to be able to support new authors on my website and I truly wish Pavel the most success and I look forward to what comes next for her!
What inspired you to be an author?
I think what inspired me the most was the books my mom read to me as a child. I remember being obsessed with them and wanting to hear them over and over again, and as soon as I learned how to write I started to make my own stories. First I wrote to my younger cousins, then later to my schoolmates. Of course these were all short stories, a few pages/chapters long, but it all started there. I guess what inspired me most to be an author was the works of other authors and the comfort of making up safe places in my head.
What is your writing process?
The writing process I used for OUR DARKEST SUMMER is a very easy one. Usually my stories come to me in a dream, after that I spend a few hours on Pinterest searching for fitting pictures of the characters and making an aesthetic board for the book. I always make a writing schedule, especially for the first two drafts as those are the harder ones. The first draft was the hardest part for me with ODS. I drafted it for three months and then I had to force myself to put it aside and wait at least a week before I jumped back into the story and started on the second draft.
What should we expect from ‘Our Darkest Summer’?
I love this question. From OUR DARKEST SUMMER, you can expect the most summery summer vibes. Parties, swimming in the lake, stargazing… A big friend group full of people with different personalities. Some spook, dark forests, foggy nights and lot of investigation… And of course romance with a handful of spice.
Can you tell us 3 of your favourite authors?
Stephanie Garber and Kerri Maniscalco are my all time favorites. I am obsessed with their stories and writing styles. My third favourite is a bit harder to name, because there are a lot of authors on this list, but I really love Victoria Aveyard, she motivates me a lot on social media.
Are you nervous to be debuting?
Oh yes, I definitely am. I have to tell myself daily that I write because I love it and I don’t have to live up to everyone’s expectations. But this is just one of those jobs where what others think of what you do and how you do it really matters. But on the other hand it stills feels like a fever dream, I’m so very grateful to be able to publish my book and that there are people that are actually interested in this story.
What inspired you to write a romance/mystery?
Well this is funny because OUR DARKEST SUMMER was originally a horror in my head, but I quickly had to realise I wasn’t really good at writing in that genre and it somehow slowly transformed itself into a mystery with a whole plot. I think my biggest motivation was how much I love reading mysteries in the summer. It was also one of those books I wished to read but couldn’t find one already written, so I just had to write it.
Do you think you’ll branch out and try any other genres?
I definitely will. Actually my next book, the one I’m working on right now is a gothic fantasy for an older young adult audience. And I have a lot of different ideas, I can’t wait to share them with you in the future.
Do you have a favourite character from your book?
This is a hard one. I love them all for different reasons, but if I had to choose maybe Kinsley. She’s very motivating for me. I love her confidence and smartness. But I also love Braxton, he’s a comfort character of mine. And Connor… Should I just list all of the characters? Haha
What should we expect next from you?
I kind of spoiled this one in one of the answers before, but my next book is going to be a gothic fantasy (young adult). I’m going to jump between the fantasy and the mystery genre for a while I think, and even mix them up, but I also have ideas for a few sport romance books, hehe.
What is your favourite snack?
Potato chips all day (for my British friends I mean crisps). I can eat a bag almost any time of the day.
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