Spotlight on Laurel Anne Hill

Laurel Anne Hill inspires CWC Young Writer Program participants.  

KOMENAR Publishing released, Heroes Arise, Laurel’s debut novella and parable in October 2007. Her shorter fiction and creative nonfiction have been published in the Contra Costa Times, Nth Zine (Online Exclusives), Lynx Eye, the San Jose Mercury News, Space and Time, and a variety of small-circulation magazines. KQED-FM (NPR, San Francisco) broadcast her perspective in 2004 about the plight of homeless families.

Laurel was also a recent guest speaker for the CWC Young Writers' Program where she wowed the imaginations of 15 talented Hillsborough middle school writers and gave an outstanding lecture followed by a bountiful discussion period.

Please visit www.laurelannehill.com for more information highlighting Laurel's past and present endeavors.  

(Interview questions posed by Sara Cassella, WNBA-SF Newsletter Editor to author, Laurel Anne Hill.)

When did you start writing?
I started writing stories early in grammar school before I learned how to read.  I cut pictures from magazines and comic books, pasted them in tablets, then told my older sister the words to print on each page.  The Authors card game was a favorite and I dreamed of having my portrait included someday.  

Why did you choose your particular genre?
My genre is general fiction laced with fantasy and science fiction.  This combination permits me to stretch my imagination, create alternate realities and view the human condition from a fresh perspective.  For example, Heroes Arise is a parable and social issues work.  The story relates the complexity and necessity of breaking the cycle of vengeance, of resolving conflict rather than fueling it.  The main character, a non-human, struggles with his inner desire for vengeance against an enemy.  His world of warring desert and mountain tribes becomes a metaphor for our own.         

What inspired you to choose your subject matter?
I grew up in San Francisco, with more dreams of adventure than good sense or money.  My close brushes with death, love of family, respect for honor and belief in a higher power have influenced my writing and life.  My parable about timeless ideals--the pursuit of honor and justice and the right to love and family--flowered naturally from my experiences and values. 

How difficult/easy has your experience been as a published writer?
Being a new author and an unknown quantity can present challenges.  It’s easy to sink out of sight in a sea of famous names.  I’m fortunate to have been published by KOMENAR.  They are very professional, supportive and an amazing company.

What advice would you give other aspiring authors?
Write every day, join a critique group, attend writer’s conferences and research potential markets.  Polish your manuscripts until they shine.  Don’t forget to support small publishers and community bookstores.  Your opportunities for future success might depend on them.  And don’t let rejection letters deflate your dreams.  Perseverance is essential. 

Anything else you would like to share with the WNBA? 
KOMENAR Publishing released Heroes Arise, my debut parable, in October 2007.  Heroes Arise was recently announced as a finalist in two categories (science fiction and young adult fiction) for ForeWord Magazine’s Book of the Year Award for 2007.  My shorter fiction and creative nonfiction have been published in the Contra Costa Times, Nth Zine, Lynx Eye, the San Jose Mercury News, Space and Time, and a variety of small-circulation magazines.  KQED-FM broadcast my perspective in 2004 about the plight of homeless families.
In 2005, I was awarded first prize in the Ninth Annual Captivating Beginnings Short Story Contest.  I received an honorable mention in the 2004 Soul-Making Literary Competition, an extended community arts outreach program of the National League of American Pen Women, Nob Hill, San Francisco Bay Area Branch.  “Crescendo,” my personal essay, won honorable mention in the Foster City 2003 International Writer’s Contest.

I am a member of CWC SF/Peninsula Branch and served on their executive board for five years.  I also am a member of Women Writing the West.  My current writing project is a novel set in early California.  I live in Orinda with David, my husband, and Bear, our rather large “shelter-mix” dog.

Would like to be featured as our Author Spotlight? Please email Sara at newsletter@wnba-sfchapter.org.