Meet the Author Monday: Hywela Lyn

It’s Meet the Author Monday! Each week we meet a new author and get to know a little about them, their writing process, publishing experience, and tips for other writers. Today we’re talking to Hywela Lyn, author of “The Matchmaker’s Mare“.

About Hywela Lyn:

Award-winning author, Hywela Lyn spent most of her life in Wales, whose beautiful landscapes and wealth of myths and legends inspired her to write. She weaves romantic Science Fiction adventures set in the future, and distant, mysterious worlds, with characters who overcome great odds to find deep and enduring love: Stories she hopes will truly take you ‘out of this world’ and beyond.

Her pen-name, Hywela Lyn is a combination of her first two names. (She has always been known by her second name ‘Lyn’ and thought it was time her Welsh first name was used as well!) She is a member of The Romantic Novelists’ Association (UK) and her local writing group, Chiltern Writers.

‘Beloved Enemy’, the third book in her Trilogy, was shortlisted in the Paranormal category of the prestigious Romantic Novelist Association RoNA awards and was a Runner up in the RONE Awards, 2017.

Her feisty heroines and strong heros often have to fight not only dangerous opponents, but the elements and the terrain itself. However difficult the journey, in the end, love always wins.

A keen animal lover, she lives with a terrier, Choccy, adopted from the Blue Cross by herself and her late husband, Dave. Choccy rules the house, and keeps her sane (nearly). When she is not writing or reading, she can usually be found enjoying the outdoors with Choccy, anything involving horses, or just eating chocolate!

About The Matchmaker’s Mare:

When Megan Johnson inherits an old cottage in the Welsh countryside, she seizes the opportunity to cut ties with her past after a broken romance. Her nearest neighbor, a horse trainer, is also something of an enigma.

Single dad, Glyn Phillips does his best to balance his love of horses and hard work, with his devotion to his son. When he meets his new neighbor, he knows he should resist any attraction. A feisty pony mare mysteriously appears on his land and adds to his problems but a larger problem lies ahead.

Two matchmaking spirits find their carefully laid plans may not go as smoothly as they hope.

Author Interview with Hywela Lyn:

1. Did youever consider writing under a pseudonym?

No, I’m lucky in that I have a pretty unusual (Welsh) first name–but it was never used. I have always been called by my second name ‘Lyn’, so when I decided to try to get published, it seemed like a nice idea to combine my first and second names as a ‘penname’, although they are actually my real names!

2. Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?

I prefer books that stand alone.That is to say, I am not to keen on books that end on a ‘cliffhanger’, as I feel that is a bit of a cheat for the reader. Having said that, I have no problem with books that follow on as a series, featuring, or with connections to the characters in earlier books. The Destiny Trilogy actually started out as a short story that eventually became my debut novel ‘Starquest’ and I got fond of the characters and ended up writing two more linked books.

I think The Matchmaker’s Mare lends itself to possible follow ups but again they would be ‘standalones’ set in the same area and some of the previous characters from the original book linking them–but I haven’t got any further with that idea yet although I’m working on it!

3. As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?

I think it would have to be a horse. Much as I love dogs, I have always had a special affinity with horses, although none of my family rode or owned horses. I saved up for five years for my first horse, Flicka, and she is featured in The Matchmaker’s Mare. If I were to be absolutely true to my ‘other worldly’ nature though it would be a unicorn, of course!

4. What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?

I use Google and reference books for my Science Fiction/Fantasy stories, to research what conditions on an imaginary planet might be like, and to try to get the scientific details correct. For The Matchmaker’s Mare I didn’t have to do too much research at all, since I have ridden and owned horses for most of my life now. The Welsh background was easy too, since I was born and raised in the area the story is set in, although the actual village of Pentrebont is imaginary. The only real research needed to do for this story was a few legal points. This is just as well, since the trouble with research for me is that I find it very easy to get side tracked and go off at a tangent!

5. How long have you been writing?

For as long as I can remember. I know I made up stories in my head when I was four or fiveyears old, and later wrote stories for my school friends, but at the time it never occurred to me that I might one day be a published author – I thought that was something that happened to other people!

6. What comes first, the plot or characters?

It nearly always starts with the characters. In the case ofThe Matchmaker’s Mare, I had an idea about a mysterious pony that wasn’t quite mortal, and that led to wondering what her history was and how she became involved with people, who these people were and how they related to each other. Gradually the plot began to evolve, starting with a young woman fleeing from an arranged marriage, with the story continuing in the present time.

7. How do you come up with the titles to your books?

Oh, I have to think long and hard about them, I usually find them harder than writing the book itself. The Matchmaker’s Mare was the exception–somehow it just seemed the logical title for the story, since the little mare plays such an important part in the plot–she’s actually as much a character as the humans, really, even though the story is told from the point of view of the two main human protagonists.

8. Are you on social media and can your readers interact with you?

I’m all over social media like a rash! At the moment I post on my Facebook Profile and Author Page, ‘X’ if I have anything I want to mention, ‘Blue Sky’, Pinterest, and I have a blog, which I use to post Welsh and ‘horsey’ items, bits about my books and I regularly host for several blog tour operators, featuring mainly books in the Science Fiction Romance, and paranormal Genres. It’s lovely to be able to feature other authors, and find out about them and their books–I do find the author community is, on the whole, really friendly and willing to support each other, so I do like to try and help get the word out when I can. I also follow several writing groups on IO but although I like reading the various posts and comments, I have to admit I’m not very active on them myself. There just aren’t enough hours in the day! As for interacting, I love to hear from readers and fellow authors and will always try to reply. Apart from comments on my blog and Facebook, I can be contacted by Email at Hywelalyn@hywelalyn.co.uk

9. Tell us about the process for coming up with the cover.

I was so lucky with my cover forThe Matchmaker’s Mare. I usually have the idea for the cover in my head, and hope the cover artist comes up with something like I had imagined, which is always good. For the Matchmaker’s Mare, I asked for a cottage surrounded by trees, with a chestnut pony in the foreground, and something to indicate ‘a magical or supernatural aura’ and the cover artist came up with somethingI feel is really amazing, and I was so thrilled with it.

10. Favorite quote (doesn’t matter the source)

“If all the beasts were gone, men would die from a great loneliness of spirit, for whatever happens to the beasts also happens to the man. All things are connected. Whatever befalls theEarth befalls the sons of the Earth.”Chief Seattle)

Isn’t that so true? I believe that warning is even more relevant today.

To learn more about Hywela Lyn, here’s where you can find Her: