When I sat down to read Unholy Hunger, I did so with certain expectations built around the synopsis. What I discoverd within the pages of this novel were truths that caused me to take a look at my own life in the mirror of God's love and mercy and cry, "Holy!" This is a fantastic story and one that I feel will impact many lives for the Kingdom!
Please give a warm welcome to Heather James!
Where was the idea of
Unholy Hunger born in your life?
It originally came from a nightmare
I had several years ago, concerning one of my own children. To say the dream
shook me to my core is an understatement. I never saw the world the same way
again. In the months after, I’d find myself walking up to mothers in the park
who had their backs to their kids or who were playing on their phones with
their heads tucked down, feeling this overwhelming urge to tell them about my
nightmare so they’d pay more attention to their children. On occasion, I did,
but when I realized I could “tell” my nightmare to more people by writing it
down, that’s exactly the direction I went.
As a lawyer, writing
has held a prominent place in your life for quite some time! Tell us a bit
about you’re your journey into publishing fiction.
The truth of it is
I’ve wanted to be a writer longer than I’ve wanted to be a lawyer. My father is
an attorney and that’s where the lawyer idea came from . . . wanting to be like
Dad. But, the Heather-only dream has always been writing. When I told my dad
that back in high school, he not so subtly explained to me the meaning behind
the axiom, “starving artist.” Off to law school I went.
Eventually, I’d like to be in a place where my writing supports me financially, but in the meantime, law isn’t
too shabby of a day job. Once I settled into a legal career, though, the inner
call to become an author pressed heavy upon me. I started writing manuscripts,
but that didn’t go anywhere.
My mother was the one who told me to
begin small and gain momentum. That’s when I started contributing, for free, to
my local paper and local magazines. When my pieces gained some popularity, the
paper hired me as a columnist. I took that publishing opportunity and used it
as leverage to get the attention of a literary agent. Between the columnist
position and my fourth attempt at a manuscript (Unholy Hunger) I found an agent
through a writer’s conference, and he found me a publisher.
Lure of the Serpent
is the title of the series in which Unholy Hunger debuts. Will this entire series explore areas of
temptation similar to those explored in Unholy Hunger?
Great question. I’m
going to leave the pedophile topic alone in the next two books, but will delve
into other “underbelly of evil” categories. The Lure of the Serpent angle runs
through all three books inasmuch as each story deals with evil canvassing the
world, eager and seeking to lure many of us to do its bidding.
In the second book, you’ll meet an
evil man who has given himself over to the lie that all women are bad, simply
because his own mother was to him. In the third book, you’ll meet an entire
underground group who seek to destroy others simply because they feel cast-off
from society.
Why do you feel this
is an important message for you to share with others through fiction?
Another great question! In terms of the pedophile storyline, I feel it
is gravely important for parents to be aware that there are people out there who want to hurt their kids, and thus, should be
extra vigilante when it comes to their kids. Sure, it’s easier to let your kid
walk to their friend’s house rather than get in the car and drive them, and
yes, your kids may very well know not to talk to strangers, but what if it’s
someone they know? What if they’re out-muscled by their attacker? What if they
have a moment of weakness and do what they’re not supposed to do? I’m not
saying attach the kid to your hip, but to the best of your ability, keep an eye
on them or set up the appropriate safeguards around them.
Then, in terms of the entire series
message, Lure of the Serpent, I want people to know they have an enemy out
there who’s real, sneaky, and hungry for ruined lives. And instead of just preaching
the message, I believe its expression through fiction is a great tool because
humans seem to be hard-wired for tales and for being entertained. If you tell
someone a message for the sake of relaying the message alone, you might capture
their attention. If you tell someone a message through a story, you’ll not only
capture their attention, you’ll capture their heart as well.
What was the most
difficult scene for you to write? (I imagine there weren’t many “easy” scenes!)
When she lets go. By that point in the story, I felt so connected to
Evelyn that my mind said, “Well, you have to make her a better person, you have to get her to grow,” but my heart said, “No! Forget that! She deserves
to be mad and hateful and filled with revenge!” Allowing her to let go meant I
had to let go first. It was weird. I never anticipated it’d be so hard for me
since it’s only fiction, after all. I cried like a big old baby through that
whole chapter. I still do.
What part of Evelyn’s
story impact your heart the most? Why?
Ooh, this entails me to go deep! I
think the part that proved challenging for me personally was writing these
tragic, emotionally charged, and sad scenes of how Evelyn felt, and then
getting up from my computer, playing with my own kids, making them dinner, or
reading them bedtime stories as if I didn’t have a care in the world. And when
I went back to Evelyn the next day, picking up where I had left off, it really
impressed upon me that grief doesn’t sleep, doesn’t rest, and very likely
doesn’t read bedtime stories. It affected me in the form of being truly
empathetic for all the mothers in the world who have lost their children, and I
don’t think I’ll be able to gloss over someone’s pain ever again. Unholy Hunger
is pure fiction, but I know a part of me will forever feel an intimacy with
grief because I crafted Evelyn’s story.
What are you
currently working on? Can you give your
readers’ a peek behind the scenes?
I just finished book two and have
started book three. I can’t give too much information about them because some
details would contain spoilers for the end of Unholy Hunger. I will say that
the entire series follows Evelyn through the next stages of her life, stages
where she’s moving past her grief over losing her daughter. In that regard, the
next two books won’t be as sad, and readers will be able to see some lighter
sides of Evelyn since she won’t be so bent on revenge.
What words of
encouragement would you like to leave with your readers?
Hmmm, you are chalked full of interesting questions. J I would like to remind others to stay
encouraged! When hope dies, discontent festers, and when discontent festers, it
chews a hole right through us. Then, we have this great, big old, festering
hole of a wound right there where our soul and humanity are supposed to reside.
Yet, something is going to come in and fill that space up. Make no mistake
about it, something will. And in the world we live in today, odds are that the
“something” that comes in will be something your very life, happiness, and
contentment are at war with. Choose God, choose life, choose contentment.
Thank you so much for reading!
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