A. N. Horton is a two-time award-winning author living in Nashville, TN with her husband, children, and moderately chunky Corgi. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, baking more cookies than her family can eat, and plotting crimes against her characters. Best known for crafting characters that steal her readers’ hearts as much as they shatter them, A. N. Horton is a cross-genre writer.
You write a blend of romance and fantasy. Tell us why you’ve chosen to tell the stories you’ve published.
For me, I love a brand new world. I love the idea of creating a universe that is not bound by the physical or natural laws of our own. I love the idea of magic and mystery and the development of cultures and species. My stories tend to cross genre boundaries, bringing romance and mystery into fantasy and sci-fi so you might find yourself reading about falling in love in a new world or engage in political espionage against the gods. I like to let my imagination run wild and challenge the normal tropes. You won’t find too many damsels in distress in my writing, either. One of my biggest motivations is writing heroines who can stand on their own two feet and have intellectual strength as well as spiritual and physical. And, as I always say, I write the story that I would want to read.
Do you have a favorite reference book or website?
I actually have several references I use while writing but the ones I use the most, I would say, are The Emotion Thesaurus by Becca Puglisi and wordhippo.com which is a new website I’ve found that is a thesaurus specifically for writers. It has helped me drastically in saving the time I usually spend staring at my computer trying to think of the right word or scrolling through a traditional thesaurus for the word with the right feeling behind it.
What are your favorite and least favorite things about interacting with your readers?
I always love interacting with my readers. Just hearing that someone took the time to read anything I wrote is such an honor, whether what they have to say is positive or negative. I have mostly had positive interactions with my readers and they are a fantastic community who are very supportive. They’re the type of readers who, once they find a new author they love, they champion that author’s work better than I ever possibly could myself and I am so appreciative of every reader that finds their way to my book. My favorite thing is probably reading the reviews. I love to read what people thought of my book. My least favorite thing is probably how difficult it is to interact. It’s quite hard to pierce the noise of the publishing industry to reach new readers in the first place but then, once I do, I’m limited in how often I can respond due to social media’s restraints meant to identify bots. But I always thoroughly enjoy it when a reader reaches out as I’m always thrilled to hear from them!
Do you have a favorite genre that you read? Why or why not?
I do! It is, unsurprisingly, fantasy. And all types of fantasy. I can swing from an epic, thousand page, fantasy to a light, romantic urban fantasy and enjoy both stories immensely. But, even though fantasy is my favorite, I have very eclectic tastes when it comes to genre and I’m open to pretty much anything. I’ve also got a soft spot for a cheesy rom com every now and then and enjoy historical fiction and mysteries as well. I am obsessed with trying to predict twists before they happen and am always eager to see which authors can fool me as I support them in their work.
For a fiction writer – Are there certain tropes that you are just OVER? Why or why not?
Yes, several. Though I hesitate to mention them because I know I’ll get some backlash for it. I will say that, just because these tropes aren’t for me, doesn’t mean that they won’t be someone else’s all-time favorite and no judgment! I would never yuck someone else’s yum. But for me, accidental pregnancies, third act breakups, and age gap are just not something I enjoy. I don’t necessarily need a happy ending and I’m just tired of vampire/werewolf romances.
Why do you write?
Because I love it. Even when it definitely doesn’t love me back. Writing is hard. We spend years developing worlds, plots, and characters which are then picked apart by editors and reviewers before making it to readers. But, even if just one person reads my story and falls in love with it just as much as I have, it’s all worth it. We suffer for our art but it’s worth it in the end.
Does it matter to you if your readers dislike your characters?
It does. It probably shouldn’t but I pride myself on crafting relatable characters who make my readers feel real emotion. So if I miss the mark on that, I take it quite personally. My stories tend to be more character-driven and I often write in first person because I feel that it gives the reader a better connection to the world and plot. If my narrative character, therefore, ends up as an annoyance, then I’ve failed.
Do you ever write characters based on real people?
Most of my main characters are females who project the strong feminine archetype that I wish I could be. In Seren, we have the thoughtful academic who harbors a brilliance that transcends the physical realm of her world. In Adrian, we have the unwilling rebel who keeps fighting even when very powerful people back her into a corner. And in Nori, from a work-in-progress I hope to reveal soon, we have the nurturing idealist who sacrifices everything to save her people. They are all flawed. They all have their traumatic backstories and emotional wounds which they are slowly healing from. But I would like to think that each of them also serve an ideal that I aspire to. As for my other characters, I will confess that some of the love interests share certain personality traits with my husband. Most notably would be their senses of humor and their resilience. And some of my side characters are based on friends I’ve known and people I’ve met but very loosely. For the most part, they are their own.
How important is historical accuracy in fiction?
I would say I’m far more lenient than most about this but it truly depends on what the book is billing itself as. If it states it’s a story about a spy in World War 2, I would expect that spy to have an extensive knowledge of true and accurate facts regarding WWII since that is what the story is about. However, if the book claims to be a historical romance in or around the regency period, I’m far more lenient because it isn’t about a specific place, person, or event. I read to escape the world so I am happy to suspend belief for the purposes of a sweeping historical romance. I have had readers argue with me, however. I think that if someone is that bothered by historical inaccuracy, they might want to consider nonfiction. Though I do encourage authors to do the proper research while writing, sometimes things are missed. We are not writing this in the 1800s and sometimes mistakes are made.
Do you hide Easter eggs in your narrative?
So many that I wonder if I’m even being subtle anymore. In my original award-winning series, I would foreshadow quite a bit and make early references to characters who would later have their own story. Now, in my fantasy world, I’m planting some new seeds as well and am eagerly awaiting my readers to see if they can spot any connections.
Your Amazon profile mentions two intriguing things: your “moderately chunky corgi” and baking cookies. Will you share a picture of your pup and a favorite cookie recipe?
Of course! For the cookies, I always get rave reviews when I bake these Old-Fashioned Pumpkin Cookies. They are soft and light with a deliciously spiced fall taste. Highly recommended now that fall is rapidly approaching! As for my corgi…her name is Tallulah, though we call her “Tully” and she’s four years old but just as rambunctious as ever. She loves playing with my kids and barking at everything that moves. I say “moderately chunky” because the vet recently put her on a diet and she is definitely not pleased.
Find out more about A.N. Horton here:
Website: www.authoranhorton.com
Links: https://linktr.ee/ANHorton
Horton is currently promoting book one of her Immortal Plane series, All That Falls. She has just finished book two and will be searching for ARC readers in the near future. If you’re interested in being an early reader, sign up for her newsletter at https://authoranhorton.ck.page/deebdc9b8c
If you like:
🖤Dark Romantasy
⚔️Mythical beasts and fae
💪Strong FMC
🥵Brooding Book Boyfriend
✍️Immersive Worldbuilding
Check it out today: https://authoranhorton.com/immortalplane/
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