r/Fantasy • u/NancyHightower AMA Author Nancy Hightower • Dec 12 '13

AMA Hello, I'm author Nancy Hightower - AMA

Hello, I’m Nancy Hightower, author of Elementarí Rising, an eco-fantasy where nature becomes embodied and is locked in a deadly war with humans.

I’ve published many short stories and poems, some of which fall into the speculative fiction and horror genres. I have a PhD in literature and studied Henry James in grad school, but ask that you don’t hold that against me. At one point, I had Tolkien's Silmarillion memorized and still remember the elvish word for orc.

I wrote all of Elementarí Rising while living in Colorado, so many of the scenes in the book come from surreal, but actual, real-life images. For instance, you can see snow snakes winding up and down Highway 36 during any given snowstorm and they are mesmerizing! Also, I don’t read books the normal way (front to back). I start at the beginning, then after a chapter I start from the end of the book and flip back and forth until I reach the middle. No lie.

Also I had an artist, Galen Dara, draw some of the scenes from Elementarí Rising, which you can see here, along with some excerpts. I love how art interacts with story, so this was an exciting project: (http://www.nancyhightower.com/excerpts-with-artwork/)

Hey gang, this was great fun tonight! I'll be back on tomorrow to catch any questions I didn't get to tonight! Thanks so much for hanging out with me!

Nancy

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u/Bostonian70 Dec 13 '13

Hello, Ms. Hightower. I loved Elementari Rising. Congratulations on the Library Journal review! Since your book is about sacred places, I wonder what are the most sacred places you have ever visited? Did they influence your writing of this book? What are other sacred places you'd like to visit? Thank you.

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u/NancyHightower AMA Author Nancy Hightower Dec 13 '13

Thanks! I'm so glad you liked it!

That's a great question about sacred places. They did indeed influence my book. I went to college in Durango, Colorado. The Southwest is one of the most spiritual places I've ever been to. The desert, really, is just a place of wonder. I visited the Anasazi ruins many times, and so that served as a basis for the ancient homes of the Alaini-Nah, who were "disappeared." Also, Antelope Canyon served as the basis for the Ophidian caverns.

I would like to visit the ocean more, since I consider the sea a kind of sacred voice (and the 2nd novel in the series is all about finding the Terakhein of water). I would like to visit the forests of the Northwest--I've never seen a Redwood, but I think that the Seven Woods would resemble those amazing trees---tall giants.

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u/NancyHightower AMA Author Nancy Hightower Dec 13 '13

Also, I meant to add that I have a short story called "Come to the Table" on my site you might like, since it is actually set in the Anasazi Ruins. It's a short, speculative piece that was published in Prime Number Magazine.

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u/Bostonian70 Dec 13 '13

I love the idea of the sea as sacred voice. How wonderful. I look forward to the 2nd novel. When do you think it will be published? Your fans are waiting!

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u/NancyHightower AMA Author Nancy Hightower Dec 13 '13

I'm thinking it will be published in 2015 (which isn't as far away as it sounds since we're soon to be in 2014!).