Interview: M.H.Elrich

Happy Wednesday! Today, I’ve invited M. H. Elrich to my blog. I met her through the June’s #StoryRealms Instagram Challenge and she’s been fun to get to know.

So without further ado, please welcome Mrs. Elrich!

The Interview

Hello Mrs. Elrich! And welcome to my blog! Can you tell us a little about yourself?

          I am a full-time teacher, writer and a fantasy-sci-fi fan with an eclectic taste for candles, teacups, and flowers. I have been married for five years and a Christian since I was a child. Besides teaching and writing, I dabble in editing and designing fun things on Canva. I’m addicted to caffeine, but as I tell my friends, I like a little coffee/tea with my sugar. I collect plants and books, both of which I try to keep alive by not creasing the pages/leaves. I am an extra-introvert because I love meeting new people and socializing, but I always need a ton of rest afterward!

What are your favorite books? Favorite shows? Favorite music?

          This is such a hard question for me because I have a variety of tastes. For books, I enjoy classics from Jane Austen and William Shakespeare and fantasy from Tricia Mingerink, Jaye L. Knight, Serena Chase, C.S. Wachter, Steve Pillinger and others. My favorite television shows are usually older shows, such as Psych, Monk, Murder,  She Wrote, Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, Star Trek,  Inuyasha, Kamisama Kiss, Special-A,  and Toradora. My favorite music choices are old hymns, classical music, and popular Christian music.

Oh, my goodness. Did you say Murder, She Wrote?! My favorite! So Board games, video games, or something else?

           I really like playing board games with my friends and family. Some of my favorites are Munchkin or Hand and Foot (A card game).  However, I enjoy watching YouTube videos of people playing videogames or watching my husband play videogames. Currently, I watch him play Elite Dangerous and watch a YouTuber play Horizon New Dawn.

What would be your dream vacation?

            I would love to travel to Japan. I am a ¼ Japanese, and it would be wonderful to see where my Grandmother grew up. I would try the food, visit the palaces, and hopefully see the cherry blossoms bloom. I also would love to visit England, Scotland, and Ireland. I would like to see the castles and explore my heritage from there as well.

Can you tell us a little about the books you write?

            I write YA Christian Fantasy. My first book, Etania’s Worth, is part of a three-book-series where the main character, Etania, embarks on a series of adventures that change her. The first book is available now and it focuses on Etania’s journey from librarian to Vexli (which is my word for person with powers). I offer a free short story in Etania’s Universe to any email subscriber who wants to know more about Etania.

What’s next for you?

            I am editing Etania’s Calling, the sequel to the first book in my series. I hope to have that published by next year. Then, I will finish up the third book in the series as well. In between, I usually publish a few short stories, which I am currently editing for publication.

One of my sayings is Living life balanced between reality and dreams, so I am always curious as to how others do it.

You’re a teacher, editor, author…how do you manage your schedule?

            Part of the reason I became a teacher is so that I could enjoy long breaks. During that time, I catch up on a lot of editing/writing/marketing that I can’t do during the school year. However, to balance my writing and teaching life, I try to devote at least thirty minutes a day to writing something. Even if it is just writing a blog post, it keeps me in the practice of conveying my ideas through language.

Do you have a favorite spot to read, to write?

            My favorite spot to read and write is on my couch. I would love to have a porch to sit on and read, but that isn’t available to me at the moment. I also like to write in my office, where there’s peace and quiet, and no T.V. to distract me!

And if you were a fantastical creature, what kind of creature would you be?

            I would be a pegasus. That way I could eat oats, hay, sugar cubes, and other sweet treats and burn it off flying. It would be awesome to fly and discover new places. Plus, I could always fly away if someone tried to kidnap me for my feathers!

Thanks for having me!

The Author

M.H. Elrich is a writer, reader, teacher and editor who wears too many hats. This means she consumes coffee and tea with a mug that reads “Wait until I’ve drained the cup.” In her free time (if she has any), she watches T.V. with her husband, rides horses, and travels to places with lots of trees. She received her B.A. in English at a local university where they handed her a paper certificate that said she could write term papers the night before and still pass. She was published in The Write Word, Orpheus, and Short Fiction Break. She currently resides in a part of California where “perfect” weather comes with a layer of smog. Her Christian Fantasy novel, Etania’s Worth is available now.

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