Wren Handman
Vancouver, Canada
Good morning, Wren, and welcome to Vision and Verse, the site for Art and Authors and those who love that. Can you tell us a little about what you've written?
I’ve published six novels, most of which are young adult urban fantasy and science fiction. I’m a hybrid author, which means I publish books with a traditional publisher (Parliament House Press) while also occasionally self-publishing a book.
What is your favorite genre to write?
I love the magic blended with the everyday, which is why I’m so drawn to speculative fiction of all kinds. I secretly wish magic was real... Okay I guess not so secretly!
Favorite food.
Impossible! Might as well ask me what my favourite book is! I really, really love food. It does more than just nourish us; it gives us energy, makes us laugh and smile, and is something to share with friends and family. And really, how can you pick between really good Chinese food, a freshly-baked peach pear pie, and an entire bag of Smartfood? You just can’t compare!
Tea or coffee?
Tea all the way! I’m biased because coffee makes me really sick, but I think I would still be a tea person just for the aesthetic.
Pizza or ice cream?
Pizza and then ice cream, obviously!
Wine or beer or soda or what?
Anything but beer. Hops is gross and I will die on this hill!
I am not a beer fan, either. Where would you like to visit?
I LOVE to travel. I once even took a job on a cruise ship so I could see all of South America! Well, the whole coast, anyway. I’ve been all around the world — to Israel, Ireland, Alaska, and all over Europe, as well as my South American adventure which took me to Hawaii and Mexico, too. I was supposed to go to Bali when the panini hit, so that’s on my short list once travel is safe again. I’d love to see Iceland and Finland, Thailand, Taiwan... You name it, I’ll go there!
Favorite musical artist.
I’m more of a song person than an artist person. I fall in love with a specific track and then forget that person probably also wrote other music I would like. And I’m a big fan of the radio for variety. I listen to modern rock and indie rock, mostly.
Do you listen to music when you write? What?
I don’t, no. I find it really distracting to have music on. If it’s really noisy and I have to drown it out, I’ll put on piano covers of pop songs, but otherwise I linger in the silence.
What makes you laugh?
Everything! My friends told me that if I had a power animal, it would be a quokka. I’m a really happy person and I love to laugh and smile! I’m a big fan of cheesy romcoms, sarcastic main characters in novels, and that guy on YouTube who does movie pitches.
Because this is an art AND author site, I am obligated to ask: Favorite work of art or sculpture.
When I visited Paris we went to the Louvre, and I saw some famous paintings and was like, I mean, those are cool, but they look the same in person as they do in a book or on my computer screen. But sculpture! That comes alive in person in a way that a computer can’t replicate, and I really loved that experience. That was barely an answer to the question, but as you may have gleaned by now, I’m not big on favourites of anything.
I found the same thing to be true of sculpture when we went to Italy. The paintings were expectedly beautiful, but the sculptures, the David, the Pieta, etc. were fantastic in person. How old were you when you started writing?
I was... five. I’m not even kidding! I wrote my first play for my friends and we performed it for the class. It was on yellow lined paper and I had to copy it by hand so everyone had a copy to read. After that, my career was set. I wrote my first novel in middle school, and my second one in high school. That novel I ended up revising, and it was my second published book!
Do you plan out your book with outlines and notecards? Or just write?
I always outline, and then I go from there and let it develop naturally. So the outline is a guide, but not a chain.
Describe your perfect evening.
Having friends over for a dinner party and talking about all the books we’ve read that month.
Where do you get your inspiration?
Everything in the world is inspiration. A good book, a terrible book that makes you want to do better, a funny conversation you overhear at the grocery store.
What do you do when you get a writer's block?
Move on to the next project and give myself some breathing room, or figure out what’s blocking me and whether there’s a way to fix it. Sometimes it’s something clear, like that I’ve put the book in the wrong voice!
Who is your favorite author?
Here we go again! I can’t pick just one. Most nostalgic author? Charles de Lint. Most versatile? Cathrynn M. Valente. Most beloved? Juliet Marillier, Becky Chambers, V. E. Schwab, Naomi Novik...
Best book you ever read.
I like to joke that Deathless is the most beautiful book I’ve ever read that I didn’t like! I recommend it to all of my friends because the writing was so stunning, but the message was SO DARK and depressing, and I know it won’t bother other people even though I hated how it all turned out.
Last book you read.
Night Shine by Tessa Gratton, and it was a five star read no question. I absolutely loved her writing and the unique setting.
What would you do for a living if you weren’t a writer?
Probably be a children’s entertainer. I love working with kids and I have a bubbly personality that I think would be a good fit. And I’d still be telling stories!
Who is the one person who has influenced your personal life the most and why?
Probably my parents (I know, not one person, but they’re a unit!). I’m very close with my family and they raised me to appreciate art and literature, to be kind to others, and to always have empathy.
If you could sit down and have a conversation with ONE person, living or dead, real or fictional, who would it be and why?
The ONE is capitalized so I better not cheat on this one! I would talk to Odin because he hung from the tree of all knowledge so he’d probably have some interesting things to tell me.
What advice would you give someone who aspired to be a writer?
Don’t overthink it, just do it! Start small, write some short stories, or start big and write your epic fantasy novel! There’s no wrong way to do it. Do it because you love it, and because you can’t imagine not doing it. And it’s okay if it’s only ever a hobby, or if it takes over completely and becomes your life.
Do you have some links for us to follow you?
Come say hi!
https://wrenhandman.com/
https://twitter.com/wrenhandman
https://www.facebook.com/wrenhandmanwriter
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