Hawnt received a 4+ star review, making it an IndieReader Approved title.
Following find an interview with author Elizabeth J. Rekab.
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
Hawnt, published October 2020
What’s the book’s first line?
“Gene Hawnt’s downfall started with Sara Davies.”
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.
A teenage loner turned reluctant ghost. A psychic medium with a bloodthirsty demon on her trail. One Hell of a love story.
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
One day the voice of this awkward, nerdy ghost with a heart of gold and a penchant for sarcasm just popped into my head. I decided he needed a strong counterpart, who I found in Marti, and the story just evolved from there. I’m honestly very proud of this novel, and I love Marti and Gene equally. They live in my head and my heart rent-free.
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
I think Hawnt has a little of everything. It’s got horror elements, suspense, some humor. But at its core, there’s a sweet love story between two societal outcasts connecting with each other in a very real, human way, despite one being a psychic and one being, well… dead.
What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character? Who-real or fictional-would you say the character reminds you of?
I’m an avid reader myself, and Marti and Gene both possess a blend of traits from multiple sources of inspiration. But I would say the most distinctive thing about Gene is his heart and adorable awkwardness, which makes him, I think, very relatable. For Marti, it’s her bravery and tenacity, someone with traits that many might aspire to have.
When did you first decide to become an author?
It’s a pretty cliché answer, but I’ve wanted to be an author from the time I was old enough to be a reader. I got started with RL Stine’s Goosebumps and wrote my very first ghost short story soon after.
Is this the first book you’ve written?
No, this is my second novel. My first was Everhaven, which is book one of a young adult paranormal thriller trilogy.
What do you do for work when you’re not writing?
When I’m not writing, I’m also writing. I pretty much live and breathe words. Creative writing is my hobby that I’m slowly trying to turn into my career, but my current full-time job is working as a technical writer and instructional designer. Technical manuals, courseware, etc etc.
Is there something in particular that motivates you (fame? fortune?)
The biggest motivator, for me, is creating stories that people can immerse themselves in. I’ve been a part of many fandoms, I’ve shipped couples and gotten way too invested in fictional characters and spent way too much analyzing fictional worlds. And that’s what I want, for people to geek out over characters I created, get invested in relationships I wrote, place themselves in worlds I crafted.