Stacy Hawks interview

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

A little introduction:

Stacy Hawks is a resident of Alleghany County, North Carolina located in the Blue Ridge Mountains. She is a graduate of Wilkes Community College with an A.A. in History, holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Brevard College, and an MEd. from Liberty University. While attending Brevard College Stacy focused on the creation of the Blue Ridge Parkway as well as its impact on her local community, and surrounding Appalachia. Her passions include photography, poetry, and reading Presidential biographies. In 2019 Stacy was featured as an Author in Residence for Appalachian Memory Keepers. Stacy’s stories highlight the history of events, places, and people of the rural mountain community she is proud to call home.

When did your love of books begin?

Definitely as a kid, but more so when I was in 4th grade. There were a few years before that where I had lost interest in reading. My parents loved books, but I just seemed to struggle to enjoy them as much as I had prior to 1st grade. It was my 4th-grade teacher who introduced me to The American Girl series, and these books combined history with fiction. For the first time stories transported me not just to other worlds or walked me through the fictional lives of characters, but they took me back in time. From that point, I knew what I enjoyed and fell in love with that genre. 

When did you start to have the wish to become an author?

The first time I ever thought about publishing and being an author was while researching the Elva Brannock case. It wasn't until I read more about the case, and later the story my second book is loosely based on, that I started to realize the impact local stories like these could have on readers around the world. 

How have you found the process for becoming an author?

Hard in some ways and easier in others. Hard in the sense that if you don't know where to start or how to publish you have a lot of decisions to make. From formatting to cover design and marketing, all of it can be difficult especially on a limited budget. Most indies, like me, have day jobs and other responsibilities, so finding time to do it all can also be difficult. But, all that can be made easy too if you know other indies, get involved in writing groups and build an online presence. Those individuals can provide insight, support, and information to help smooth the path to authorship. Me, I did everything backward when it came to my first book, but thankfully it worked out. I encourage anyone with questions to reach out to the Writing Communities of Instagram & Twitter. Someone is always there and no matter the question someone will help you to find answers.

What would you say to those wanting to become an author?

Be prepared to market, and do not expect overnight success. Your Book is your business, treat it like one. Be professional, and build a strong social media presence. 

Tell us about your book/books:

My first book is titled Dividing Ridge: the Unsolved Murder of Elva Brannock. It is an N.C. Literary Map novel, and the winner of the North Carolina Society of Historians Award for Excellence 2021. The story is based on a true crime that happened in Alleghany County, N.C. in 1937 along the Blue Ridge Parkway. After a young woman goes missing on her way to school a community is left on edge. With news spreading of her disappearance and gossip swirling, it is up to local law enforcement to restore a sense of safety and one determined Sheriff to bring justice to her family. The story closely followed the headlines of our own local newspaper, The Alleghany News, but back then it was called The Alleghany Times-News, and included interviews from locals who recounted the story. It took me two or three years to research and write this book, and I did attempt to traditionally publish it for a while, but eventually, it sat on my hard drive for about ten years before I decided to self-publish. 

Shortly after writing Dividing Ridge, I decided to tell another story loosely based on newspaper articles from my county. I had come across this story while researching the Brannock case and wrote the second book in about the same length of time. I knew I wanted it to be published too at some point however, I had not revisited it until the year Dividing Ridge was published in 2019. Thanks to the help of friends, family, and beta readers the book will be available on November 20th in Kindle and paperback format on Amazon. It is titled, Devils Ridge and below is its description;

Dark corners, hidden stills, and fast cars linger in the shadow of Devils Ridge. While God rules rural Appalachia, it is soon Man's Law that is challenged when notorious rum runner Connor Ridge takes on a local deputy who may outpace the moonshiner's illicit enterprise. With the help of the new Editor in chief, deputy Walter Irwin works to bring Ridge and his gang to justice. Can Irwin story the shadows of Devils Ridge from swallowing his town whole? Or will they overtake the law, once and for all? 

I have also published poetry collections and readers can find those on the Dividing Ridge Books website and Amazon as well. 

What do you love about the writing/reading community?

What I love about the writing/reading community online is the support it provides for others. It gives us all the opportunity to connect across multiple genres, have great writing conversations, and more. In addition, there is no denying being part of the community also affords writers/readers the ability to find more great reads and experience other people's stories.

If you could say anything to your readers what would it be?

Thank you. Thank you for choosing Dividing Ridge: the Unsolved Murder of Elva Brannock to read, and review. Thank you for your support because without it Devils Ridge would not have been possible. I hope everyone enjoys Devils Ridge as much as they did Dividing Ridge.

Where can people connect with you?

Readers may follow Dividing Ridge Books on Instagram & Facebook. See the link below for all our platforms.

https://linktr.ee/DividingRidgeBook