Behind the Book Interviews: Hannah Currie – Author

Ready for the second instalment of my Behind the Book interviews? (Here’s the first, if you missed it. Everyone say ‘hi’ to my editor, Janelle!)

In this second instalment, I’m interviewing … myself! Ha! Well, actually, the questions have come from a number of readers at different times, so maybe it’s you interviewing me? Either way, here is a look Behind the Book with Hannah Currie – aka the author.

First up, where did the idea for this series (Crown of Promise) come from?

It kind of came from two places. The first was a random idea for a scene I had years ago about a king’s daughter and one of her father’s knights, which totally charmed me and I knew I had to write the rest of the story one day.

The second, from my love of fairytale retellings. I was thinking one day about how much I loved them and what other well-known stories might be retold—and immediately thought of parables and how I’d love to ‘retell’ some of them. Right on the back of that thought was how that scene I hadn’t been able to get out of my heart was very ‘Prodigal Son-esque’, and my parables series was born.

For those wondering, that scene I wrote and fell in love with all those years ago? It’s the first chapter of Bring Her Home. And I still love it 🙂

How many books will there be in the Crown of Promise series?

There are going to be three books in this series. Just like my Daughters of Peverell series, each book will be one girl’s story (three sisters this time – Evangeline, Mykah and Rose) and, while they’ll be able to be read as standalones, each will follow on from the one before.

How does this series fit in with your first series?

It doesn’t. Sorry to all of those who were hoping it might. It has a lot of similarities—three girls’ love/coming-of-age stories, princesses and royals, romance—so if you enjoyed my Peverell series, you’ll enjoy this one too, but they aren’t connected in any way. Different characters, different kingdom/world, different time period. I might write more about Peverell one day, but right now I’m loving Raedonleith and can’t wait to introduce you to it!

Okay, what’s with all the unusual names? (And how do we actually pronounce them?)

Short answer? I love unusual names and those with special meaning behind them. They’re just really memorable. I spend probably way too much time deliberating and trying to find just the right name for each of my characters (sometimes changing them several times before finding the ‘right’ one). Some of them, I make up (Wenderley, Raedonleith…), others, I hear or read somewhere and instantly fall in love with (Aiyana, Arden, Lior, Darrek…).

As to pronunciation, here are how I pronounce a few of the ones in Crown of Promise (keeping in mind my Australian accent!):

Raedonleith: Ray-don-leeth
Darrek: Dah-reck
Lior: Lee-or
Caralynne: Cah-rah-linn
Aiyana: Ay-yah-na
Mykah: My-kah (like Micah)

What age group/audience is this series written for?

Ummmmm….. I would say women, ages 16+ but that very much depends on the reader. There are younger teens I’d confidently give it to, and others I’d recommend waiting a few more years. If you’re ever wanting to know more about whether any of my books are suitable for someone in particular, feel free to contact me. I’m more than happy to give you more details.

What themes come up in this series?

Some of the themes in this series are:

• Forgiveness
• Grace
• Redemption
• Callings/Purpose
• God’s love
• Who is my neighbor/enemy? (Bet you can guess which parable that one’s in!)
• Worth

What’s your favorite part of Bring Her Home’s cover?

Ooooh!! This cover!! Roseanna White did such an incredible job designing it. I love so much about the cover!! Like everything!! But it’s virtually impossible to go past that gown… Oh my goodness, it’s stunning. I want it!

You write a lot about royals, would you want to be one?

Ha! Nope. Waaaaay too many expectations and people watching. Although I wouldn’t say no to the gorgeous gowns, endless wardrobes, chefs and cleaners that come with the job. A crown or two wouldn’t go astray either. Or Belle’s library. Where I’d just sit and stare at the books with a giddy smile on my face for hours…

Bonus question: Where can I purchase Bring Her Home???

I know, you’re all dying to get your hands on this book 🙂 Well, the good news is, come 15 September 2022, it will be available to purchase at all the usual places you purchase books—in hardcover, paperback and ebook versions.

Can’t wait that long? Bring Her Home is available for PRE-ORDER through WhiteCrown Publishing today! And, as an added bonus for those pre-ordering the ebook version from WhiteCrown, you’ll be instantly sent the first chapter of the book. So you can read it before anyone else! Happy reading 🙂

Well, there you have it – a look behind the scenes of my new series. Learn anything interesting? Have any more questions for me? Comment below and I’ll do my best to answer them!

Looking forward to sharing this new series with you all!