Spotlight: Book Interview With Hanna K. Scaalez.
Discussing the Ethalena Series with Author Hanna K. Scaalez in celebration her second book's launch!
Note: This is a paid interview. To learn more about our premium spotlights, visit our website for more info.
Hello there, and welcome to a very special spotlight! Today we’re talking with Hanna K. Scaalez — an avid fantasy/romance writer who is celebrating the release of her second book The Court of Lost Faith! This novel is the second in the Ethalena Duology, picking up where the first one left off.
Hanna is a gamer with a long-lasting enjoyment of fantasy and storytelling games. These passions sparked her interest in writing stories, and sharing them for others to read. Currently, this fantastical writer lives in Sweden with her family consisting of: Her husband, two fluffy German shepherds, and two chaotic kiddos.
In our interview with Hanna, we’ll discuss the launch for her new book, as well as the overall writing process. After that, we’ll go over the finer details for her books and where to find them.
But before we begin, you can find Hanna right here on Substack, or on Threads and Instagram. And you can find both of her books here, including a very special duology releasing alongside her new book!
Hey Hanna, it’s great getting to talk to you about your upcoming book! Since this one is a sequel, can you tell us a little bit about the first one, and where readers can pick it up?
The Court of Lost Hope is the story of Venyra. A young woman who as a child woke up in a forest without any memories. After certain dramatic events Venyra stumbles into the Fae world of Zirniath, where she is met by the dazzling High Lord of the Sun Court; Nephrite.
Without giving away too much, Venyra soon realizes that this new world is full of lies and deceit, and she is thrown into the Red Waltz where she has to fight other humans to the death. To survive, she is forced to make a bargain with a chaotic Fae that will either be her salvation or her doom…
The book can be found on Barnes & Noble and Amazon.
And it appears that The Court of Lost Hope was your first foray into writing and publishing a book. Was there anything you learned during that process that’s helping you now?
Oh, soooo much! When I prepared to release Lost Hope, I had no idea about anything in regards to self-publishing, or publishing in general. Formatting, cover-design, writing a blurb, and ugh... marketing... The list goes on. I still have a lot to figure out, but in comparison to back then, I have learned a ton.
But I think most of all, surrounding yourself with good people is what’s helping me now. This is near impossible to do completely alone. At some point, you need help to some degree. And I’m lucky that I’ve found some really amazing people to work with.
I totally feel you there on the Marketing, I think that’s the bane of almost every writer’s existence, honestly. Although, since you mentioned it, can you tell us more about those helping you and their roles?
My PA, Nick Crowns is definitely the largest supporter for marketing, he’s more active on Threads than I am (no joke). He’s helping me take some of the load off, marketing can be quite hard sometimes. But recently, I also got myself a Street Team, a group of people who help me get the book out as well.
On top of that, there are two people who this simply would’ve been impossible without. My close friend BlueZora (@bluezorasb) who drew the cover art for both books, as well as Mori (@mori_art.work) who has become a dear friend and creates the character art. They are both incredibly talented!
Nick is honestly so incredible, and I really admire how much he does— not just for you, but for the writing community in general. Moving onto your new book though, was it easier writing The Court of Lost Faith than the one before it?
It was a lot easier to write Lost Faith. When Lost Hope was finished, I had everything clear in my mind of where Lost Faith was going. The characters were set, the plot was clear, and my eagerness to share this chapter of Venyra’s story with the world was something that I couldn’t hold back. It also helped that I had gone through the process of getting a book out there once at this point. Less question marks meant more time to focus on writing.
And how did you decide on the direction of the book? Was it something you were already set on while writing the first one?
The direction of Lost Faith was pretty much set when Lost Hope was completed. While writing the first book, I had an idea of where I wanted the second to end up, but not how it would get there. The moment I began typing it out, everything fell into place. I don’t consider myself a planner, but my characters “help” me a lot in deciding where they go, for better or for worse...
I love how you let your characters guide you forward. It’s definitely something I relate to, as well! Though I do have to ask, did you find your characters doing anything unexpected during the story? I know you mentioned it being a pretty set course, but there’s always room for surprises.
Yes! There’s one couple in the series that I had not planned, yet they just found their way to each other and I gave in to it haha. As I’m not the type to plan the entire book in detail beforehand, I let the characters give me inspiration to maybe a small event of bonding, an argument or personal quest take place before the story itself continues. Then afterwards, while editing, I’ll look at if it gives any value to the whole or if it’s an unnecessary scene.
After this book, do you have any plans to revisit this series again in the future? If not, what compelled you to leave it as a duology?
I’ve gotten feedback from friends that they’d love a spin off with other characters in the book as the new POV. I know I’d be able to continue writing tales about them and their world, so perhaps in the future? For now, I feel good about how it ended, and I don’t want to risk ruining the storyline if I don’t have a clear sense of where the next story could head.
And are there any characters from this novel you resonate with most?
Venyra, the main female character. Her true origin is actually as my character for a Dungeons and Dragons campaign. Since I was new to DnD, I wanted to play someone that was somewhat similar to myself; socially awkward, introverted but happy and eager to explore.
When the DnD campaign ended abruptly due to life getting in the way, I knew I wasn’t done with Venyra. Or rather, she wasn’t done. There was so much more to her story that had to be explored. So I decided to write it. At first just for myself, but it evolved and expanded, and now I’m here, with two published novels about her!
It’s really enamoring hearing about Venyra’s origin as a character you made for DND, and then expanding her story in a different medium. Did you have any fun moments from the campaign you’d feel comfortable sharing with us?
Oh there are so many! I know for sure my friends favorite Venyra moment… So Venyra is a chaotic neutral person at heart, she means well, but her actions might not always end up being the right ones. So this one time, the party had been shrunken and entered an ant village.
For some reason, the others thought it funny to teach the ants how to make fire, and as a result, the ants set their tavern on fire… Venyra tried to rescue two ants by shapeshifting into a horse to jump over the flames, but ended making it worse… Let´s just say they died even worse deaths when they might not have needed to die at all. (I will blame the dice, and just to be clear, Venyra did not retain her shapeshifting powers in the transition from DnD to the books).
That is a really fun story, and I agree, it’s the dice’s fault, haha! Anyway, let’s move onto my last question for you: What do you hope readers will take away from their journey through your new book, as Venyra’s story comes to a close?
I hope that readers of the Ethalena Series feel that no matter if you don’t fit in where you are in life right now, there is somewhere you are meant to be, somewhere you will shine, and someone who will do everything to see you thrive.
Hanna already told us what The Court of Lost Hope is about, I’ve included the series synopsis below as a refresher. Then we’ll be going over where you can get her books, including The Court of Lost Faith, and the duology edition.
The Ethalena Series
Never make promises to strangers, especially if they’re Fae.
Venyra has never belonged. With pointed ears, long white hair, and haunting pink eyes, she’s a mystery the villagers fear, and a burden they barely tolerate. Found as a child in the heart of the forest with no memory of who she was, Venyra has spent her life trying to belong somewhere she was never meant to be.
But when the unexpected shatters the fragile peace she’s clung to, Venyra makes a reckless choice: she flees into the unknown, crossing into the legendary, and deadly, realm of the Fae.
Zirniath is a place of shimmering beauty and ruthless cruelty, and Venyra quickly finds herself imprisoned in the radiant Sun Court. There, under the watchful eyes of High Lord Nephrite, his general Reorin, and their housekeeper Darnera, Venyra begins to uncover unsettling truths, not just about the Fae, but about herself.
As lies unravel and she is taken to the Fae ruler, Venyra finds herself thrown into the Red Waltz: brutal trials where humans are forced to fight each other for the Fae’s amusement. To survive, she must make a pact with a creature who may be her only hope... or her doom.
But in a world built on lies and magic, trust can kill faster than any blade.
You can find each book in the series, including the duology edition over on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
Congratulations on the release of your new book, Hanna! I’m honored to be able to do this interview with you, and hopefully drive more readers to The Ethalena Series. Here’s to a fruitful book launch, and success wherever your writing takes you next.
And thanks to everyone taking the time to read today’s spotlight! This is a unique format, and I’m hoping to get better at making these throughout the next month or so. Anyway, go check out Hanna’s books! Or subscribe to her Substack (and follow her on Threads and Instagram). And, I’ll see you all next time!
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