Hello everyone! Welcome to our first Black History Month (B.H.M.) Spotlight Event! This is a new blog event on Win’s Books that happens after Amour Books ends. B.H.M. Week-long event hosted by Winnie Tataw that spotlights Black character centered books and stories, Black authors, and more! Today’s posts are an author interview with the amazing author, Destiny Hawkins. So, without further ado, let’s get on with the spotlight!
About the Author:
Destiny Hawkins is a multi-genre author with a dark imagination and a love for magic.
She enjoys working on her graphic designing business : Vibrant Designs LLC, writing, listening to music, reading, and of course watching some anime! Her favorite genres to read and work in are Fantasy, LGBT, Paranormal, Romance, Dystopian, Sci-fi, and young adult.
Destiny loves creating stories and building worlds that both teach and entertain! When writing she sticks to her slogan: Where beauty can be found in darkness.
Get ready for The Unbroken, Book Three of The Descendants Series!
What and when started your love for writing?
I was reading the pendragon series when I really started to love writing. I started when I was nine, but I didn’t identify myself as a writer until I turned eleven. When I started again as an adult, it was the entertainment that I loved, but as I continued on, my true love came from the art behind the writing. The research, the character development, the storyline, the plot twists, and more tied into my deep love for writing. World building is an adventure.
Of all of the book genres, what drew you to write about yours?
I write multiple genres. I’m not one who believes in limiting how and what I am inspired by, I grew up loving fiction. As long as there was a good storyline, I could read about anything. Dystopian stories like Hunger Games and the Divergent Series inspired me when creating the Lytonian nation in my Descendants series.
With the storyline I thought up of the character, I placed her into the nation and worked my way through the world building. If it isn’t character development, world building is my favorite part of writing, and when it comes to fantasy, you can create infinite worlds.
How does being a black author shape what and how you write?
I never really thought about how being a black author shaped my writing until adulthood. When growing up, I was told that black can be anything. Being an author of fantasy, to me that meant that I could give my black characters any ability, any storyline, any personality, any look, any hair color, any eye color, and any shape, with the one thing being in common was that they were black.
Otherwise, I did not limit my black fantasy characters to anything, where in life I’d be taught that we are a people with limitations. This expanded my writing of the black characters, creating worlds, history, and culture, all while relating them to a world that I understood.
Do you prefer to read more plot-driven or character-driven stories and books? Which one do you write?
I prefer character driven. My greatest achievement will be the two main characters in The Descendants reaching their final forms. Well, the form I’ll leave them final at when the series finally ends. For me, in order to create the kind of characters I’m hoping they will be, I have to create the world around them, their problems, and how they choose to solve them. From there, they will take a journey either mentally, physically, or both and the readers will take a ride with them while they learn how to live and grow in the world around them.
What is a writing pet peeve you have?
I don’t really have any. I don’t like when I hear noise when writing. I couldn’t focus to save my life if there’s loud noises around me.
What makes your book(s) special?
My books are special because of their storylines. If there is one thing I’m confident in, it’s my ability to tell a great story. I love to break down the characters, piece by piece, so that their actions and decisions make sense. Even if the actions seem insane lol. This means backstory, history, connections, and memories, all used to create the character that I need them to be in order for the storyline to go as planned.
When my stories take a sudden turn, better believe that I put several foreshadowing hints before the moment. In the descendants, both book one and two have scenes of a class session in history, just so I could throw a few things out there. I love showing the readers that there’s more than what meets the eye.
So… what are you working on now?
I am currently finishing up the edits of The Unbroken in The Descendants Series! Book one and two are available on amazon! Book three will lead us to Carmen’s Pov in book four. The series surrounds two characters: Rayah and Carmen, who are both on a path to finding themselves and their purpose. While one discovers herself through her experiences, the other discovers herself through her history. I can’t wait to dive into Carmen’s side of things where she learns her true origins.
Okay, Destiny has me convinced! I have to get my hands on her series. And those book cover, holy cow! I’m in love, and not just because our books share the word Descendants in our book titles. Destiny seems to be just as wonderful as a person as she is an author! If you would like to get in contact or connect with Author Destiny, you can through:
Check out my twitter feed!
It’s finally here!!!
— Winnie Tataw (@WinsBooks) December 5, 2020
The 3rd Book in the Gods’ Scion Series, The Lone Star Child is out now !!!
A thrilling Sci-fi Fantasy about loneliness and revenge
Order your copy here:https://t.co/7V2uBcBEVd pic.twitter.com/yHtDMWKOTP
Live. Love. Laugh.
