Fi Phillips is a YA Fantasy novelist whose works include her debut novel, Haven Wakes and its successor, Magic Bound. What We Reading sat down with her to talk about her personal approach to storytelling and worldbuilding, her background in writing murder mystery plays and as a freelance copywriter and her hopes for the future!
Thanks for speaking with us, Fi. First off, tell us a bit about yourself and what led you to the world of writing.
Well, thanks for interviewing me. I’m a fantasy author, published by Burning Chair Publishing. I’m also a freelance copywriter and in a past life I used to write murder mystery plays for amateur theatre groups and other small fundraisers.
What led me to the world of writing? As a child, I was an avid reader but I didn’t become a writer until I spent a few months in hospital. I was eight years old and quickly grew bored of being bed-bound. We had lessons (no escape from schooling, even in the hospital) so my parents brought me pencils and paper. That’s when I began to write stories, and I’ve never stopped.
Talk to us about Magic Bound. It’s a follow-up to your novel, Haven Wakes, right?
Haven Wakes was my debut novel and the first book in my YA Futuristic Fantasy series. It was a great way to introduce my cast of characters and the world (or worlds, I suppose) that they live in.
Magic Bound is the second novel in the series and picks up a few weeks after Haven Wakes ends. It takes the main character, Steve, and the readers deeper into the hidden world of magic and further afield than the high-tech city limits of Caercester. It also brings Steve and his friends face to face with the consequences of their actions in Haven Wakes.
What is the number one goal you want the series to have with your readers?
Ooh, that’s a hard one because I want the series to accomplish an awful lot, but the number one goal is to draw my readers into Steve’s world so much that they don’t want to leave.
What do you think makes you stand out as an author? Are you someone who throws themselves into the stories they write?
I totally throw myself into the stories I write. There are so many characters there that I would love to meet in real life, and I carry not only the stories that appear in my books in my head but also the back stories that will probably never see the light of day.
What makes me stand out as an author? I suppose the same thing that makes every author stand out – my personal storytelling voice.
“I totally throw myself into the stories I write.”
Talk to us about one of your biggest successes so far.
As an author, that has to be seeing Haven Wakes out there in the big wide world, closely followed by hearing from readers who not only loved the novel but want to read more of my stories. And then, of course, there was the release of my second novel, Magic Bound.
There’s also something very satisfying about holding the book that you wrote in your own two hands and placing it on your bookshelf.
If you could go back in time to one book you read for the first time, what would it be and why?
There are so many to choose from but it would probably be The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. I read it on holiday one year so I could fully commit my attention to that first read-through. It’s magical and dark, and the characters are both memorable and believable. I so wanted to visit that circus and all of its magic and danger.
There’s also Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. I was introduced to Frankenstein when studying for my degree and it’s a book that I’ve re-read several times since. I love the format – a book, within a book, within a series of letters, and the fact that Frankenstein himself is as much a monster as his creation. So many shades of grey.
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What do you think is the biggest obstacle facing independent and aspiring authors these days?
The biggest obstacle is more of a challenge; it’s the fact that there are so many books being released every year. We are but one name amongst an entire ocean of writerly names. Achieving and maintaining any level of visibility can be incredibly difficult.
For aspiring authors, I think the biggest obstacle is finding a route to becoming published. Self-publishing is a viable option these days and there are some marvellous self-published titles on the market, but it can be a costly process, especially when you factor in book cover design and editing. For aspiring authors who want to go down the traditional route, most will have to find an agent first and that is a massive hurdle to overcome, but not undoable.
“There are so many books being released every year. We are but one name amongst an entire ocean of writerly names.”
If you could go back in time and give your younger self one tip, what would it be?
It would be to investigate writing as a career earlier in my life. I work as a freelance copywriter now, as well as an author, and I take great satisfaction from the fact that I can earn a living using a skill (writing) that I love.
And finally, what do you hope the future holds for you and your writing?
Well, I’m working on the third book in my fantasy series right now. The series will contain two more books after that. And then I have so many other ideas that I want to write for teen and adult audiences.
My hope, therefore, is that I can keep on writing for many years to come.
Follow Fi and her work at @FisWritingHaven and her website. Alternatively, check out all her books at Burning Chair Publishing.
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
