Author Interview: E. Rachael Hardcastle - Part 1

by - 8:00 PM


Every now and then, I like to take a moment to introduce an author to all of you! With this interview series, I've come to know an amazing group of writers and I want you to know them too! 

For today's installment, I've had the pleasure of interviewing author E. Rachael Hardcastle! According to her website, she's a "dreamer, a deep thinker, a bookworm and grammar nerd."

Of course, I know we all want to know more than that! That's why I've sent her an in-depth questionnaire with 75 of the most intriguing questions I could come up with! And since E. Rachael is an amazing interviewee, she took the time to answer every single one of them! So not only do we get one interview with E. Rachael, but we actually get three!

Let's get started :)

About the Author:

  • Where are you from? I'm British, currently living in West Yorkshire.
  • Are you a full-time writer? If not, what else do you do? I write in my free time, work full-time in an office and also visit schools when required.
  • If you couldn’t be an author, what would your ideal career be? Why? It would be fun to work as an editor or for a publishing house.
  • What’s your favorite genre to read? I'm a fan of fantasy, dystonia and post-apocalyptic fiction, but I will read anything that looks and sounds interesting.
  • What’s your favorite book? The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom.

About Being an Author:
  • When did you know that you wanted to be an author? I don't think there's a specific moment, but I started writing at 14 years old after having a poem published in school.
  • Were you ever discouraged about pursing your passion? If so, how’d you push past it? No, I have never been discouraged. I have sometimes felt like giving up when sales were low or I got writer's block, but my friends and family have always supported me.
  • Does your family support your writing career? Yes and they always have.
  • Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym? If I wrote non-fiction I would choose another name, but only to separate the two.
  • Is writing your passion or your hobby? Both.
  • What has been your best experience so far as an author? Being on television with the children from Low Ash Primary School.

About Your Book:
  • What gave you the ideas for your most recent work? I have several books ongoing, so I can't give you a specific title. I also don't think anything in particular sparks my ideas, they just accumulate and build into something I think is worthy of a story.
  • What inspired your novel’s cover? Finding Pandora: Book One: World is a young woman with hair draped across her face, laying in a forest. The book is set in a forest and I liked the image because it shows Arriette's imperfections.
  • What was the hardest part of finishing your novel? Editing. I hate editing, but it's necessary.

About Your Writing:
  • What’s your favorite genre to write? Fantasy and post-apocalyptic fiction.
  • What’s one genre that you secretly want to write? Horror.
  • Where do you get your big ideas? I soak them in from everywhere, then I fit them together like a jigsaw puzzle until I can shape a basic outline. The media and other stories on television or in books can be very inspirational.
  • Did any of your books stem from dreams? No but I sometimes dream about my characters.
  • How do you come up with the names for your characters? They come up with their own names and they tend to just come to me. I think a character's name has to suit them, but I do tend to look up the meanings of names. For example, in Finding Pandora I used the name Coyote, which means trickster.
  • Who’s your favorite character you’ve created so far? Why? Arriette Monroe. She is one of my oldest characters and I have spent the most time on her stories.

About the Process:
  • What is your writing process like? I usually get the idea, do a basic outline, do a first draft, then go back several times and edit until I'm sick of seeing the book! 
  • Is there any part of the process you wish you could delegate to someone else? Editing, but I'm a real control freak and although I hate how long editing takes, I think it's important for me to know how to do it.
  • What’s your favorite part of the writing process? The idea generation and the initial draft. It's fun and creative.
  • Are you a planner or a pantser? I used to be a pantser but more recently due to re-writing some of my young adult books, I have become a planner.
  • Writers block, how do you cope with it? I tell myself it doesn't exist and that I just need extra motivation. I think when authors no longer feel excited about an idea, they call that lull writers block. I don't force words if I'm really not feeling the story, but I will then go and work on something else until I feel better or think of something that might improve the story.
Author Bio:


E. Rachael Hardcastle is an author from the UK and she believes that through writing we face our darkest fears, explore infinite new worlds and realise our true purpose. She writes to entertain and share important morals and values with the world, but above all, she write to be a significant part of something incredible.

All of her fantasy and post-apocalyptic books face our planet's struggles because she believes that together we can build a stronger future for the human race.

In addition, she supports independent publishing so all of her stories are written, edited, formatted, and published by the author herself, offering a low-cost, epic adventure, and a memorable escape from reality for her readers.


If you want to follow up with the author or purchase a copy of her books, please follow these links: 

Have another question for the author? Ask it in the comments below!

* This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I'll receive some type of commission. For more information, you can read our full disclosure here. *

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