An Interview with A. N. Horton

A. N. Horton is a two-time award-winning author living in Nashville, TN, with her husband, children, and moderately chunky corgi. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, baking more cookies than her family can eat, and plotting crimes against her characters. Best known for crafting characters that steal her readers’ hearts as much as they shatter them, A. N. Horton is a cross-genre writer focused mainly on fantasy and romance.

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

I write the stories I want to read. That’s what I did for my award-winning historical mystery series and that’s what I’m doing with my fantasy novels now. I like emotionally gripping tales of heroism and bravery not defined purely in the physical sense. I like a villain that you want to forgive and a love interest that doesn’t try to change their beloved. And I adore stories about strong women trying to cope in a world that doesn’t want them there.

What inspired you to start writing this book?

I was intrigued by the idea of one’s mother being the villain in their story. Especially when said mother is doing what she’s doing under the guise of maternal instinct. A powerful woman seeking to protect her daughter by way of a deeply flawed moral compass and all-consuming narcissism was a storyline I wanted to explore while also writing a main character who was strong and capable despite her broken parentage.

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

I’m a sucker for anything by Hozier because I am a drama fiend so I imagine his “Work Song” would find a place in the soundtrack of All That Falls. There is a sort of galactic theme as well so I would play “Stargazing” by Myles Smith and “Constellations” by Jade LeMac.

Describe your dream book cover.

I like the cover I have now with the shattered glass in front of a sprawling galaxy but I would love to see some character art of my beloved characters and if I had to change the cover, I would probably go for something more like the rifts described in the book.

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

I’m actually a full-time insurance claims consultant and a mom so I’m quite busy. I have degrees in both accounting and criminal justice though I rarely use either. I guess you could say my activities are…eclectic.

What is one thing you hope readers take away from reading your book? How do you envision your perfect reader?

I hope that my readers learn a little something about love and life from my book. Seren is a very strong female character and there’s a vein of feminism running throughout the text even through the love story. Lark protects her but she can also protect herself. I think there’s far too much of that damsel in distress trope in modern fantasy. I seek to undermine that with a heroine who can save herself and find love and family in the process.

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