An Interview with Sierra DenBoer
Sierra DenBoer is a 16-year-old writer who is working on the series The Umbral Gates. She has finished four YA fantasy/sci-fi books and plans to start publishing soon. She grew up in Long Beach, California, but now lives in the Chicago area, where she is dual-enrolled at a local college. To help her understand and develop her characters, she likes picking up their hobbies, such as knife-throwing, coding, and lock-picking.
If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?
“The Outside” by Twenty-One Pilots would be the song that really fits the paranoia of the main character, Ben Dire, who is terrified of another betrayal and always on the watch for it. “Can I Call You Rose?” by Thee Sacred Souls would be another one, but used only ironically. “Trying to Survive” by Colony House, “lovely” by Billie Eilish, Khalid, “You Should See Me in a Crown” also by Billie Eilish (that song I reserve for a very special scene), “Natural” by Imagine Dragons, and “Sharks” by Imagine Dragons, would be the other songs I’d add to the sound track. I’ve also played around with a few piano compositions made for scenes and characters, whether it’s for a dystopian city battle or for a treasure hunt in a dragon-infested jungle.
What books are you reading (for research or comfort) as you continue the writing process?
I’m currently reading the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson. Some of my favorites are Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan, which really helped me develop my writing style, and The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, which always makes me nostalgic since my dad used to read a chapter to me every night before bed.
What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?
I’ve spent the last few summers as a life guard and delivered newspapers when I first moved, I have yet to find my profession but I’m having fun with a few obscure jobs such as art commissions, dog watching (even though I’m allergic, they’re just adorable), and I’m hoping to work at Starbucks once my school schedule is organized.
Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?
100% my padre, Duane DenBoer. My dad and I started my first series, The Golden Steps, when I was six. He loves world-building and plot predicting, which both of us have been competing in for years, and since we first started, I’ve fallen in love with writing. And also 100% my friend Elliot, likewise a teenage writer, who showed me that writing is not only a place to escape to, but a story that can pour back into your life and the lives of others.
Where is your favorite place to write?
On the floor. And yes, my back will hate me for it in a few years. But besides my usual place, I really love coffee shops. When I first moved to a small town in Illinois from Long Beach, California, I really hated the quiet simplicity. Then I found the small hole-in-the-wall businesses that never fail to get my inspiration stirring, such as The Well in Manteno, IL. Although I still prefer the city, places like these, no matter where they are, always make me happy and eager to write.
What advice would you give your past self at the start of your writing journey?
In all honesty, I wouldn’t change a thing. Everything I’d tell her wouldn’t be as good as her learning it herself. My books are still improving and I’m always determined to grow in faith and talent, but I’m really happy with how things played out even though it hasn’t been easy.
But if I were to give advice to new writers, I’d say write what you know, but never forget to include what you don’t. Create something new, even when nothing is new anymore; create something that is new to you.
What’s one thing you hope sticks with readers after they finish your book?
Well, after the Umbral Gate series is complete, I hope they find a character to relate to, one whose flaws they can resonate with, then I hope they are encouraged by what that character learned. I hope they realize that even after all the trials and strife, nothing means more than the people you go through it with.
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