Hello, everyone! Kendra Cassidy here, retired Admiral of the Terran Federation and avid fan of all things storytelling. Today, I have the pleasure of introducing you to D.H. Hoskins, a high fantasy author with a knack for political intrigue and world-building that draws you in and never lets go.
D.H.’s debut novel, The Council of Athyzia, flips the classic dark lord narrative on its head. Instead of following the fight against evil, this story delves into the aftermath—the politics, backroom deals, and alliances that must be forged to rebuild a world once torn apart by war. Drawing inspiration from historical events like the Paris Peace Conferences, D.H. weaves a tale filled with complex characters, magic, and enough twists to keep you guessing.
When he’s not writing, D.H. enjoys basketball, board games, hiking, and spending quality time with his two French Bulldogs, Millie and Rufus. Based just outside Boston, he balances his love for creating fantastical maps of imaginary worlds with the grounded joy of hanging out with his wife and furry companions.
Let’s dive into this fascinating interview with D.H. Hoskins, where we’ll discuss his inspirations, writing process, and the exciting projects he has lined up. And, of course, you’ll find out whether he’s Team Han or Team Greedo. Trust me, you’re in for a treat!
You can connect with D.H. Hoskins and explore his world through his debut novel, The Council of Athyzia. Let’s get started!
A book that pleasantly surprised you? I recently finished The Daughters’ War by Christopher Buehlman and I absolutely loved it. I have read The Blacktongue Thief and Between Two Fires by him, but this was on another level. The goblins are just the worst and I absolutely hate them. The writing is both horrifying, unsettling, gory and disgusting, but also deeply beautiful and moving and it stayed with me for a long time. I would highly recommend it.
Favorite hangover recovery recipe? Chocolate milk is my go to. Seriously, try it.
● When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
○ I honestly think it has been as long as I have been reading or being read to. I remember my dad reading The Hobbit to me and just loving it and wanting to recreate the same feeling somehow with my own thing. It is very odd because nothing else gives me the same inspiration as a book. I like listening to music, but have never dared try to write a song (fortunately), but every time I read a good book, I want to recreate the feeling I get from it.
● Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?
○ I draw a lot from history. I have dabbled in writing some historical fiction, but I can never stay focused on one time period/topic long enough, although maybe I will one day. But writing fantasy, I feel like I can pull in so many different historical events and characters and mix and match to get something new. My debut The Council of Athyzia largely draws from historical councils/post war conferences, such as The Paris Peace Conferences after WWI. I think that would make a good topic for historical fiction some day, but using it as the inspiration for a fantasy book, I found I had more freedom and could add plot twists and magic, which is really fun.
● What is your work schedule like when you’re writing?
○ I typically write at night. 8PM - 11Pm is a good time for me. We joke because my wife is a teacher and has to go to bed early, so she says I should thank her for all the alone time I get to write, which is really nice.
● What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
○ I don’t know exactly how unusual this is, but I edit as I write. I have seen some writers suggest to just write everything at once and not edit it so as not to slow down, but that doesn’t really work for me. Editing and writing are very similar, but flex different muscles I feel and it is hard to sustain one for too long, so I like to go back and forth. It is also difficult for me to just sit down and immediately start writing. So I usually start by editing the last 1,000-2,000 words I wrote and then that flows into me writing something new. Once I run out of steam, I will also edit what I just wrote. It is a nice back and forth that has worked for me.
● Does a big ego help or hurt writers?
○ I really like this question. I think writer’s need to have this very odd level of vanity/confidence. Obviously it is a bit vain to think that whatever perspective/insight you have is worth other people reading 400-500 some odd pages, and if you don’t have that confidence I don’t know if you will push yourself to write. But at the same time, they need to be deeply critical of their own work to make it as good as it possibly can be. I constantly go from thinking everything I write is amazing to thinking it is awful, and I don’t think you can get through it if you don’t have both.
● Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?
○ I would like to think I am being original in some way. I want to bring something fresh or unique to the table, to hopefully stand out. Ideally, I would like to do this with my plots even if the world building is a bit more familiar. I think I did this with The Council of Athyzia, where the plot is pretty different being a post war council after the big Dark Lord has been defeated, but a lot of the world building might feel familiar (elves and dwarves and wizards, but hopefully with some fresh twists since they are in the new context). I think ultimately I want to write what I would want to read, and that usually has a uniqueness factor.
● When did you write your first book and how old were you?
○ I managed to write a few books when I was in high school (2007 time frame). One was about an alien invasion, another was a space heist, and then I started writing a book that I would spend about fifteen years on before putting aside to write The Council of Athyzia. Besides that book, I don’t know what happened to the other ones.
● What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
○ I play pickup basketball once a week. I have a terrible jump shot but am really good at rebounding. I am really a defensive specialist and hustle guy. I also like playing board games. My favorite is Root. Recently, my friends and I have been playing Gloomhaven online and I am really enjoying that. I also like hiking and yoga. I have two French bulldogs, Millie and Rufus, so I like hanging out with them.
● Who shot first, Han or Greedo?
○ Han
● What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?
○ So far I have been very happy with how I have spent my money. After years of writing and getting feedback from friends and beta readers, I had something that I thought was in good shape and hired a developmental editor to look at it. I think this was definitely the way to go as the feedback was unbiased and gave a better idea of where I was at. The feedback and improvements made were worthwhile. I would say this is the best money I have spent, but I also absolutely love my cover, so it is really hard to decide between these. I have also paid for proofreading which is less sexy, but obviously necessary.
● Are you traditionally or self published? Or both? Do you feel there are advantages to one over the other?
○ I am self published. I imagine there are more advantages with being traditionally published, but I am really happy with how things are going. Self publishing is much more viable now it feels. I only published last year, so cannot compare to previous time periods, but could not imagine getting my book out there without bookstagram to market with. And the print on demand option makes self publishing much less financially risky. Still, I imagine traditionally publishing would have some advantages, primarily the confidence to know the finished product is ready to go. Even with hiring an editor, there were still so many decisions I had to make on my own. I second guessed myself a lot. I am very happy with the finished product, but I just want what is best for the work and I imagine with traditional publishing you are just getting that many more eyeballs on it who know the industry and might have improvements. I think this would just add to your confidence that you are going out with the best possible book.
● How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?
○ I have one book that I wrote before The Council of Athyzia and pretty much had been working on for fifteen something years. I will return to it someday… I do have the outlines for a few other novels that I will get to once this trilogy is done as well.
● What do you have coming next?
○ The sequel to The Council of Athyzia, The Sorceress in Exile, will come out in March. Then I will release a prequel novel in the fall. My goal is to have the final book in the trilogy out in 2026.
