Hayley Dennings, the author of This Ravenous Fate, writes to be a voice she never got to read.
Born and raised in the Bay Area, Dennings found the area played a large role in her writing career.
Dennings said that the diversity of the Bay Area supported her.
“Living in the Bay Area, and specifically Oakland, it’s a very diverse area,” Dennings said. “There are so many different cultures that mix here, and so I’ve always grown up seeing queer people and people of color … I am lucky that I found my people.”
In contrast, Dennings felt that the media didn’t reflect her.
“I didn’t see a lot of books or people in general in the media who looked like me,” Dennings said.
According to Dennings, this played a large part in developing her purpose as an author.
“My goal with writing this book was to give more visibility to the black experience in the US.” Dennings said. “There’s a lot of things that I explored in my book, mostly because of my own experience as a black woman.”
Dennings said that she drew on the rich history and culture of the Bay to found her work.
“There’s a lot of black history that’s come from Oakland,” Dennings said. “In writing a historical [novel] and wanting to tell a more nuanced perspective of black history, I had to tap into everything.”
Dennings said that she’s received a lot of support in her journey.
“Publishing and writing can be a very lonely activity,” Dennings said. “Having people around you to support you is great.”
Dennings advised on the importance of mindset in becoming an author.
“You just have to do it,” Dennings said. “You should be your biggest fan from the beginning … You really just have to trust yourself.”
Being an author is hard. But dreams can guide them to hope.
Tara Sim, a local young adult and adult fantasy author, has tread this path.
Writing has been a dream of Sim’s since she was little.
According to Sim, she has evolved as a writer.
“Growing up, I would be really interested in telling stories,” Sim said. “But it really wasn’t until I was 14 or so where I decided I really wanted to write fantasy books specifically.”
Sim said that growing up in a diverse area played a large role in her writing journey.
“Growing up in such a diverse area that the Bay Area is, I was introduced to a lot of ideas, and a lot of open mindedness,” Sim said. “That definitely skewed my writing toward that open mindedness … Different kinds of people and backgrounds and experiences.”
According to Sim, local resources have also played a big part in supporting her.
“A lot of the things that I have done in my own journey to become a published author was that I attended the San Francisco writers conference,” Sim said. “That was pretty eye opening, because you get to interact with a lot of people just like you who want to get published, who love writing, and who love books.”
Sim said that any aspiring writers should grasp such opportunities.
“Getting out there, both online and in person is really important,” Sim said.
According to Sim, despite difficulties, authors can succeed in the industry with perseverance.
“It’s going to be very difficult,” Sim said. “It takes a toll on you, both emotionally and physically. And I don’t say this to deter anybody, but you have to be persistent. If love for writing is there, if you want to keep doing it, you have to hope for the best and prepare for the worst, because it’s very much a roller coaster.”