Interview with Halo Scot

Halo Scot is the author of the Rift Cycle: a grimdark, science-fantasy series with psychological horror, mental illness, and LGBTQ+ themes. As a murderer of characters and destroyer of (fantasy) worlds, Halo spends too much time scheming and not enough time adulting.

Halo has been featured in Publishers Weekly’s Indie Spotlight and, as a founding member of QueerIndie.com, in Pop Pride Week, an event hosted by ReedPop, BookCon, and New York Comic Con. Further antics are available on HaloScot.com.

CONNECT WITH HALO

Welcome to SPFM, Halo! Since we already have your bio, describe yourself in three words.

Disaster. Passion. Irreverence.

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Summarize your book, Edge of the Breach, using one gif.

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If you could recommend three self-published books, which would you choose and why?

I’ve read so many brilliant ones that I can’t choose just three. As a founding member of Queer Indie, we keep a directory of mostly self-published/indie books, and I highly recommend this resource:
https://queerindie.com/directory/

I have also reviewed a bunch here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/106655824-halo-scot?sort=date_read

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What is your favorite part, and your least favorite part of self-publishing?

My favorite part of self-publishing is the community, and my least favorite part is the marketing kraken.

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What’s your process for creating fully fleshed out characters?

I give my characters realistic flaws and motivations, then let them duke it out from there. These two contrasting elements lend the story direction and allow me to pretend at control while, in truth, my characters have free rein.

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What’s your writing ritual/routine like?

I wish I could say I greet each morning with classical music and incense, then sit in a sun-kissed cottage while inspiration drips from the heavens. However, the reality is that, between a full-time job and family demands, I write whenever I can and hope nobody looks over my shoulder while I’m scrawling explicit scenes.

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If you could go back in time, what’s one thing you would tell your younger self?

Calm down, relax, and trust yourself. You will never satisfy your poisonous ambition, so learn to relish every moment of the journey. And, no matter what anyone says, it’s okay to like instant coffee.

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What do you need in your writing space to help you stay focused?

I have this small plastic pig that grounds me—yes, very weird, I know. But it’s the perfect size for a stress toy, and it’s delicious to hold. I’ll show myself out…

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Tell us about the hardest scene you’ve written. What made it so difficult?

I won’t give spoilers, but there’s a scene in the second half of Echoes of Blood (Book 2) that I debated taking out—the only scene in the whole series I debated taking out. It’s viciously gory and disturbing in a highly intimate way. After much deliberation, I left it in, because it’s essential to both main characters’ arcs. The scene disarms them and shows different sides to both. It was, in many ways, a pivotal point for the series.

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What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?

Buying other authors’ books. I’ve met so many brilliant people this way with such innovative, unique ideas. The indie community is so gracious with its support, and supporting the community in return has yielded some of the best connections I’ve made in the self-publishing world.

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Do you ever take random writing breaks to dance or sing? If so, when do these breaks generally occur?

I tend to hyperfocus and write without breaks, but I’m trying to change that to achieve a healthier mindset. I’ve started working in breaks when I feel frustrated (usually with the plot and unruly characters). Instead of dancing or singing, though, my breaks consist of screaming into the void and swearing into the abyss. 

About Edge of the Breach (Rift Cycle #1)

We all become monsters at the edge of the breach. In a post-apocalyptic world where season of birth determines power — spring healers, summer mages, fall shapeshifters, and winter shields — a man and a woman emerge from tragic childhoods to lead humanity on opposite sides of an interrealm war.

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There is a hole in the sky. They call it the Rift. A portal to the gods. The scar of a suffering world. Through it, the gods rule the last scraps of civilization, harkening war. As chaos beckons, two leaders emerge from the ashes of a dying planet.

Julian Kyder is the son of an abusive rape victim who compensates for his abandonment through psychopathy. Sira Rune is a cancer survivor who dedicates her life to living free and fearless while experiencing the taboo and the unorthodox. Rune is the only one unafraid of Kyder, and that terrifies him, because he only knows how to function through fear. Even though she gives him more chances than he deserves, how much violence can she forgive? When is a person beyond redemption? While he struggles to control his demons and she struggles to find purpose, the gods drag the ruined world into war.

Amazon Top 10 New Releases LGBTQ+ Sci-Fi

Amazon Top 25 New Releases LGBTQ+ Fantasy

CONTENT WARNING: The Rift Cycle is a highly graphic series intended for mature audiences.