Tell us a little about yourself and how you got into writing.
I consider myself a pretty normal guy. I am married, go to work every day, and have two kids, but there’s a secret side of myself. Something a few years ago I would’ve denied all day long. What was that secret? I am a writer. I was scared to tell people because it usually induced eye rolls and the phrase, ‘Oh, do you have a real job?’ After being published, it got easier to tell people, but I still get a few eye rolls. My real job is at the Open High School of Utah where I work as a school counselor trying to steer America’s youth toward real jobs. I love working with kids. For the last ten years I’ve worked as a teacher or counselor and secretly type away each weekend on my books.
I saw that Huber Hill’s story was inspired by stories your grandfather told you. How else has your relationship with your grandfather influenced your writing?
My Grandfather died when I was fairly young, but those interactions I had with him are burned in memory. He really influenced me to become a storyteller. There were few things I looked forward to more than visiting him each weekend to hear more stories. The tales he told took me out of the world temporarily to a more fascinating place. Sadly, many of the stories he told I can no longer remember, but I do remember the feeling. I like the idea of being able to produce those same feelings of excitement and exhilaration for kids.
As a mystery book filled with adventure, I think Huber Hill does just that. It’s a book that readers of all ages can enjoy! Book two takes places in Spain. What research did you do for the story?
I minored in Spanish at the University of Utah. It was there I learned about the rich history of Spain and its provinces. In my teaching career, I was able to teach at a Spanish Academy. Many of the teachers there were from Spain. I learned much about their culture and history through them. In particular, many of the teachers I worked with hailed from Salamanca- the city of Cervantes and one of the oldest universities in the world. It is a city rich with history and secrets. Don Quixote is also one of my favorite stories, so I tried my best to pay honor to Spain and the city of Salamanca in particular.
I love how you took the Spanish culture and incorporated it into the story. Huber Hill is a boy caught in a deadly conflict. How did you balance his youth and thirst for adventure with the leadership roles he needs to take on and fear over what he’s gotten into?
Huber definitely transitions in this story from being a victim with something to prove in book one to being more of a leader in book two. He has survived the terrifying ordeal with the Dead Man’s Treasure and is now confident in his ability to solve problems and face danger. It has been fun to watch him mature and progress. That said, he is still young and feels fear, but is able to overcome it for the sake of others. Relationships play a large role in the story from family to love to friendship. Some we don’t find out about until near the end, though they’ve been there all long.
My favorite aspect of the characterization was the relationships that the children formed with each other and those around them. How did you go about developing these ties? How significant are relationships to the book?
I believe that in a story, relationships are everything. When I think about great stories like Harry Potter, I instantly think about the relationships between the characters more than the adventures themselves. Relationships are something we all have in common. The more rich and complex they are, the more invested I am in the story and it characters. If all a story has is explosions and special effects, no character development or relationships, it becomes boring pretty quick.
There are many plot twists in this book. What did you most enjoy setting up?
It’s funny because some of the biggest twists in the story didn’t happen until I was writing it, so they surprised me too. I figured if they surprised me, they’d surprise the reader as well.
I certainly wasn’t expecting some of the things that happened to take place! I saw that, like Huber, you went treasure hunting with your friends. What would you have done if you found something?
If we would’ve found something, we probably wouldn’t have told anyone. So, who knows?
Maybe we did 🙂
That’s fair. What are you working on right now?
I’m working on the third and final book of the series, Huber Hill and the Golden Staff of Cibola.
B.K. Bostick, author of Huber Hill and the Dead Man’s Treasure, resides among the magnificent Rocky Mountains. In addition to writing, he has spent his career in education. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Utah and his Masters in Psychology from Utah State University. He has worked as a teacher, after school program coordinator, junior high school counselor, and most recently as a teacher mentor for a University. He loves spending time with his lovely wife and two dogs. In his spare time, he enjoys eating cheetos and watching old episodes of the Twilight Zone.
Review – Huber Hill and the Dead Man’s Treasure (Huber Hill #1)
Review – Huber Hill and the Brotherhood of Coronado (Huber Hill #2)
Character Interview – Scott McCormick
Author: Crystal
A story girl at heart, Crystal is a bibliophile who can easily spend the day immersed in a good read. She writes under the name Kristy Wang. You can follow her writing adventures on X and Instagram @_kristywang.
Samorjj says
I like that the author has a personal knowledge of the setting he chose and not just a researched knowledge.
Holly Letson says
Sounds interesting.
Kessie says
Hmm, sounds like an interesting series! Count me in!