Leona Urbansky

Fantasy 𖤓 Science Fiction 𖤓 Romantasy

An Explorer of Other Worlds

I've been a reader and a writer for as long as I can remember. I still have file folders of my work from back in grade school when I was writing my own original stories. Eventually, I fell in love with fantasy thanks to works like Margaret Weis' Dragonlance books, Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar series and Anne McCaffrey's books about Pern. Dragons and unicorns came to dominate my stories and by the time I was in high school, I was committed to writing a book set in a fantasy world.

That book is Fire Magic. It took some time to come to fruition (obviously) but I finally finished it in 2023 when I joined the KC NaNoWriMo server. It took some time for me to get back into writing after having two kids, but I was inspired to write some fanfiction in 2020 when I started working from home. The writing bug bit me and I picked up Fire Magic again to finally finish it. Once I started writing again, I wasn't inclined to stop and shortly after I wrote a few first drafts that I am now working to revise into novels.

When I'm not writing, I'm working as an IT technician in the public sector and taking care of my family. Included in that family are two kids, three dogs and two cats. I'm also a martial artist, equestrian and fiber artists. I'm a very eclectic person that likes to try new things on a regular basis. I hope you enjoy exploring my worlds with me as much as I enjoyed writing them!

Nicole interviews Leona about her debut novel, Fire Magic, on their Writing With Witches Podcast.

Author Q&A

It depends on the story. If romance is a subplot, then yes, it usually fades to black as I don't feel that's a necessary part of the story. There is one working draft that is an open-door romance because that is the main plotline of the story.
I feel that trigger warnings are a kindness to readers. While some plot twists should stay hidden, it's not fair to surprise people who've experienced that kind of trauma and potentially make them relive it.
They're an outlet for my dreams and my imagination. I enjoy making people feel what I feel as I write and drawing some kind of emotion from them.
The author community surprised me and how many close friendships I've made within it. I know I never would have met Nicole and Alex if I wasn't an author. It's also surprising how many other people will connect with you once they know you're an author.
Generative AI has no place in creative spaces. Period.
DEI is important and something that should always be considered when writing. I think it's important to make sure that everyone is represented in some way, to allow connections that otherwise may not have been made.
Fire Magic began back in 2001 in its earliest iteration. This version began back in COVID times, so it's been baking for quite a few years.
I think that I bounce between being frivolous and being very serious about life, depending on the phase of my life that I'm in. Both of these views have been reflected in my work, with some characters having very dark, sarcastic humor while some are almost naïve and inexperienced in the world, but trying to stay positive.
I am a very left-leaning, bleeding heart, liberal witch. Take from that what you will.

I've been writing as long as I can remember! But in the past few years it's been a passion project and to get the thrill of completing a project. My characters are also an inspiration in and of themselves, as they often tell me their own stories to write down!
I could never choose a single, favorite book, or even series! I've read enough books that there are many that all have their special places in my heart. The series that always come to mind first is Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar series, Kristen Britain's Green Rider series, Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's Dragonlance books and more recently, many indie authors that have come onto the scene! Some of those names are Elise Kova and Sylvia Mercedes. Short answer: there's no one favorite book!
Some of my favorite childhood authors were Marguerite Henry, Walter Farley and Bonnie Bryant. The common theme there is they all wrote horse book series and that's how I started writing as well. It was later when I discovered the fantasy genre that my own writing shifted to the fantasy space.
I find inspiration from a myriad of different places. Sometimes it comes from my dreams, sometimes the weather I see outside my office window, sometimes a lyric from a song I've never heard before. Other times I want to re-write a fairy tale in my way. There's no one place that I find inspiration.
Real life and accurate facts are a large part of how I write my characters. Some of their experiences come from my own personal past while others I do research on to make sure they're being represented accurately. Life also influences on when and how often I'm able to write, so that does affect to an extent the characters' experiences.
My favorite character so far has been Rhian, from a first draft with the working title "Royal Guard." But I love all my characters for different reasons as they're all grown from some small aspect of myself before they grow into their own personality.
The majority of what I've written is fantasy, with a smattering of sci-fi and steampunk thrown in.
I'm pretty content with fantasy, but I would like to do some more sci-fi and explore it further. An alternate history novel would also be fun, but it would be extensive research that as the mother of two teenagers, I don't have the time to do right now.