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 is that 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.
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.
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.
The author community surprised me and how many close friendships I've made within it. I know I never would have met Nicole 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.
I am a very left-leaning, bleeding heart, liberal witch. Take from that what you will.
Where you can find her
Leona Urbansky
Author Q&A