Can you
give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series? Broken Arrow, my debut novel, is an epic young
adult fantasy book and the first in a planned series of six novels. Ealdred, a hated half-breed slave,
discovers he possesses powers and is thrown into a world of magic. Chaos
ensues, and he is forced to flee, only to be captured by a mysterious figure in
the night. Fire elemental Zeldek wishes to make Ealdred his apprentice, but his
methods are questionable and seek to hide a deeper evil. Lies abound and
Ealdred finds himself more of a slave than he’s ever been as he is forced to
choose between a life of servitude and death. But when he meets Bellator,
general to Zeldek and the only dragon rider in existence, a different option is
opened to him; to escape from Zeldek’s stronghold and search for a golden arrow
that rumor has it can put a stop to the coming war.
Do you
have a favorite character? It was pretty difficult to decide, because I have a
cast of very loveable, precious problem children, but I have managed to narrow
it down, yes. Bellator is my favourite character, not only because she is
awesome, but she’s also very complicated. To write a character that is
seemingly good, but struggles between her own selfishness and ingrained loyalty
to her cruel master was very interesting for me. There have been many times
when I realized that she was lying even to me, and it’s taken a lot to finally
pry the truth from her so I can write her accurately. Adding to that her sharp,
clever mind and awesome fighting skills, and she’s very difficult not to like,
even when she’s being a brat.
Have you
ever had a minor character evolve into a major one? Did that change the
direction of the novel at all? I’ve had a few, actually, but the
most important of these is Annalyn. When she was first introduced, she was a
random tavern maid in a small town they passed through. But the white hair
fascinated me, and I ended up giving her a much bigger role in the story. It
definitely was part of the major change that happened between the second and
third versions of the story.
What is
your writing process? Do you listen to music or do you like silence? It depends
on my mood whether I like silence or listening to music. I can easily do both.
Music definitely if there are other distractions around.
Do you
outline your story or just go where your muse takes you? I do a bit
of both. I like to create skeleton outlines, but it can’t be rigid enough where
it leaves no room for change.
Did you
hire an editor to review your manuscript before publishing? I hired
two, actually. The first was for content editing, and the second right before
publishing for line and copy editing. I also extensively self-edit my work. I’m
a bit of a perfectionist.
What have
you learned during your self-publishing journey? It’s not
easy and it costs money to do it well. Also, advertising sucks.
What
advice would you give a new author just entering into the self-publishing
arena? If you’re going to self-publish your book, do it with
excellence, even if it costs a bit of money, and you’ll automatically stand
out. Quality is your goal. Quality in the cover, the content, the title, the
advertising. Everything. Reach as high as you can, even if that means you’ll
fall harder. And when you fall, get up and keep reaching.
Besides
writing, do you have any other passions? I do! I’m actually also an
artist. I mostly sketch concept art for my stories, but I have been known to do
a painting every once in a while.
(As it turns out, Bellator is the subject of many drawings,
as she tends to be pretty awesome!)
I share my art on Instagram as HerMajestyMJ (https://www.instagram.com/hermajestymj/
What’s
next for you? I’m actually about to embark on a year long trip around North
America with my parents and ten of my siblings, during which I plan to finish
the second and third books in the Darkened Destiny series. So that is pretty
exciting!
Broken Arrow
Azaria M.J. Durant
(Darkened Destiny Saga #1)
Publication date: July 29th 2018
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
An ancient power long kept dormant stirs in the shadows once more as one boy embarks on a quest to earn his freedom and the freedom of his world!
Magic has turned to myth, the Vaelhyreans of old to legend, and the power wielded by the ancients has long been forgotten. However, with Ealdred, a mere half-breed slave boy, myth becomes real, the forgotten remembered, and the power of legend is reborn within him.
Ealdred is merged into a world of mystery, brimming with deceit, where the remaining Vaelhyreans are in a desperate fight for their very survival. When Ealdred is kidnapped by the power-mongering dark lord Zeldek himself, he must make a choice; to commit his newfound magic to Zeldek’s service or die. But when he meets Bellator, clever yet treacherous servant of Zeldek, an alternative is presented to him: to escape from Zeldek’s stronghold and embark on a quest to find a cursed arrow and free the Vaelhyreans from the spell that keeps their powers at bay.
Yet how can he survive in a world where magic is illegal, half-breeds are hated, and the four countries are on the brink of war?
—
Author Bio:
Azaria M. J. Durant is a young, passionate writer of fantasy with plans to branch out into sci-fi and dystopian. She enjoys writing stories with action, adventure, unexpected plot twists, and fleshed out characters that challenge gender roles and expectations.
Azaria lives in Atlantic Canada with her family, cats, and dogs, and her big dreams to travel the world. In the moments when she isn’t writing, she is sketching concept art for her stories, participating in community theatre, or curled up with a good book and a bag of mint chocolates.
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