I’m honored to be on Miranda’s Book Blog for an interview. Read the excerpt below and check out the full interview on Miranda’s Book Blog.
What inspired you to write The Last of the Firedrakes?
Every reader at some point in their lives comes across a book that inspires them to think beyond the boundaries. For me that book was Harry Potter.
The wonderful world of Hogwarts and the magical beings that lived within it made me look at the world of magic in a completely different way. I had always loved reading fantasy stories, and Tolkien’s Lord of The Rings series; along with C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia series were already my favorites. These books inspired me to write a story that would combine the best of the three, and so The Last of the Firedrakes started to take shape. I started thinking about this book nearly ten years ago. Building the world of Avalonia whenever I got time. The actual world creation started with a tapestry in my grandmother’s house. One day I stood before it and wondered, what if I could step into the tapestry? Where would I end up? And so the world of Avalonia sprang into existence.
From then on, the person who stepped into the tapestry was a young sixteen-year-old girl who didn’t know who she really was, her name was Aurora, and this is her story.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Nothing is impossible, and it is ultimately your choices in life, strength of character, and courage in the face of adversity, that will determine who you truly are.
I think Uncle Gabriel expresses this very well in the book, when he tells Aurora:
“When difficulties come, we must see them as what they are—opportunities and a new path to discover your potential. How will you ever know the magnitude of courage that you are capable of, if you have never experienced the hopelessness of fear?”