Broken Arrow
By: Azaria M.J. Durant
Series: (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?
Let’s start with, how are you this fine day? Pretty good, thank you! Ready to dive in and answer some questions!
Where do you get your information or ideas for your books? I get ideas for my book from everything I read or watch, but most of it just comes from what I like to see in fiction. I’m not a huge fantasy reader. I’m pretty stuck in the old ways of the fantasy genre. Like Lord of the Rings, Robin Hood, and The Knights of the Round Table sort of old. Only with powerful women characters that get shit done, and societies that don’t mostly focus on men.
When did you write your first book and how old were you? I was eight when I started my first book. I took some printer paper, folded it, and started writing and illustrating a medieval fantasy book about an outspoken, adventurous princess and her horse, and two royals sold into slavery. Unfortunately, I never finished it. The first book I completed was when I was nine or ten; a 20,000 word diary of a girl during the Great Depression. I was really into historical fiction at the time.
What do you like to do when you're not writing? When I’m not writing, I like to sketch concept art for my characters and for the characters of my sister and my friends, who are also writers. I have an Instagram account that is dedicated to my art: (https://www.instagram.com/hermajestymj/).
What does your family think of your writing? I have a very large family. Two parents, thirteen kids. I’m the third child, so I have a good amount of people to bounce ideas off of. My parents love my writing. My mom basically dropped everything to help my book get published. The sister closest in age to me is also a writer with a couple of books in the works, so we’re writing buddies and help each other come up with ideas. She’s pretty awesome. And of course, all of the younger siblings in the age range have read it and love it. It’s pretty awesome. They’re all very supportive.
What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books? The most surprising thing I learned while creating my books was that I really love building worlds. I love characters, but the culture and backgrounds of the people and politics are what really interest me. I am what is called a world driven writer.
How many books have you written? Which is your favorite? Including the three books I’ve written in the Darkened Destiny series, the historical fiction trilogy I wrote when I was thirteen, and the two before mentioned, I’ve written eight books. Out of all of them, I would say that either the second or the third books in the Darkened Destiny series are my favourite. But I can’t talk about them just yet. Lol!
Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say? I hear from them occasionally, yes! The most common thing that I hear is that my descriptions are really good and the story pulled them in and kept them reading to the end. I’ve had people say they read it in only a few hours, which is a writer’s dream to hear from their readers. The second most common thing I hear people say is that Bellator is their favourite character. Go figure.
Have you even been sent fan art? My sister draws me fan art all the time! Her favourite characters are Uri and Hamish, so I have a lot of adorable chibis of them. My artist friend also draws me fan art occasionally, which I love to pieces. Oh, and on one of the first drafts, I had a reader sketch makeshift book cover, which was cool. But not from anyone I don’t know (yet!).
What do you think makes a good story? Intricate and complicated plot, unexpected twists, and compelling, real characters. I like villains that have light in them, and heroes that have darkness. Some emotional pain. Preferably a diverse cast, with a good ratio of female to male characters. And the female characters have to be well written.
As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up? I wanted to be an ice dancer. But that only lasted for a year or two before I discovered writing. I don’t have the flexibility or coordination skills for it anyways. That, and the only time I’ve ice skated I almost gave myself a concussion when I fell and hit my head on the ice.
What is that one weird quirk about yourself that no one else knows? I really, really, really love perogies. My parents know that if they are going to the store, I will request one of two things; mint chocolate, or perogies. I can eat them all.
If you had your time back what would you tell yourself about writing? Honestly, if I had my time back, I wouldn’t tell myself anything. Except for maybe to work on character development a little more. But even that happened in its time. I was a dreamer and I definitely wouldn’t want to steal that from my younger self by telling the harsh realities of the writing and publishing world. I really already knew those things back then anyways. I still wanted to hope, and I think that’s one reason why I’m here right now, still keeping at it.
Last but not least, what advice would you give aspiring writers? Keep at it, and do everything with quality and excellence. Don’t be afraid to put in the money required to hire a good editor, or to put your work out there for critiques and beta reads. Listen to people who are more experienced than you, but don’t let them discourage you either. Writing is a process and everyone’s process is different.
Thank you for answering my questions. Thank you for having me! Have a spectacular day!
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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Thanks for being on the tour! :)
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