By Lauren Burnham
One of my favorite things in the world are books. Stories that come alive in my brain give me the shivers. The characters stay in my mind for a very long time after I’ve finished the book.
My good friend, Nora, has been writing ever since I met her. She writes about dragons and magic and intrigue, and I’m always interested in reading the newest thing she’s written (even better, no romance). Nora, who carries a pencil in her hair, and at least two notebooks wherever she goes, has created this magnificent world in her head. I can’t wait to see what will become of it. In the meantime, The Spectator sat down with her to discuss her book, Tempest.
Q: What book are you writing?
A: “I haven’t actually decided on a title yet, but for now, I call my book Tempest.”
Q: How far are you in writing/editing?
A: “Even though I’ve been working on my writing for awhile, I don’t think I’m anywhere near done. I still have a ton of editing to do and there are lots of new ideas and characters that I want to implement.”
Q: When did you start writing?
A: “I started writing in the middle of seventh grade, and I’ve done a little bit every day since then.”
Q: Who are the main characters?
A: “I have two main characters: Senya and Aster. They end up fleeing from their hometown with several other companions relatively early in the book.”
Q: What are they like?
A: “Neither character is fully developed, but I pictured Senya as being quieter, a little bit cold, and perceptive. Her dragon is silver, and her class is the thief. Aster is much more open, more charismatic, and very bookish. His dragon is white and his class is the mage.”
Q: What’s the bond between dragon and rider?
A: “Bonds between dragons and riders vary. Some prefer to call themselves dragonriders, while others call themselves lords, kin, or masters, depending on the closeness of dragon and man.”
Q: What is the main conflict?
A: “Essentially, the world has been thrown out of balance, and it needs to be restored. This is done by summoning ancient deities, and lots of questing in between...when I put it this way it sounds like the plot of a bad fantasy rpg.”
Q: Who are your favorite protagonists/antagonists?
“A: I think my favorite character to write would be my main antagonist, Posytros, the draconic embodiment of lightning. My reasoning? Destroying small fantasy villages with the fury of a thousand storms is fun to write.”
Q: What kind of dragons are they?
A: “All of them. I’ve done research on several different types of dragons from different mythoi, such as wyverns, imperial dragons, serpents, wyrms, etc. I’ve attempted to put as much diversity into my dragons as possible.”
Q: What kind other supernatural stuff happens?
A: “There isn’t a huge amount of magic apart from my dragons, but what magic I do have is based on the manipulation of elemental energy. For example, a skilled Shadow mage could ‘twist’ darkness around himself to hide or confuse an opponent. Other than strange weather phenomena, that’s about it for the supernatural.”