This is an awesome week. Not only did I get to feature Devri Walls on my blog for my blogoversary, today I get to be a part of her blog tour! I love magic in a huge way, Devri delivered on that with this series in a huge way and then some. Today I interviewed her so stick around and learn a little more about her.
BOOK 1
Wins of Arian
by Devri Walls
Series: Solus
#1
Published:
April 24th 2012
Synopsis:
Kiora thought
she had never heard a lie until she was sixteen. But she was wrong. Her entire
existence was based on nothing but. She thought that evil did not exist. Lie.
That magic was not real. Lie. And that the land of Meros was all there was. One
more lie.
With Aleric
telling her that evil is knocking on the door and that she is the only one who
can stop them she has a choice to make. Refuse, or start the wildest most
painful ride of her life.
She
reluctantly dips her toe into her new existence of magic and threads, dragons
and shapeshifters, and the person who wants to take control of it all: the evil
Dralazar.
However, this
journey was never meant to be hers alone. She will be accompanied by a
Protector. To her disbelief, and utter irritation they name the hotheaded,
stubborn, non -magical, (albeit gorgeous) Prince Emane. They will have to trust
each other with their lives, but right now Kiora would settle for a non hostile
conversation.
And now it
comes down to this, If you had never heard a lie, would you know when you heard
one? Is knowing good from evil innate? Kiora finds herself having to decide who
lives and who dies on those very questions.
Wings of Tavea
by Devri Walls
Series: Solus
#2
Published:
November, 2012
Synopsis:
Kiora is
rapidly learning that evil and lies come in shades of black and white and
swirling greys, but nothing could have prepared her for the shock of leaving
Meros.
Kiora and her
protector Emane step through the pass into a world they never knew existed but
were always meant to save, only to find it far worse than they could have ever
imagined. Good has been forced into hiding for its own survival, while the rest
of the land bows to the Shadow, a force that pushes any remaining thoughts of
Dralazar from Kiora’s mind. This land is full of new creatures, each more
dangerous than the last. Her visions have taken on a deadly twist, and magic,
or what comes of it, was never so real. And then there is Alcander: a Tavean,
their guide, and an entirely different kind of trouble
BOOK 3
Wings of Nestor
Devri Walls
Series: Solus #3
Publication date: June 24th 2013
Synopsis:
Kiora needs answers. Who is the Shadow? Who is Jasmine? Are
they connected? And even more pressing: how can she stop Shadow from using
Kiora’s dreams as a map to find them? They have escaped three times, but are
living on borrowed time—and everybody knows it.
Her search for help will push her closer to Alcander, send
her to the dragon mountain of Toopai, and straight back to Meros—where magic
will finally return to the land of no magic. Answers will be uncovered and
plans unearthed that have been waiting for thousands of years.
But with the Shadow’s forces gathering, it looks like the
land’s path is hurtling towards one outcome: war with the Shadow and death to
all rebels. Armed with knowledge and hope, Kiora is determined to change that
path. But will fate allow it? Or will it deal her a hard lesson about following
ones own destiny?
BOOK 4
Wings of Lomay
Devri Walls
Series: Solus #4
Publication date: February 4th 2014
Synopsis:
Kiora needs answers. Who is the Shadow? Who is Jasmine? Are
they connected? And even more pressing: how can she stop Shadow from using
Kiora’s dreams as a map to find them? They have escaped three times, but are
living on borrowed time—and everybody knows it.
Her search for help will push her closer to Alcander, send
her to the dragon mountain of Toopai, and straight back to Meros—where magic
will finally return to the land of no magic. Answers will be uncovered and
plans unearthed that have been waiting for thousands of years.
But with the Shadow’s forces gathering, it looks like the
land’s path is hurtling towards one outcome: war with the Shadow and death to
all rebels. Armed with knowledge and hope, Kiora is determined to change that
path. But will fate allow it? Or will it deal her a hard lesson about following
ones own destiny?
Writing
1) When you sit down to write what does it look
like? Do you sit at a desk, the dining room table, the couch, do you need
silence, music? Give us an insight into your writing world. Pictures are nice J She
wants pictures, Danielle you are neeeedy! Lol…teasing, I am teasing. I am a comfort
writer, only once in a while do I sit at the kitchen table or counter- which is
where I happen to be right now. It looks like this- (please note the dirty
breakfast dishes that are still hanging out because I am working on this.)
But most of the time I write in one of these-
These pictures are so weird looking, I am sorry. My phone is
being super weird lately, I think I clicked something bad. I also like to escape to my local coffee shop
to work in their chaise, but ooohhhhh man, if someone is in my chair… *pounds
fist * I can not work at those little tables. I do use music when I am writing
the rough draft but once I start editing I have to loose the sound so I can
concentrate on the technical stuff.
2) I know you are working on something new. Care to tell us
a little more about it? The next story I am working on is a YA
fantasy based around wizard magic and the destruction it can cause. It starts
out darker than the Solus Series as we open with two Hunters hauling back a
wizard they captured to throw in the Hold. The Hold is where wizards are bound,
gagged and left in cells to rot in their own filth. (Uplifting, right?) The main
theme is how we often assign evil to things or groups instead of the individual.
On that note, I am terrible at describing my work! I will very soon be spending
a few torturous days trying to write a synopsis to this thing. Seriously, I’ll
write a novel any day. Ask me to write a synopsis and I would rather take out
my own eye with a spoon.
3) Congratulations on becoming a full time writer! What made
you decide to take this step? There were a few factors that went to this.
One, I was exhausted! I have been juggling two kids, a husband, owning and
teaching at my preschool, teaching voice lessons, cooking, cleaning…. once in a
while…. and putting out a book about every six months. Too many balls in the
air. And to top it off, putting out one book every six months is just not fast
enough any more. There was no way I could do a book every three months with everything
else I was doing. I have also become a fierce believer in doing what you love.
Life is too short to do something you hate for money. If you are willing to work hard and be
awesome at what you do, you can do what you love for money. Not that I hated my other business ventures- I liked
them, but like and love are on a very different spectrum. Now, be this as it
may I was still too chicken to take the plunge—I made a nice living teaching
preschool. The catalyst for this choice was my son. We had to move for his
education. Once we came to that conclusion we took a deep breath and decided to
go for it! Preschool is sold, voice lessons may or may not be happening, but all day while my kids are in school I get
to be a WRITER! I am so grateful for a husband who is working in a career that
he loves and can bring home a paycheck for us during this transition.
That is so awesome for you. I can't wait for your new book!
4) When you sat down to write Wings of Arian did you already know the ending for the series? HA! When I sat down to write this I had no
idea what I was doing! Once I got the book written and edited (and edited and
edited and edited and… you get it) I really thought I knew where I was going. Danielle,
trust me, you would have liked where it was going. However, after I published
book one and started in on Wings of Tavea I realized two things, One; I had
created a very real problem at the end of book one that had to be dealt with.
And Two; Alcander was now in the picture and he wouldn’t go away. Halfway
through book two I was doing some long term mental plotting and the visual
image of the final scene flashed into my mind. I knew it had to be, even though
I cried.
I am curious to know what your plans for the book were before you changed it... hmmm, I feel a conversation coming.
5) What was the most unusual thing you ever had to research
for your writing? It always has to do
with death. For this next book I had to look up all sorts of fun things, from torture
techniques to where could I stab someone so that the sword could go clean
through them and have them survive. Fun stuff.
Characters
1) Out of all your characters, which has been the hardest to
write? The easiest? And why? The Shadow
was probably the hardest, trying to get her motivation down without making her
overly stereotypical or too much like Dralazar was a challenge. Drustan was the
easiest. He was so much fun and his dialogue just dripped on the page. I love
him!
I love Drustan too! He is awesome.
2) You know I am a huge Emane fan. It has always and will
always be Emane for me. But what about you? Emane or Alcander? Now be honest,
and none of this I can’t choose. I promise I will love you no matter who your
choice is. It’s Alcander. If we are being totally honest the reason is because
there are elements of my husband woven through his character, just elements,
but it’s enough. There is something amazing about a closed personality who
opens to you and you are privileged enough to see the gentle giant beneath the
layers.
What??? I know I said I would love you, but I changed my mind! Haha just kidding. I will let it slide only because he has your husband in him.
3) I think characters are what make a book. If you had to
choose one moment as your favorite what would it be and why? This moment can be
one for the whole series or you can pick one from each book. Oh man!! That is so hard! I agree with you,
which is why I have so many moments in each book that I really love—those small
tender times where you really get to see who they are. …..( Just so you know,
there has been a fifteen minute time lapse here as I stared into space running
through scenes) I can’t do it! I really love so many of Kiora and Alcander’s
exchanges, from training to more. I love the Dragons, oh I love the dragons. I
love when Alcander and Emane start appreciating each other instead of competing
with each other. WAIT! I have it!!!! Ok, there is a scene at the end of book
four and Alcander is talking about Emane- it is beautiful, heart wrenching and
I love it.
Oh my gosh I cried so hard during that scene. It was so beautiful! Even thinking about it makes me want to cry.
4) Would you ever trade lives with Kiora? Even just for a
day? I have to say yes. I want magic
really, really bad. Although I really don’t envy her pain, so maybe just for a
day or two.
Personal
1) Do you flip to the end of the book to know the ending or
do you avoid spoilers at all costs? No
spoilers!!! I hate knowing the end.
2) Dessert before or after the meal? And what would dessert
be, if you could have anything? (there are no allergies or medical issues in
fantasy land) No allergies or medical
issues, oh my gosh it’s a dream come true!! I am an after the meal dessert eater
because I like to end with something sweet. Since I do have gluten allergies,
dessert would be something bready and doughy and delicious…. cinnamon roll
maybe.
3) What inspires you to write? Everything. Seriously, I never know where I will find inspiration. It
can be a place, a person, a moment in a movie, a beautiful piece of this
amazing world we live in. Just the other day I was in the Denver airport and
the server at the restaurant I was eating at NEEDED to be in a fantasy book.
Honestly, the man looked like he had been created by a computer. I was
fascinated (I think I scared him, maybe because he caught me trying to take a
picture of him) I knew I had to use his likeness somewhere. On my drive to Utah
this weekend I was thinking about him and BAM the plot started flowing, I have
my whole next series ready to write. I can’t wait!
4) I like to call myself the devourer, with that in mind,
name your top 5 Devours for each category.
Read: Game of Thrones.
( Seriously guys, this is NOT YA, don’t have your kids start this.) City of
Bones Series, Clockwork Prince Series…. That is technically way more than five
books.
Movie: Anything
fantasy, action, Sci-Fi or Super Hero. (Hey, don’t scowl at me, I can devour a
lot of things)
Music: This depends on
my mood. I totally can not answer this question
Munchie: I love fruit,
nut and cheese combos, popcorn, Peanut M&Ms, nuts and I LOVE Thai.
5) If you were stranded on a deserted island, with water and
food provided, what 5 things (no people or transportation) would you want with
you? Books of course. Air conditioning.
Clothes. Soap and Shampoo. Magic wand.
Ok, final question… this is a create your own. Is there any
question you have always wanted a blogger to ask you, but hasn’t? If so, what
is the question and answer. Q: Where can
I send your box of chocolate? A: Well, just email me and I will be sure to send
you my address.
Thank you so much for stopping by Devri and for answering all of my questions! I just may send you that chocolate!!!
Devri Walls lives in Kuna Idaho with her husband and two kids. She has worked as a music teacher and currently, a preschool teacher. She majored in theater and her love of a story still drives her today. Thankfully, she has finally found an outlet for all the voices in her head.
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