Our SPFBOX interviews continue with C. S. Doraga, author of Defy.
SPFBO (the Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off) is a free online contest run by author Mark Lawrence. 300 authors compete across ten judging teams to see who will be the winner! You can read more about the contest [HERE]].
INTERVIEW WITH C. S. DORAGA
Tell us a little about yourself and let our readers know which blog you’ve been assigned to for SPFBOX!
My latest favorite read was Green Rider by Kristen Britain, and my current favorite manga is Witch Hat Atelier. I’ll take the mountains over the ocean any day of the week, and I might be a little obsessed with dragons. My book was assigned to the Fantasy-Faction blog (which is really intimidating) !
What inspired you to write this book?
I wrote Defy for my younger self, actually! I always wanted to read a story about a girl who got to go on an adventure without her story revolving around a romance. Since I couldn’t find one, I wrote it instead.
Can you tell us a little bit about your writing or editing process? What’s most exciting to you about writing or editing?
“I always wanted to read a story about a girl who got to go on an adventure without her story revolving around a romance. Since I couldn't find one, I wrote it instead.”
Who or what have been your major literary influences?
What makes your SPFBOX book unique?
Do you have a favourite character from your SPFBOX entry? Tell us about them!
“My favorite part of the process is editing. That's where the stories really start to take shape and come to life”
How does your work fit into (or challenge) its genre?
Well, I’ve mentioned the lack of romance, which feels like a big challenge to YA, but I also wrote it with the younger end of the YA genre in mind. That’s not very common these days either. But in ways it fits in, I’ve been told it has a similar feeling to older fantasy, which I find very fascinating.
What do you hope readers take away from your SPFBOX entry?
What are you currently working on?
Defy
The Eridian Empire is rife with discontent and animosity. Now, Imperial Princess Redrinna has a choice: stay trapped in a life that terrifies her or betray the trust of her parents—the two people she loves more than anything.
Sheltered from most of the Empire’s turmoil, Redrinna has spent her entire life preparing for her eighteenth birthday—the day she will inherit the throne of a country she has never seen with her own eyes. Her parents believe she is capable of greatness, but she believes she is doomed to fail. Then, her entire world is turned upside down by a betrayal she never thought possible, a betrayal that leaves her nearly dead.
With the help of a creature long thought extinct—a dragon—Redrinna uses the situation to run, determined to finally be free. But earning her freedom isn’t that simple. Somone knows she survived. To win her freedom for good, she may have to find a strength she’s never had in order to fight an evil long forgotten but responsible for the Empire’s dark creation and eager to do worse. And if Redrinna can’t, then the little she has left—her friend, her homeland, and her freedom—might be lost forever.
Defy is the first in a young adult epic fantasy series packed with unforgettable characters, mystery, and adventure. If you like reluctant heroes, dragons, and coming of age stories, then you’ll love the first book in C.S. Doraga’s Rise of the Empress series.
C. S. Doraga grew up in the shadows of the Rocky Mountains with her nose stuck in any book within reach and imagination constantly running wild (to her parents’ chagrin, at times). Her favorite author is the amazing mangaka, Hiromu Arakawa, the author of works such as Fullmetal Alchemist and Silver Spoon. What little free time she has, she spends playing the Fire Emblem video game series and a few, choice others. She has a deep love for the fantastic but also loves mystery and those characters that sit with you long after the story is over. She has a bachelor’s degree in creative writing from Weber State University and lives in beautiful Northern Utah with her family and two, crazy cats.
