She is a writer, an English teacher at a high school, and a professor at a local community college. She has been writing fantasy stories for most of her life and finally decided to brave publishing during the summer of 2020. She is an advocate for greyhound rescue and currently lives with two of 45 MPH couch potatoes.
Q.1 Tell us something about yourself not many people know?
A. I was in a professional children’s choir when I was young and developed a love of classical music as a result.
Q.2 What inspired you to write The Keyralithian Chronicles?
A. I would have to say that there were stories that I always loved reading novels such as The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle, Mythago Wood by Robert Holdstock, and The Book of the Dun Cow by Walter Wangerin Jr., and I wanted to try my own hand at it when I was a teen. Over the years, the story has evolved into the novels as they now exist.
Q.3 Are we going to read more from you in the near future? Any new project you’re working on?
A. Absolutely! I just published book two of The Keyralithian Chronicles, Book three is in development, and there are two other mostly finished projects that will be out before then. One is a historically-based urban fantasy and the other is a paranormal romance.
Q.4 What is the most difficult thing about writing characters from the opposite sex?
A. Actually, I haven’t had that much trouble writing characters of the opposite sex, really. If anything, I find writing about women harder because I don’t relate to the wilting flower stereotype that so many women tend to fall into.
Q.5 Do you plan out your books before you start writing, or do you just write and see where it takes you?
A. It depends on the book. Sometimes. Book three has to have at least a parallel list due to the chapters and how they work. Most others come together as they will. The paranormal romance was written all out in the space of two months. The urban fantasy is a hybrid of planning and random chapters that appeared as they were completed.
Q.6 How long on average does it take you to write a book?
A. It really depends. On average, at least 3-4 months for the first draft. I teach, so my time is not always easy.
Q.7 What was the hardest part of writing this book?
A. Getting the confidence to share my writing with other people. COVID scared me into realizing that I might never get to publish it if I didn’t act then, so I finally took the plunge.
Q.8 Imagine a future where you no longer write. What would you do?
A. I plan on writing until I literally can’t anymore. I will dictate the stories if I have to.
Q.9 If your book was made into a film, who would you like to play the lead role?
A. That is a tough one. If you asked me about the Urban fantasy, I could tell you right away. For The Crystal Pawn, maybe Claudia Jessie from Bridgerton.
Q.10 Is it vital to get exposure and target the right readers for your writing, tell us about your marketing campaign?
A. It is vital, and I am still working on this. My time has been limited somewhat by my other responsibilities, but I have plans to use TikTok and other platforms to a greater advantage in the near future.
Q.11 If you could be a member of any fantasy race, which would you choose and why?
A. I think I would choose to be a shapeshifter of some kind. The paranormal romance I am working on deals mainly with wolf shifters, but there are many other kinds. The Shapers in Keyralithsmus are very different from them. Either of those would be fine.
Q.12 If you could invite one character to dinner from your book at home, who would it be and why?
A. Probably Jack Parns. He is my absolute favorite to write. Deirdre might be the heroine, but Jack is full of tricks.
Q.13 What three things a reader can expect from your book?
A. 1. A solid, honest fantasy. I was raised reading books that were simply stories. There were no hidden agendas. They were stories that I simply loved.
Q.1 Tell us something about yourself not many people know?
A. I was in a professional children’s choir when I was young and developed a love of classical music as a result.
Q.2 What inspired you to write The Keyralithian Chronicles?
A. I would have to say that there were stories that I always loved reading novels such as The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle, Mythago Wood by Robert Holdstock, and The Book of the Dun Cow by Walter Wangerin Jr., and I wanted to try my own hand at it when I was a teen. Over the years, the story has evolved into the novels as they now exist.
Q.3 Are we going to read more from you in the near future? Any new project you’re working on?
A. Absolutely! I just published book two of The Keyralithian Chronicles, Book three is in development, and there are two other mostly finished projects that will be out before then. One is a historically-based urban fantasy and the other is a paranormal romance.
Q.4 What is the most difficult thing about writing characters from the opposite sex?
A. Actually, I haven’t had that much trouble writing characters of the opposite sex, really. If anything, I find writing about women harder because I don’t relate to the wilting flower stereotype that so many women tend to fall into.
Q.5 Do you plan out your books before you start writing, or do you just write and see where it takes you?
A. It depends on the book. Sometimes. Book three has to have at least a parallel list due to the chapters and how they work. Most others come together as they will. The paranormal romance was written all out in the space of two months. The urban fantasy is a hybrid of planning and random chapters that appeared as they were completed.
Q.6 How long on average does it take you to write a book?
A. It really depends. On average, at least 3-4 months for the first draft. I teach, so my time is not always easy.
Q.7 What was the hardest part of writing this book?
A. Getting the confidence to share my writing with other people. COVID scared me into realizing that I might never get to publish it if I didn’t act then, so I finally took the plunge.
Q.8 Imagine a future where you no longer write. What would you do?
A. I plan on writing until I literally can’t anymore. I will dictate the stories if I have to.
Q.9 If your book was made into a film, who would you like to play the lead role?
A. That is a tough one. If you asked me about the Urban fantasy, I could tell you right away. For The Crystal Pawn, maybe Claudia Jessie from Bridgerton.
Q.10 Is it vital to get exposure and target the right readers for your writing, tell us about your marketing campaign?
A. It is vital, and I am still working on this. My time has been limited somewhat by my other responsibilities, but I have plans to use TikTok and other platforms to a greater advantage in the near future.
Q.11 If you could be a member of any fantasy race, which would you choose and why?
A. I think I would choose to be a shapeshifter of some kind. The paranormal romance I am working on deals mainly with wolf shifters, but there are many other kinds. The Shapers in Keyralithsmus are very different from them. Either of those would be fine.
Q.12 If you could invite one character to dinner from your book at home, who would it be and why?
A. Probably Jack Parns. He is my absolute favorite to write. Deirdre might be the heroine, but Jack is full of tricks.
Q.13 What three things a reader can expect from your book?
A. 1. A solid, honest fantasy. I was raised reading books that were simply stories. There were no hidden agendas. They were stories that I simply loved.
2. A well-written novel. I have readers who don’t like fantasy and who have loved the book for its plot and its storyline.
3. Characters you can care about and get to know as friends.
Q.14 Among all the supporting characters in your book, who is dear to you and why?
A. That would be Jack Parns. As previously stated, he is the one who can be surprisingly vulnerable but is generally the solid, sarcastic rogue you know and love.
Q.15 Who designed your book cover? How do you select them?
A. Kayla Drakehart. She was a student at the high school I work at who has gone on to become a graphic artist. When I first approached her with the idea, she had been out of college for several years and loved the concept of creating the book cover. We’ve worked together ever since.
Q.16 How do you select the name of your characters?
A. Sometimes they just come to me, sometimes I grab a baby book and the local white pages. Whatever is needed at the time. The centaurs kind of developed an entire naming convention all their own. That wasn’t planned.
Q.17 Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with good or bad ones?
A. I do. I read them all and try to learn from ones that might have practical advice. If they are obviously not written from a place of knowledge, I let them go.
Q.18 Which famous person, living or dead would you like to meet and why?
A. Joseph Campbell. I am a huge fan of his books on mythology and would love to have an in-depth discussion on the use of mythology in modern fantasy with him.
Q.19 Are there any new books or authors in science fiction or fantasy (or both!) have you excited about? What are you reading right now?
A. I recently read Jonathan Durham’s Winterset Hollow and did an interview with him for my college creative writing class. He is brilliant, and my exact opposite when it comes to planning and execution of writing. The book was a fascinating read, and I am totally hooked on it.
Q.20 Share the experience of your writing journey so far?
A. It has been a long road with a lot of stumbling blocks. I love the series I am working on and am absolutely thrilled to finally have the second book finished. It has been hard to get the word out to people, but I am trying hard to do so and gain a following.
Share your social account links –
Facebook - @fantasyworldsofdeborahjarvis
Instagram - @the_keyralithian_chronicles
Twitter - @the_rael_coyote
Website - www.deborahjarvis.com
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