Dragon Soul Press interviewed Dragons & Heroines author L. Jade. Happy release day!

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1. How long have you been writing?

Let’s put it this way: In the second grade we were given a school assignment to write an autobiography. Most kids turned in a one page paper…mine was seven pages. You could say it snowballed from there.

2. On a typical day, how much time do you spend writing?

I would absolutely love to say I spend at least three hours a day writing…but the reality is life doesn’t cooperate like that. Normally I try to make sure I can write (or beta read) for at least a half hour a day, if not a full hour. However lately that number has been much lower thanks to being in my first trimester and needing to nap almost every day. Luckily my energy has (slowly) started to return so I’m hoping to get back into the normal swing of things soon!

3. What books or authors have most influenced your writing?

Kristin Britain’s Green Rider series along with a bit of inspiration from Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series for traditional novel books, though if we’re also counting manga you can throw in Hiromu Arakawa’s Fullmetal Alchemist series and of course Taiki Kawakami’s That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime series. If you haven’t read any of these series I highly suggest you pick up at least one, if not all of them, especially if you love dragons and magical elements.

4. How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

Are we counting fan fiction? If so, then I’ve written probably a dozen books in collaboration with other nerdy Pokemon and Okami fans, unfortunately all of which are gone now thanks to my lack of hard drives through middle and high school (and the crashing of a website, which resulted in the deletion of everything on it). If we’re not counting those, then I’ve written two, neither of which has been published (yet!).

5. How do you handle literary criticism?

I love it when people dig deeper into my stories to try and connect points that perhaps I myself haven’t thought of. Listening to the feedback from my beta readers has often led to a much more exciting and healthier story in the end (after the endless rounds of revisions, of course!). Even if someone is tearing it apart piece by piece, as long as it’s being done in a constructive way, I appreciate the feedback.

Now if someone is shredding my work apart just to be mean and not giving any useful feedback as well, I chalk it up to internet trolls and move on with my life.

6. What are you reading now?

I just got done reading Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo (I know, I’m behind the times) and look forward to moving on to Steel Crow Saga Paul Krueger as well as The Beast Warrior by Nahoko Uehashi. I have also been beta reading two amazing stories that hopefully will be on shelves in a few years’ time!

7. Who is your favorite author and why?

I’d have to go with Brian Jacques, even if he’s been gone for several years now. His Redwall series is what moved me from reading slice of life stories to true fantasy and I’ve never looked back. It was also the first time I read a book with multiple POVs and realized how much I loved bouncing from character to character, which is what I use in my own writing.

8. What do you like to do when you’re not writing/reading?

Play video games (currently working on Pokemon: Brilliant Diamond and Borderlands 3), play board games, make occasionally yummy messes in the kitchen and, when the weather cooperates, spend time outside walking or gardening.

9. Are you working on anything at the present you would like to share with your readers about?

I am currently re-writing my original WIP from several years ago, Iced Soul. It is the beginning of what will accumulate into a quartet series. Four Mythics, God-like animal shapeshifters, roam the lands of Thyria to ensure the balance of nature stays in place. But when the roles of nature start changing due to human treachery, they try to recruit people towards their cause. There’s just one problem…their latest interest is an anxious woman with social skills as deep as a puddle. Even with the help of dragons, she probably won’t have a fun time going up against an immortal willing to do anything to end their life. For anyone that is an Avatar: The Last Airbender nerd or even a Queen of the Tearling, Harry Potter or Grishaverse fan, this series is right up your alley!

10. Share something your readers wouldn’t know about you.

I have heterochromia, which means my eyes do not match in color. While this is normally seen as cool, you have to admit that most of the time this is seen in media, it’s the ‘crazy, evil’ character boasting this characteristic. Therefore I’m making it my mission to put a character in each of my books with this trait who is a protagonist (although they may still be slightly weird).

11. Where can readers learn more about you?

You can find me on Facebook.