Title: The Demon RaceAuthor: Alexandria Warwick
Release date: September 18, 2018
A race across the desert.
An unimaginable prize.
It occurs once every thousand years: the Demon Race. A test of will and strength, it is a race across the Saraj, a fight for the prize of a lifetime. And it is the key to Namali Hafshar’s freedom.
When shy, seventeen-year-old Namali learns of her arranged marriage, she flees home and enters the Demon Race for the chance to change her fate. But to compete, she must cross the Saraj on a daeva, a shadow demon that desires its own reward: to infect her soul with darkness.
Namali soon learns the desert holds more dangers than meets the eye. The only person she can trust is Sameen, a kind competitor seeking his own destiny. As her affection for him grows, however, so too does the darkness in her heart.
In this race of men and demons, only one can win. But the price of winning might be more than Namali is willing to pay.
Author Q & A
A good friend once said to go with your gut. That piece of advice has really resonated with me. I interpret it as living life honestly, so I really try to be aware of how I'm feeling when I make writing/book decisions. For me, if it's not a YES, then it's a no.
2.High fantasy or SciFi ? Why?
High fantasy, for sure. This is the genre I grew up reading. I am more drawn to the fantastical and magical than the futuristic "what-if?"
3. There's a lot controversy about self-publishing versus traditional publishing, though self-publishing is becoming more widely accepted. What are your thoughts on that matter?
In a way, I've seen both sides of the coin. I was pursuing traditional publication for a number of years. I had an agent, went on submission with a few novels, though nothing sold. About halfway through my last submission, I realized that I no longer wanted to pursue that path. It was a difficult decision. There is still a stigma with self-publication, and there probably will be for a long time. So many of us, I think, are seeking validation. Getting an agent, getting a book deal . . . these are big steps in proving that you have what it takes to be a published author. It's a powerful feeling. But I think the mistake is in thinking it's the only way to success. I personally think it's great that self-publishing exists. Anyone can be an author--we need more creativity in the world. But there are those who think that writing a first draft is enough without putting in the tens of thousands of hours, and so we see a lot of lower quality self-published novels because there are no gatekeepers as there are in traditional publishing.
However, there are pros and cons to each, and I think when deciding which route you'd like to take (or if you want to be a hybrid author), it's important to look at it from all angles. I will say that I never truly learned of publishing as a business until I pursued self-publishing. It isn't just the writing that I have to focus on. Now there are all these other factors like cover art, editing, formatting, marketing, printing, distribution, etc. So there is less time spent on writing, but complete control, which I like. But (there's always a 'but') the success of the book, and all future books I self-publish, hinges on my actions or inactions. That's scary, but also powerful. I have no idea what will happen when THE DEMON RACE is released, whether it will do well or whether it will get horrible reviews and flop. All I can do is keep writing, keep improving, keep thinking of new ways to do new things as the publishing field changes. It's an exciting time for publishing, and I'm happy to be a part of it.
4. We have to ask, What's next for you? Are you currently working on a new book?
Yes, I'm working on a new YA fantasy series! The first book is titled BELOW, and it will be out in 2020.
Here's a short blurb:
When Apaay learns her sister’s face was stolen by a demon, she travels through the North to get it back. Instead, she becomes trapped in a fortress—a labyrinth of ice and stone—where her only chance of escape is to find her sister’s face before the labyrinth kills her.
5. If you had to give THE DEMON RACE a theme song what would it be?
Hmm. I listen to a lot of soundtracks when I write, so the theme song would be one without words. I'd probably choose "Reaching" by Audiomachine. I listen to A LOT of Audiomachine. I just really love their epicness.
About The Author
Alexandria Warwick is the #1 fan of Avatar: The Last Airbender. The Demon Race is her first novel.
The longer (but still kind of short) version:
In second grade I started a book writing club with my two friends where we made homemade t-shirts and published (i.e. stapled together) two books about camping out and throwing rocks at some boys when they stole our swings on the playground. The books were "gripping," "earth-shattering," and "like nothing you've seen before." Said my parents.
Anyway, here I am, having never outgrown my love of crafting stories. In addition to writing, I'm a classically-trained violinist. I also dabble in watercolors from time to time. I feel most free when I'm creating, it's safe to say.
Instagram ~Goodreads~Website
No comments:
Post a Comment