Travel to Lands Beyond with KA Stefana
1) Starting with the basics, what is your author name? (Pen name if you use one.)
K.A. Stefana
2) What are your top 10 favorite books/authors?
Jeff Wheeler for his Muirwood series. Honestly, his personal story and books are the foundation for my writing.Christopher Paolini for the Eragon series.Ken FollettMicheal Connelly - The Harry Bosch seriesTed Dekker - I loved Three and everything else that I read from himElizabeth George - Inspector Linley MysteriesMrs. Frisby & the Rats of NIMH
3) What book do you think everyone should read?
How long have you been writing? I began writing as a hobby during quarantine. I had always written poetry and spent most of my career writing R&D technical papers. It was so much fun writing with passion and not about another chemical formula or research blend.Do the characters all come to you at the same time, or do some of them come to you as you write?
4) Do you read yourself, and if so, what is your favorite genre?
I love to read fantasy and romance, but mostly fantasy. I want to be taken to a new world with great world-building and character development. One of my absolute favorites was the Muirwood series by Jeff Wheeler.
5) Do you prefer to write in silence or with noise? Why?
I need absolute silence to hear the voices of the characters. Background noise is OK, but I cannot have conversations surrounding me.
6) Do you write one book at a time, or do you have several going at a time?
How about a thousand at a time? I have so many ideas that I started to write short stories, about 3000 words, just to get the idea on paper and out of my head. It really helps me focus on the active stories that I am working on. I usually have one that I am editing to get ready for a book launch, a couple of active Vellas, and a short story or two that I wrestle with.
7) Pen or type writer or computer?
Computer. Unless it is a poem. I can write a poem anywhere or anytime. When I first started, I wrote a lot on my phone before I went to bed at night, and then I would edit on the computer during the day.
8) What makes a good story?
I want a story that is going to take me on a roller coaster ride of emotions, from the first to the last page, with characters that are alive, snarky, sharp-witted, and everything in between.
9) What are common traps for aspiring writers?
I typically mull around the story idea for a few days to a week before I even attempt to start writing it. Then I will write the first few chapters, wanting to draw the reader in, and rework those until I am satisfied. Once the first 3 to 5 chapters are finished, I will roughly outline the book, knowing a few things that will happen and a potential conclusion. I cannot guarantee that I will get there because characters have a way of rewriting the storyline. I have learned to go with it.One thing that I love to do is to write a character into an impossible scene. How will they escape? I won’t plot their escape until after I finish the scene. This way, I am just as nervous for them as the reader is, and I cannot accidentally give away how they will escape. As to the common traps of aspiring writers, I am still in that phase, but here is a bit of what I have learned. Word and Google editing are not sufficient to bring your story to life. You need an editor! Don’t fret when your story goes off course because your characters refuse to follow your plot. Let them scheme and plot. At the end of the day, enjoy the process.
10) What is your writing Kryptonite?
Time! I don’t have enough time in the day to write.
11) How long, on average, does it take you to write a book?
If I could write every day, I could probably write a book in two to three months. I really prefer to write a few chapters a week at this point to ensure that I am not stressing myself out. At that pace, it takes about 7 to 9 months to write the book and another couple to edit.
12) Do you believe in writer’s block?
Absolutely, but I believe in unruly characters more.
13) Tell me a little bit about your book(s).
The Origins of Darkness
The Schatten Chronicles Book 1
Genre: Dark Fantasy Romance
They witnessed the death of the evil king and thought that they had saved the land from the darkness within, but he survived and hid within the Northern Boundaries for almost a century. He found a way to escape and regain his powers but he could not break the curse that bound him to the icy wasteland, until one day. One spell bound within ancient magic. One spell that unleashed his plan.
Night after night he visited young innocent maidens in the remotest villages as they were just about to come of age. He entered their dreams and tempted them with raw desire. As they fell prey to his evil plan, he took from them what he wanted and destroyed their futures so that he could rise again.
Soon his daughters would rise, the daughters of darkness. They would travel to lands beyond, where his feet could no longer touch the ground. His daughters, sired for evil, would reign terror down on the southern kings and he would reclaim what was stolen from him and break the curse that bound him.
This is the prequel to The Daughters of Darkness, A Schatten Novel by KA STefana.
The Daughters of Darkness
The Schatten Chronicles Book 2
In the peaceful Land of the Rhein, the Darkness looms on the horizon. Evil infiltrates the castle walls, and traitors lurk in the shadows. Can King William protect his beloved land from the impending doom? Enter Idalia, an enigmatic outcast whose fate is uncertain. Could she be the one to fulfill the prophecy, to save the kingdom from its imminent downfall?
But as the truth about Idalia's past unravels, King William must decide whether to trust her or condemn her to death. Amidst betrayal and treachery, the dragon Morgan holds the key to the prophecy that will determine the fate of the land. Will the outcast born for evil rise to power and defeat her father? Or will she betray those who trust her in the heat of battle?
With twists and turns at every corner, only time can reveal what lies ahead in this epic tale of romance, betrayal, and banishment.
14) Do you have a website? If so, what is it?
I use a link.tree: https://linktr.ee/KASTEFANA
15) What social media do you use?
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ka_stefana19/
Giveaway
Runs through Feb. 18th 2024
Swag Magnets of both books (US only),
$20 Amazon giftcard (WW),
-1 winner each!
Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
