Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Solus Series by Devri Walls {Blog Tour: Interview & Giveaway}


This is an awesome week. Not only did I get to feature Devri Walls on my blog for my blogoversary, today I get to be a part of her blog tour! I love magic in a huge way, Devri delivered on that with this series in a huge way and then some. Today I interviewed her so stick around and learn a little more about her.

BOOK 1
Wins of Arian
by Devri Walls
Series: Solus #1
Published: April 24th 2012

Synopsis:
Kiora thought she had never heard a lie until she was sixteen. But she was wrong. Her entire existence was based on nothing but. She thought that evil did not exist. Lie. That magic was not real. Lie. And that the land of Meros was all there was. One more lie.

With Aleric telling her that evil is knocking on the door and that she is the only one who can stop them she has a choice to make. Refuse, or start the wildest most painful ride of her life.
She reluctantly dips her toe into her new existence of magic and threads, dragons and shapeshifters, and the person who wants to take control of it all: the evil Dralazar.

However, this journey was never meant to be hers alone. She will be accompanied by a Protector. To her disbelief, and utter irritation they name the hotheaded, stubborn, non -magical, (albeit gorgeous) Prince Emane. They will have to trust each other with their lives, but right now Kiora would settle for a non hostile conversation.

And now it comes down to this, If you had never heard a lie, would you know when you heard one? Is knowing good from evil innate? Kiora finds herself having to decide who lives and who dies on those very questions.


 BOOK 2

Wings of Tavea
by Devri Walls
Series: Solus #2
Published: November, 2012

Synopsis:
Kiora is rapidly learning that evil and lies come in shades of black and white and swirling greys, but nothing could have prepared her for the shock of leaving Meros.

Kiora and her protector Emane step through the pass into a world they never knew existed but were always meant to save, only to find it far worse than they could have ever imagined. Good has been forced into hiding for its own survival, while the rest of the land bows to the Shadow, a force that pushes any remaining thoughts of Dralazar from Kiora’s mind. This land is full of new creatures, each more dangerous than the last. Her visions have taken on a deadly twist, and magic, or what comes of it, was never so real. And then there is Alcander: a Tavean, their guide, and an entirely different kind of trouble


BOOK 3
Wings of Nestor
Devri Walls
Series: Solus #3
Publication date: June 24th 2013

Synopsis:
Kiora needs answers. Who is the Shadow? Who is Jasmine? Are they connected? And even more pressing: how can she stop Shadow from using Kiora’s dreams as a map to find them? They have escaped three times, but are living on borrowed time—and everybody knows it.

Her search for help will push her closer to Alcander, send her to the dragon mountain of Toopai, and straight back to Meros—where magic will finally return to the land of no magic. Answers will be uncovered and plans unearthed that have been waiting for thousands of years.


But with the Shadow’s forces gathering, it looks like the land’s path is hurtling towards one outcome: war with the Shadow and death to all rebels. Armed with knowledge and hope, Kiora is determined to change that path. But will fate allow it? Or will it deal her a hard lesson about following ones own destiny?


BOOK 4
Wings of Lomay
Devri Walls
Series: Solus #4
Publication date: February 4th 2014

Synopsis:
Kiora needs answers. Who is the Shadow? Who is Jasmine? Are they connected? And even more pressing: how can she stop Shadow from using Kiora’s dreams as a map to find them? They have escaped three times, but are living on borrowed time—and everybody knows it.

Her search for help will push her closer to Alcander, send her to the dragon mountain of Toopai, and straight back to Meros—where magic will finally return to the land of no magic. Answers will be uncovered and plans unearthed that have been waiting for thousands of years.

But with the Shadow’s forces gathering, it looks like the land’s path is hurtling towards one outcome: war with the Shadow and death to all rebels. Armed with knowledge and hope, Kiora is determined to change that path. But will fate allow it? Or will it deal her a hard lesson about following ones own destiny?

Find all the books: Goodreads | Amazon


Writing
1) When you sit down to write what does it look like? Do you sit at a desk, the dining room table, the couch, do you need silence, music? Give us an insight into your writing world. Pictures are nice J  She wants pictures, Danielle you are neeeedy! Lol…teasing, I am teasing. I am a comfort writer, only once in a while do I sit at the kitchen table or counter- which is where I happen to be right now. It looks like this- (please note the dirty breakfast dishes that are still hanging out because I am working on this.)


 But most of the time I write in one of these-  




These pictures are so weird looking, I am sorry. My phone is being super weird lately, I think I clicked something bad.  I also like to escape to my local coffee shop to work in their chaise, but ooohhhhh man, if someone is in my chair… *pounds fist * I can not work at those little tables. I do use music when I am writing the rough draft but once I start editing I have to loose the sound so I can concentrate on the technical stuff.

2) I know you are working on something new. Care to tell us a little more about it?  The next story I am working on is a YA fantasy based around wizard magic and the destruction it can cause. It starts out darker than the Solus Series as we open with two Hunters hauling back a wizard they captured to throw in the Hold. The Hold is where wizards are bound, gagged and left in cells to rot in their own filth. (Uplifting, right?) The main theme is how we often assign evil to things or groups instead of the individual. On that note, I am terrible at describing my work! I will very soon be spending a few torturous days trying to write a synopsis to this thing. Seriously, I’ll write a novel any day. Ask me to write a synopsis and I would rather take out my own eye with a spoon.

3) Congratulations on becoming a full time writer! What made you decide to take this step?  There were a few factors that went to this. One, I was exhausted! I have been juggling two kids, a husband, owning and teaching at my preschool, teaching voice lessons, cooking, cleaning…. once in a while…. and putting out a book about every six months. Too many balls in the air. And to top it off, putting out one book every six months is just not fast enough any more. There was no way I could do a book every three months with everything else I was doing. I have also become a fierce believer in doing what you love. Life is too short to do something you hate for money.  If you are willing to work hard and be awesome at what you do, you can do what you love for money. Not that I hated my other business ventures- I liked them, but like and love are on a very different spectrum. Now, be this as it may I was still too chicken to take the plunge—I made a nice living teaching preschool. The catalyst for this choice was my son. We had to move for his education. Once we came to that conclusion we took a deep breath and decided to go for it! Preschool is sold, voice lessons may or may not be happening,  but all day while my kids are in school I get to be a WRITER! I am so grateful for a husband who is working in a career that he loves and can bring home a paycheck for us during this transition.

That is so awesome for you. I can't wait for your new book!

4) When you sat down to write Wings of Arian did you already know the ending for the series? HA! When I sat down to write this I had no idea what I was doing! Once I got the book written and edited (and edited and edited and edited and… you get it) I really thought I knew where I was going. Danielle, trust me, you would have liked where it was going. However, after I published book one and started in on Wings of Tavea I realized two things, One; I had created a very real problem at the end of book one that had to be dealt with. And Two; Alcander was now in the picture and he wouldn’t go away. Halfway through book two I was doing some long term mental plotting and the visual image of the final scene flashed into my mind. I knew it had to be, even though I cried.

I am curious to know what your plans for the book were before you changed it... hmmm, I feel a conversation coming.

5) What was the most unusual thing you ever had to research for your writing? It always has to do with death. For this next book I had to look up all sorts of fun things, from torture techniques to where could I stab someone so that the sword could go clean through them and have them survive. Fun stuff.

Characters

1) Out of all your characters, which has been the hardest to write? The easiest? And why? The Shadow was probably the hardest, trying to get her motivation down without making her overly stereotypical or too much like Dralazar was a challenge. Drustan was the easiest. He was so much fun and his dialogue just dripped on the page. I love him!

I love Drustan too! He is awesome.

2) You know I am a huge Emane fan. It has always and will always be Emane for me. But what about you? Emane or Alcander? Now be honest, and none of this I can’t choose. I promise I will love you no matter who your choice is.  It’s Alcander. If we are being totally honest the reason is because there are elements of my husband woven through his character, just elements, but it’s enough. There is something amazing about a closed personality who opens to you and you are privileged enough to see the gentle giant beneath the layers.

What??? I know I said I would love you, but I changed my mind! Haha just kidding. I will let it slide only because he has your husband in him. 

3) I think characters are what make a book. If you had to choose one moment as your favorite what would it be and why? This moment can be one for the whole series or you can pick one from each book. Oh man!! That is so hard! I agree with you, which is why I have so many moments in each book that I really love—those small tender times where you really get to see who they are. …..( Just so you know, there has been a fifteen minute time lapse here as I stared into space running through scenes) I can’t do it! I really love so many of Kiora and Alcander’s exchanges, from training to more. I love the Dragons, oh I love the dragons. I love when Alcander and Emane start appreciating each other instead of competing with each other. WAIT! I have it!!!! Ok, there is a scene at the end of book four and Alcander is talking about Emane- it is beautiful, heart wrenching and I love it.

Oh my gosh I cried so hard during that scene. It was so beautiful! Even thinking about it makes me want to cry.

4) Would you ever trade lives with Kiora? Even just for a day? I have to say yes. I want magic really, really bad. Although I really don’t envy her pain, so maybe just for a day or two.

Personal

1) Do you flip to the end of the book to know the ending or do you avoid spoilers at all costs? No spoilers!!! I hate knowing the end.

2) Dessert before or after the meal? And what would dessert be, if you could have anything? (there are no allergies or medical issues in fantasy land) No allergies or medical issues, oh my gosh it’s a dream come true!! I am an after the meal dessert eater because I like to end with something sweet. Since I do have gluten allergies, dessert would be something bready and doughy and delicious…. cinnamon roll maybe.

3) What inspires you to write? Everything. Seriously, I never know where I will find inspiration. It can be a place, a person, a moment in a movie, a beautiful piece of this amazing world we live in. Just the other day I was in the Denver airport and the server at the restaurant I was eating at NEEDED to be in a fantasy book. Honestly, the man looked like he had been created by a computer. I was fascinated (I think I scared him, maybe because he caught me trying to take a picture of him) I knew I had to use his likeness somewhere. On my drive to Utah this weekend I was thinking about him and BAM the plot started flowing, I have my whole next series ready to write. I can’t wait!

4) I like to call myself the devourer, with that in mind, name your top 5 Devours for each category.
Read: Game of Thrones. ( Seriously guys, this is NOT YA, don’t have your kids start this.) City of Bones Series, Clockwork Prince Series…. That is technically way more than five books.
Movie: Anything fantasy, action, Sci-Fi or Super Hero. (Hey, don’t scowl at me, I can devour a lot of things)
Music: This depends on my mood. I totally can not answer this question
Munchie: I love fruit, nut and cheese combos, popcorn, Peanut M&Ms, nuts and I LOVE Thai.

5) If you were stranded on a deserted island, with water and food provided, what 5 things (no people or transportation) would you want with you? Books of course. Air conditioning. Clothes. Soap and Shampoo. Magic wand.
Ok, final question… this is a create your own. Is there any question you have always wanted a blogger to ask you, but hasn’t? If so, what is the question and answer. Q: Where can I send your box of chocolate? A: Well, just email me and I will be sure to send you my address.        

Thank you so much for stopping by Devri and for answering all of my questions! I just may send you that chocolate!!!


AUTHOR BIO
Devri Walls lives in Kuna Idaho with her husband and two kids. She has worked as a music teacher and currently, a preschool teacher. She majored in theater and her love of a story still drives her today. Thankfully, she has finally found an outlet for all the voices in her head.
Find Her: Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter






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