Author Interview: YA Author Anna del C. Dye

Today's Author Interview is with Anna del C. Dye. She's been writing intriguing fantasies for several years now, and she's doing a blog tour to publicize her new novel, Shahira & the Flying Elfs. I last checked in with her here.

Anna was born in Valparaiso, Chile. She came to the USA at age 21 to be married two weeks later, and has lived in Utah all her married life. She has traveled to many places in the USA. She and her husband are the parents of three princes and a princess. Anna love ruins, medieval, and fantasy things.

Before I get to the interview, Anna is sponsoring a Book Giveaway from June 29 to July 16. You have a chance to win a PDF form of her new YA novel, Shahira & the Flying Elfs. The author will be giving one E-book to every blog that participates in the blog tour. If you want to be entered in my drawing, leave a comment on this post.

Let's get started. Anna, what genre do you prefer to write?
I love medieval fantasy. That makes my series High Fantasy.

Do you have any favorite movies?
LOL, yes. My most favorite movies are The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and now The Hobbit. Second is Harry Potter. Independence Day and Narnia are close third places.

If you could travel anywhere, or any time period, where would you go?
Any place medieval, and with lots of castles.

I understand this new book is number six in your Elf Series, but it’s a stand-alone book and can be read separately.
All my books stand alone, including the Silent Warrior Trilogy. The difference is in the trilogy we follow the main characters throughout three crucial times in their lives. The rest of the books are separate stories with their own characters and situations. The only element that ties all books together is the cities they live in.

The cities, hmm. That's interesting. Please tell us about your new book, Shahira & the Flying Elfs.
Here is a teaser:

Flying takes you to new heights, but still you don't see if you try not to.

Shahira is a she-eagle and lives with her father, mother, and baby brother. Her dream is to find a young stripling eagle for her mate. But mating is a ritual that happens in the sky and she cannot fly. She keeps telling herself that soon she will be able to, but every time she tries she falls.

The character causing all the problems in this tale is Artoris. He is almost a wizard and suffers from schizophrenia. He hears and sees people talking to him all the time. This makes him very dangerous, especially as he thinks his brother, the head of the Wizarding School, is against him. A crazy wizard, on his own, pursued by his personal demons, makes for interesting suspense

Lets not forget Llorradinn. He is the Elf who finds love in Shahira’s nest and who is willing to do anything for her. As a true Elf, he would sacrifice his life for Shahira if it would save her.


Wow, where did you get your inspiration for this series?
From Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. My son got me hooked on the books, and when the movies came out my imagination went wild. I had so many characters wanting to be first in my head I couldn’t write fast enough. 

You love to write elf stories. What intrigues you most about writing these books?
What intrigues me most is how my Elfs came to me with their personalities clear and unwavering. They aren’t perfect, but they are certainly far ahead of any human I have met in real life.

The world of my elfs is so pure and humble that it inspires many of my readers and me, because you can’t find that in real life and as humans we yearn for it. The way elfs love and care for the she-elfs is humbling and the way the she-elfs reciprocate to their companion’s care and love is heavenly. I believe that is what every human being wants in life… someone who will see past our imperfections and treat us with utmost respect and love, in spite of it all.

Did you do any research for this book?
Eagles are the main characters in this tale, so I needed to ask questions about their lives and what they are like. The person in charge of the eagles in Tracy Aviary, a park in Utah, was very nice and let me pick his brain. For my artists, we Googled eagles and had hundreds of pictures to choose from.

Anna, when you're not writing, what do you do to relax?
I go camping and we take the canoe. My husband and I love the quietness and beauty of nature.

I love to camp, but you'll never see me in a canoe! Anna, where can we find you and your books online?
I'm at Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/AnnaDelC

You can find all my books at my website: http://www.annadelc.com
Amazon: http://ning.it/19iThs3
Barnes and Noble: http://ning.it/1744E2U

Thank you for coming on my blog, Anna.
Marsha, it has been wonderful to talk with you this week. You are a sweetheart and I am glad I know you. I am so thankful to have a chance to come back to visit you and friends. Happy reading to you all!