Cover art for Dark Light, the second book of the Web of Light YA Fantasy duology by Kyra Dune.
The Web of Light, a magical force lost for three hundred years, has been recovered by the heirs of the land of Solice. But its return bears a heavy price. A price that will be paid in blood.
Seva and Valdor have fled to the Outlands, where an unanswered question drives them apart. And as Valdor seeks to prove his worth, Seva struggles to control the power threatening to consume her.
But the web is not what it seems and by the time the truth is discovered, it may be too late.
I love it when I give an unknown fantasy author a try and their work turns out to be a great read. Kyra Dune’s work is known to some, but I’d never read any of her books until recently, when I checked out Web of Light, the first book in the Web of Light duology, from the Kindle Lending Library. I enjoyed the read and admire how the book is structured. For the most part, each chapter is written in five sections, one section per each of five different viewpoint characters, giving the reader insights to events that none of the characters have individually. It’s a pleasure watching events unfold and interweave.
Dark Light, the second book in the Web of Light duology, has just been released, and while I’ve not yet had a chance to read it, I’m looking forward to it. I don’t want to miss seeing how everything set up in the first book plays out.
As a fan of Kyra Dune, it is the Troll Mystic’s honor and pleasure to bring you an interview with the author and an excerpt from Dark Light.
Troll Mystic: Okay, let’s start with a question you’ve probably been asked a lot. Other than yourself, who is your favorite fantasy author? Why?
Kyra Dune: Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman. I have to put the two of them together because they’re the authors of the original books in the Dragonlance series, my favorite series of all time.
TM: When you’re reading, what’s your genre and sub-genre of choice?
KD: I’ve always loved fantasy books, even as a kid. Sword & sorcery is my favorite. There’s nothing I like better than a grand adventure filled with magic and epic battles.
TM: When you’re writing, describe your process. Are you a pantser or a plotter?
KD: Pantser. I tried plotting, but my brain freezes up.
TM: How many drafts of a story do you typically write before you publish?
KD: I do three complete rewrites and three edits. That seems to be the number that works best for me.
TM: After you’ve written the story, what’s your process for getting a book into shape to publish? Do you use beta readers, developmental editors, line editors, or do you take care of everything yourself?
KD: I have a beta reader who reads all my work twice before it goes to publication. She’s really wonderful and does a terrific job.
TM: Your byline, Kyra Dune, has such a ring to it. What can you tell us about that name and your reasons for using it as your byline?
KD: I played around with several different pen names in the early stages of my writing career. No real thought went into any of them, they just sort of popped into my head. But it was Kyra Dune who had her first short story published, so I held on to that one as a kind of good luck charm. It seems to be working. 🙂
TM: I read Web of Light and found it fascinating. According to Amazon, the book weighs in at an estimated 136 pages. That’s not quite even half the length of most other novels I’ve read lately. Personally, I like the shorter length. You’ve written over a dozen fantasy novels and many of them are well under 200 pages. What is your reasoning behind releasing novels at shorter lengths?
KD: Reasoning really has nothing to do with it. I write a book until I get the feeling that it’s done. Although, to be perfectly honest, I suspect my short attention span may have something to do with my novels tending to be shorter.
TM: As mentioned above, you’ve written several novels already. As far as I could find, the earliest publication date for any of your books was October, 2011. Even considering the smaller page count, that’s an amazing publishing rate. How have you managed to publish so many novels in less than three years?
KD: I write six days a week, eight to ten hours a day, and I work on four or five projects at a time. I really do have a short attention span, so I need more than one project going or else I can’t get anything done. I love to write. I live to write. This has been my passion for a very long time and I feel privileged to be able to devote so much of my time to it.
TM: Which of your own books is your favorite? Why?
KD: The Time of Shadows series is the one dearest to my heart. This five book series has been an ongoing project of mine since I was fifteen years old. These characters feel like family to me by now. I’m about to finish the fifth book and, excited as I am to be finally ending it, I’m more than a little sad too.
TM: Some of your novels are obviously related to each other, being volumes in the same duology or trilogy. Other than being fantasy tales written by you, are all of your stories related in some way?
KD: No. My work kind of spreads across the spectrum of fantasy sub-genres. So I have some High Fantasy, some Urban Fantasy, some Fantasy Adventure, and so on. Some of my books are adult and some YA, though they’re all pretty much PG 13. Right now, I have a book in the works which is going to be a spy/urban fantasy/thriller and another which is going to be a collection of apocalypse tales. I have an idea for a fantasy western and a book of short stories of the paranormal.
TM: With regards to fans of fantasy fiction who have never read any of your books, which one would you recommend they start with?
KD: I would recommend Shadow of The Dragon. I really think this is one of my best books. It YA Fantasy stand alone and has lots of action, a little romance, and shapeshifters. It’s the story of a young woman who, in the middle of a struggle to simply stay alive, finds herself drawn into a deadly game with a mysterious mage. A game with stakes much higher than the risk to her own life.
Our thanks to Kyra Dune for the interview.
And as promised, here’s an excerpt from Kyra Dune’s latest book, Dark Light, available now where good books are sold.
Small stones rose from the brook bed and floated around Seva. She arranged them into circles and sent them spinning. Droplets of water flew through the air. Behind her eyes, a dull throbbing thrummed.
This was the sort of magic she’d been practicing even by herself. The sort of thing most Gari-Za could probably do. The headaches had returned, keeping her awake at night, and the queasy feeling in her stomach made it hard to eat.
She set the stones spinning faster, until they were nothing but streaking gray blurs. The faces of the Gari-Za thinned and bulged when seen through the whirling stones. Nightmare faces. Her stomach rolled.
They want a show. The words came from inside Seva’s own mind and they sounded like her words, only it felt as if someone else was speaking them. Throw the stones into the crowd. Show them what you are. You’ll feel better. No more headache. No more sickness. Only bliss. It would be so easy. All you have to do is push.
No! The thought shouted across her mind. I am not going to kill anyone. The surface of the brook began to bubble as Seva directed her magic at it. Steam rose up, further blurring the world around her until she wondered if this really was a dream. A light feeling swept over her. It seemed as if she could float away like a cloud.
The throbbing behind her eyes became a pounding. Something was pulling apart inside of her. The stones shivered like small animals trying to escape her grasp. She was losing control as the urge to strike out, to cause pain and mayhem, grew stronger.
About The Author:
The lovely and imaginative Kyra Dune Kyra Dune was born in Oklahoma, but spent most of her life traveling with her family. She is the author of more than a dozen fantasy novels, including: Shadow of the Dragon, Elfblood, and Firebrand. As a child, her favorite stories were those that told of ordinary children being whisked away to magical lands. She has yet to find her own secret wardrobe or rabbit hole, but she hasn’t given up the search. You never know what might be waiting over the next rainbow.
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Thanks so much for having me on your blog.
I hope the launch is going well!