Interview with fantasy author L.V. Clark

Today’s special guest is fantasy author L.V. Clark and we’re chatting about The Stygian Curse: The Secret of Alviton.

During her virtual book tour, L.V. will be giving away a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card to a lucky randomly drawn winner. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit her other tour stops and enter there, too!

Welcome, L.V., please tell us a little bit about yourself
I’ve had this story in my head for over a decade, and I finally got it on paper. I used my other hobbies—weight lifting and crocheting—to help develop ideas and work through any blocks. I grew up in the south of the United States with a large family. I am happily married with two sweet dogs and an apathetic ball python.

I hope you enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed writing it. Expect more to the story!

Please tell us about your current release.
This is a broad request. It is a story I’ve thought about for more than half my life. Best way I can describe it is the setting or Camelot and the stakes of Divergent

What inspired you to write this book?
Eleven-year-old L.V. Clark read an unhealthy amount of fantasy books and somewhere along the way I started coming up with characters. Then in sixth grade, my ILA teacher gave us a creative writing assignment and the basic structure of my story was born.

Excerpt from The Secret of Alviton:
“One day, the attacks from the west stopped. King Bast had won the war, by killing nearly a third of his subjects. But he still had thousands of children imprisoned all over the country because they couldn’t prove their heritage or where they came from. So, he gave them all the title, raspot, and put them into slavery as a ‘mercy.’”

“That’s horrible… but why are there raspots today? If those children no longer pose a threat, why continue with the enslavement of children?”

I asked. “Because of greed. After King Bast won the war, he used the raspots as a slave army to conquer the surrounding lands. His court and the regional officials saw the benefit of free labor and were all too quick to justify the enslavement of raspots as a form of protection of our lands.”

I paused to absorb all of the information and consider what she told me. “You don’t think… I-I mean, Nydia. Sh-she’s not a…”

I stuttered. “I’m technically not saying anything, but something you must know is that she is being sent a pendant that she must wear at all times. When she emits that light, it acts like a homing beacon to very dark and deadly forces that have killed so many already. The pendant should subdue it.”

My breathing shortened as her words hung in the air. “What kind of dark forces?”

“We aren’t entirely sure. We are concerned that these dark forces are similar to the ones that started attacking us over sixty years ago. That’s why we are bringing in a friend of yours, actually. Taj is the best at reading the ancient language.”

What exciting story are you working on next?
The untitled second book of The Stygian Curse series. 😉

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
Never. Even now, it’s hard to consider myself a writer. I just think I have stories to tell and the best medium I can use is through writing.

Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
Nope! I’m a full-time personal trainer and athletic strength training coach.

I find time to write in between sessions or during last minute cancellations. I get my best ideas when I’m working out by myself. Like in between sets, my brain will bust through writer’s block and I have to stop everything and put the idea down or I’ll lose it.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
Hah! I plan conversations by talking to myself in the shower or mirror. I also talk to myself and record the conversation if I am trying to think/plan my way through a block.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be an artist and a fitness instructor. In a way, I ended up being both. 🙂

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