Interview with romantic fantasy author Deborah A. Bailey

Romantic fantasy author Deborah A. Bailey is in the hot seat today to chat with me about her new novel, Worlds of Fire: Metamorphosis.

During her book tour, Deborah will be giving away a $40 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!

Bio:
Deborah A Bailey’s romantic fantasy, science fiction, and paranormal romance novels include suspense, a bit of mystery and a lot of romantic heat.

Her short stories have won awards from the Philadelphia Writers’ Conference and have been published in US1 Magazine and the Sun and are included in, Electric Dreams: Seven Futuristic Tales.

Visit her website for more information and subscribe to the newsletter so you’ll be the first to find out about giveaways, book launches and sneak peeks.

Please tell us about your current release.
Metamorphosis is a romantic fantasy that is part of my Worlds of Fire romantic fantasy series. A shorter version appeared in the Pets in Space 6 sci-fi/fantasy anthology in 2021. This expanded book is about Asira, a student of Alchemy and her instructor, Jaydon who are caught up in a conspiracy to misuse magical texts.

What inspired you to write this book?
The Worlds of Fire series is about different worlds connected by portals. The setting of this book is a crossroads of the portals. It’s where the Alchemists, who control the magical texts, are based. Since the magical books are at the center of the series, I wanted to give the backstory about how that came about.

 

Excerpt from Metamorphosis:
As soon as he saw Asira standing by a blooming rose bush, he stopped in his tracks.

“What is it?” Taureon asked. “Do you know her?”

“Um…yes. I’m…I’m mentoring her this season.”

“Then let’s say hello.”

Before he could refuse, his friend had grasped his arm and led him over to where Asira was standing. Distracted at first, she looked up then did a double take. Her eyes grew wide, and she took a step backwards.

“Jaydon. I…I never expected to see you here.” She glanced at his companion, then back at him. “Hello.”

For some reason she seemed younger to him. No, not necessarily younger, less sure of herself. She glanced around then fidgeted by absently twisting the ring on her finger.

“Asira, this is my friend Taureon. We were on our way to the plaza.”

“Hi Taureon. I’m happy to meet you.” She smiled, then glanced behind her. “I’m here with a friend. She’s looking for some flowers for a homework assignment.”

“Happy to meet you too, Asira.” Taurean replied. “Maybe you’d like to join us.”

Jaydon flinched without even realizing it. He just hoped Asira hadn’t seen it.

“No…um…thank you for asking but we had dinner earlier.”

Silence. Jaydon ran through a host of things he could say. Funny things. Serious things. But they all seemed ridiculous. Why was he suddenly at a loss?

“Oh, well. Maybe another time,” Taureon said. “Right, Jaydon?”

“Yes, of course. Another time.”

More silence. Asira was staring at him now. Her mouth slightly open. Her pink-tinged lips soft and quite pretty. She’d worn that shade the first time they’d met. He liked it.

In fact, seeing her here without her Alchemist vest, just standing there in the soft moonlight was…disconcerting.

“Um…we’ll get going then,” Jaydon said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yes,” she replied. “Tomorrow.”

 

What exciting project are you working on next?
I’ve got a few projects in the works. One is book three of this series, another is book three of my Family Pride lion shifter series. And I’m working on a couple of fairy-tale inspired short stories. My fairy-tale novellas have been popular, so I wanted to give the readers more stories about those worlds.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I’ve been writing since I was a child. But it wasn’t until after college that I thought of myself as a writer. Then after I made my first sale of a short story, I really felt like one. Now I realize that storytelling has always been a part of who I am. I can’t imagine not writing.

Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your workday like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
My full-time job is as a technical writer, so I’m mostly working on technical “how-to” documentation for end users. It’s not always easy to find the time to work on my stories but I try to write for at least an hour every day. I work from home for my day job, so that means no commute, which gives me more time.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
Hard to think of just one! I have to have the names of my characters before I can write about them. Temporary names don’t work for me. Also, I love to create soundtracks for my books. So I’ll create a playlist on Spotify and play the music as I write.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a writer! All of my friends and family have pretty much accepted that it’s my calling. If I don’t put a book out in a certain amount of time, they ask me when the next one is coming.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
I’m happy that there are readers who enjoy my stories as much as I enjoy writing them. It’s a dream come true to know that I can create worlds for my readers to experience.

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