UFR: If you were picking a theme song for this book what would it be and why?
DVT: I think the best theme song for Tuatha could be Seize the Day by Avenged Sevenfold. *Seize the day, or die regretting the time we lost.//Newborn life replacing all of us, changing this fable we live in.*
UFR: If Aodh were in a book club reading present day books, what book would it be and why?
DVT: I think Aodh would read Bram Stoker, or maybe Stephen King. I think he would enjoy their cleverness, their ability to go to places within the mind, and be the first to do it. Stoker wrote the book on vampires. It was sexy, it was thrilling, it was terrifying. Dracula was written with such grace, I think Aodh would appreciate that. I also think he'd be a fan of King. I think he'd enjoy the wanderings of King's mind, the crevices he shows to the world that most people bury or take a pill to subdue. I think Aodh would find that fascinating.
UFR: Are there any characters in the book (and if so who and how so) that share personality traits with you?
DVT: Dru absolutely by far is the closest to me. Her personality is much like my own. She is independent to a fault, and only realizes her mistakes far too late. She doesn't always see that independence is not always a virtue. (And the fact she gets herself into trouble when her temper gets the better of her.) She has such power that she doesn't even realize because of her past, because of her family, because of her lack of self-awareness.
UFR: What was the hardest scene for you to write and why?
DVT: Katerina's torture was an absolute nightmare to write. I constantly stopped writing and tried not to put it in the book. I had crying fits during editing. I actually had friends call me and yell at me for what I'd done to her.
UFR: The book features several key characters, did you have trouble making sure the audience would both get to know them well enough to enjoy them as well as keep the story moving along.
DVT: This has been a very hard aspect for me. I wanted to introduce each of the three main characters as things took place, because it's so important to the story to have it all happen the same night. I tried to rewrite the beginning several times, but I always came back to the original, and hoped readers would understand they would meet, and that those scenes were important, as they were written.
UFR: I find it really interesting that Aodh considers mortality, it gives him both depth as well as easier to identify with. Why did you chose to have him consider giving up his prophecy/power for Katerina?
DVT: I think Aodh felt so lonely after Dru left, he was ready to give up. The world was so different, so much larger in a way. Things and concepts were more difficult to grasp, his powers were so diminished. I think he saw in Katerina a strength that he did not possess. Aodh admires her for that. As diminutive and feminine as Katerina is, she is extremely strong in character. I think Aodh respected her so much for that, he was in awe.
UFR: What are some of your favorite authors to read? Do you stick with the paranormal/urban fantasy genre or do you read a wider mix of books?
DVT: I read so many kinds of books, fantasy is not even the genre I read the most. I'm a huge classical reader. Nathaniel Hawthorne is an absolute favorite. (I once lived around the corner from the House of the Seven Gables.) I like good books, great writing, original themes that make you think, laugh, cry and when they do all of the above it's a book I'll read over and over.
UFR: Is there any advice that you would give to aspiring writers?
DVT: I wish I had not jumped into publishing so fast. I wish I would have written more and smaller pieces before tossing this book into the foray. I have written in magazines and newspapers for years but that was many years before Tuatha came out. I would advise them to build your platform, perfect your craft; read, write, edit. It will make the roadblocks easier to overcome.
UFR: Do you have any new books in the works? And if so would you like to tell our readers a little bit about it?
DVT: The second book in the Tuatha series, Serpentine Souls, is being edited right now. I wrote this series for about nine years now, and I have approximately 5 books, maybe seven, written. Before I release them, I rewrite, then write more, and rearrange to make sure the writing is fresh, the series flows well. So many things in the first book weren't supposed to happen for some time, and other things were edited out. It's about the series as a whole for me, and I am very excited to get the second book into circulation.
UFR: Finally, is there anything you want your potential readers to know about you or the book?
DVT: I hope people read it even if they don't care for fantasy, because I think it spans genres and is just a great story. I have other books in the works that are not fantasy, (YA, horror, lit fic) and I hope readers take something from each one and that they feel they'e read a great story. That's the big objective, to write great stories that reader's will love, regardless of genre.
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