Interview with fantasy author D. Lieber

Author D. Lieber joins me today to talk about her new steampunk adventure fantasy romance, The Exiled Otherkin.

During her virtual book tour, D. will be awarding a fancy homemade bookmark (U.S. only) 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:

D. writes stories she wants to read. Her love of the worlds of fiction led her to earn a Bachelor’s in English from Wright State University.

When she isn’t reading or writing, she’s probably hiking, crafting, watching anime, Korean television, Bollywood, or old movies. She may also be getting her geek on while planning her next steampunk cosplay with friends.

She lives in Wisconsin with her husband (John), retired guide dog (Samwise), and cat (Yin).

Welcome, D. Please share a little bit about your current release.
Exiled from Faerie when her father dies, half-Fae Ember is surprised by how much the human realm has changed since she was there last. She takes a dangerous job on a merchant airship, hoping a life on the move will keep her well-hidden. Sure, she misses her brother, but years of apathy have numbed her emotions.

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When the optimistic and naïve Reilley follows her, it’s annoying to say the least. But when she starts feeling responsible for him, long-stifled emotions crack the ice around her heart.

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Faeries, pirates, and traveling players meet in this steampunk fantasy adventure as Ember tries to cope with feelings long forgotten and a past that pursues her.

What inspired you to write this book?

I really enjoy steampunk, and my friends in the Kenosha Steampunk Society encouraged me to write a steampunk novel. With that in mind, I just sat down and thought about what else I wanted to be in there. I landed on Fae because I was interested in how the combination of genres would turn out.


Excerpt from The Exiled Otherkin:

Clutching my new tambourine, I walked to a clearing to have more room to dance. Reilley grabbed the drum and started a beat. Like before, I moved to the rhythm. This time, my red skirt danced with me, and I shook my tambourine appropriately. We discovered that as long as I let Reilley choose the pace, we could improvise an entertaining performance.

We fed on each other’s energy and ended at a natural breaking point, exchanging smiles as the last beat echoed off the trees.

“You’re enchanting,” Reilley complimented smoothly.

“I’m only expressing your music and following your lead.”

He flushed with pleasure at the high praise.

“Could you do me a favor?” I asked him.

He nodded.

“Would you unplait my hair? It should be dry by now.”

His eyes gleamed like I’d given him a gift, and I turned my back to him. With long, deft fingers, he gently unbraided my hair. Undone, he ran his hands through the soft waves to separate them. I shivered.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

As his hands gently stroked the dark locks, I became aware that we were very alone. We’d been alone before, but this time was different. An air of anticipation settled between us. His hands stilled. Neither of us knew what should happen next, and the pressure quickly became uncomfortable.

What exciting story are you working on next?
My next novel will be released on June 21, 2018. It’s a paranormal romance called Intended Bondmates:

No one said guarding a faeling from bloodthirsty vampires would be easy. In fact, Runa trained all her life to protect her intended bondmate, Konner, until he could awaken his full magic.

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She was looking forward to her time with the young fae until tragedy shattered her plans. For the last thirteen years, she’s been bound with Mikhail. Neither of them was happy with the arrangement, but she never thought he’d request to unbind from her early.

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When all hope of Runa fulfilling her rite and joining werewolf society is threatened, Konner comes through and agrees to become her bondmate.

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But Konner hasn’t forgiven her for abandoning him. And Rowan, bound with Konner’s brother, is hostile toward the fellow werewolf who left him to protect two faelings alone.

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As Runa tries to make up for her past betrayals, forbidden thoughts and urges imperil all of their futures.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I really struggled to adopt the writer label actually. I didn’t start introducing myself as a writer until I had completed my first novel. It was a little ridiculous to be honest. I write for a government agency for my day job. But even then, when people would ask what I do for a living, I would always say I write rather than I am a writer. Even if that’s how I earn my living, it felt too arrogant to call myself a writer. Isn’t that silly? One day, I decided I needed to own the title if I was going to realize my full potential. After I had been writing for years, I forced myself to say, “I’m a writer” until I believed it.

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?
I write full-time, but not fiction. I write articles for a government magazine for my day job. I find time on nights and weekend to write fiction by forcing myself to do it, usually with a guilt trip.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I write everything out longhand before I type it on a computer. I can’t get the words flowing otherwise.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a paleontologist.

Links:
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