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It likely seems strange to talk about realism on a fantasy blog, but I find that it’s at the heart of what I write. I don’t write traditional romance or fantasy, because everything I work on starts with the nature of humanity. Who are we? How are we with other people? I suppose what I have always felt was missing in a lot of romance was that crossover to real relationships and it’s the focus of my writing. On the other hand, I love escaping into fantasy worlds, so that probably sounds funny.
If you think about it, though, you can have both. I’m a hardcore Harry Potter fan. Sure, these are not romance, but the relationships that run through the series are the core of the books. The entire series is about love – familial love, friendship, sacrificial love. I think what I like so much about these books is that they both suspend reality and expose it. Yes, Harry and his friends are fighting Death Eaters and attending wizard school and talking to centaurs, but strip away the fantasy. How is it different than teens fighting corruption or bullies, attending high school, and making friends with people a little different than themselves? The series deals with violence, hate, love, sacrifice, and perceptions. Hermione’s parents are dentists – and she’s hated for not being from a magic family. How many teen girls are hated for something out of their control, something that is based on prejudice and stereotypes, that is centered in a belief system too outdated for our world?
When I approach romance, whether in a contemporary setting or a fantasy one, I look at it with the same lens. Love isn’t easy. I’ve been married 13 years and my husband and I have been together nearly 20. At no point in our marriage or relationship did I think, “wow, this is just like the movies.” But he’s my best friend. When I’m stressed out or depressed or sick, when I won’t talk to anyone, he is the person who comes upstairs where I’m lying in bed with a DVD of some movie I love and a glass of juice. He doesn’t have to say anything – he just knows what comforts me. In painting these images of romantic heroes, these men who are impossible to find, we lose the ability to love the people who truly warrant it. I want to write about those people.
Yes, I appreciate escapism in books, but I also think that it’s time to embrace the average. Spiderman may be a superhero, but he’s nothing without Peter Parker. Those stories engage me more, because they show me the amazing abilities people possess within them. Ignoring the spider bite, Peter Parker is driven by the good inside of him. We can all be superheroes; we can all be the stars of our own stories. We do this by recognizing what makes us incredible, not by yearning to be something else.
About Sarah:
Sarah Daltry is an author who writes in many genres and for a variety of age levels. Her first novel, Bitter Fruits, is an urban fantasy romance published by Escape Publishing (an imprint of Harlequin). She is also the author of the New Adult contemporary series, Flowering; the gamer geek comedy, Backward Compatible; the recently released YA fantasy, Primordial Dust; and two novellas inspired by classic literature – The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock (inspired by the poem of the same name) and The Quiver of a Kiss (Helen of Troy’s POV during the events of The Iliad).
Sarah has been writing her entire life, but she started publishing in early 2013. A former English teacher and YA librarian, she is passionate about books of all kinds!
Primordial Dust
A princess, trained to behave. An assassin, betrothed to her. A thief, whose eyes she dreams of at night. A kingdom at war, torn apart by the suppression of magic and truth, as well as family secrets that threaten to destroy decades of peace.
Questions of loyalty, of morality, and of free will culminate in a fantasy novel about forging one’s own path and choosing one’s own destiny.
Buy Links:
Amazon to come
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/primordial-dust-sarah-daltry/1119608748?ean=9781498998468
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/441741
Read the first chapters for free: http://sarahdaltry.com/primordial-dust-first-chapters/
Giveaway: Leave a comment with your email addy so you can be contacted if you're the winner.
Ebook of Bitter Fruits (18+, Explicit scenes)
or Primordial Dust (PG)
Ebook of Bitter Fruits (18+, Explicit scenes)
or Primordial Dust (PG)
Contact Links: http://sarahdaltry.com
authorsarahdaltry@gmail.com
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-- Lynda Again
Hope you enjoyed meeting Sarah today and getting a glimpse into her writer's mind.
Have a Blessed weekend!
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-- Lynda Again
Hope you enjoyed meeting Sarah today and getting a glimpse into her writer's mind.
Have a Blessed weekend!
Contact me:
Website http://www.lyndakscott.com.
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LyndaKScott
Facebook Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lynda-K-Scott/201599553208653
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/lyndakscott
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