Interview Nicole Conway Author of Fledgling
Give a warm welcome to Nicole Conway Author of Fledgling, book one of The Dragonrider Chronicles.
Who is your favorite character of all of the books you’ve written and Why?
Felix Farrow is a character that grew on me quickly. At first brush, he’s just the pretty boy best friend, a noble boy born with a silver spoon in his mouth and an appetite for mischief. But as the series progresses and more of his personality and backstory came through, he became so much more. That roguish, joking demeanor was a mask to a boy yearning for acceptance from his parents, desperate to prove himself, and loyal to the only real friend he’s ever had – Jaevid.
Do you find it easier to write from a male or female point of view? Why?
I almost always gravitate to male narrator. They’ve always been more comfortable for me, and I actually struggle with female narrators sometimes. I’m not sure why that is – I think it might have something to do with being a bit of a “tomboy” myself and also that growing up, my favorite stories had male protagonists, too. I love giving the underdog his shot at being hero, and I love providing good examples of noble heroes for my own son in literature.
What do you like to do when you are not writing?
I have a pretty busy schedule at home, but I love to spend time playing with my little boy in between work projects. We go on adventures, swimming at the pool, to the zoo, to the local museums, and walks around the neighborhood looking for treasure (also called geocaching). He’s four now, so I have to enjoy these times when it’s still cool to hang with mom while they last. I also like to draw, play video games, read, and go rock climbing!
Book One:
turned and started walking toward me. His large, curled black claws dug into
the dirt floor of the arena, and I couldn’t help but stagger back a few feet as
he crept toward me, chattering loudly all the way.
strange to watch, oddly smooth and feline for the way his body was built. He
stopped right before me, craning his neck to sniff at me again. Then he started
to crouch down. The dragon lowered himself until his belly was flat on the
ground. His huge horned head was low, too, and he looked at me expectantly.
figure out what I was supposed to do, Sile was right there beside me. “He wants
to seal the bond,” the knight explained as he grabbed me by the waist and
pretty much tossed me up onto the dragon’s back. “Don’t be afraid.”
say; Sile wasn’t the one straddling the neck of a wild dragon who’d already
proven he had a nasty temper. With my legs slung around the base of the
creature’s neck, sitting between the shoulders of his wing arms, I clung to
anything I could when I felt him start to move. There wasn’t much to grab,
though. His scales were slick, and the little knobby black horns that ran down
his spine to the tip of his tail were cone-shaped and hard to grip. I just had
to lay flat against his neck, my arms as far around him as I could reach, and
hung on for dear life as the dragon stood.
laughing loudly. I saw him smiling up at me as the dragon gave a wide yawn that
showed me just how many of those teeth he had. My heartbeat was skipping and
pounding erratically. My head spun like a top. I was sitting on a dragon. Not
just any dragon, though. This one was mine.
Book Two:
week, after our laps and drills were finished, I tolerated being teased while
Felix coached me through different line dances and waltzes. Lyon and I refused
to make eye contact as I was forced to hold his hand and, even worse, his hip.
The first time Felix actually got us to stand in a waltz pose together, he
burst into laughter. Lyon snapped. They punched each other for a few minutes,
and I considered leaving the room and walking off the nearest cliff. It seemed
better than having to hold Lyon like that ever again.
shred of dignity left, though. I was learning to dance, and Felix insisted I
was getting better. It gave me some hope that maybe I wouldn’t completely
embarrass myself at the ball.
like a three legged cow,” he assured me. “So it’ll be easier with a real girl.
They’re much lighter, and more graceful. And a lot less ugly.”
under his breath. “Oh right, well excuse me for not dancing like a girl.” We
only had a few weeks left before the ball, and I knew he was probably just as
ready as I was for this dance class to end.
said about greetings and introductions. Confidence. Eye contact. Charm. It’s a
state of mind.” Felix snapped his fingers at Lyon like he was summoning a pet
dog. “Let’s run through it one more time.”
few more curses as he stomped toward me. I tried to visualize Beckah standing
in his place with her warm smile and deep green eyes. It was nearly impossible,
though. Lyon was definitely a boy. And this was definitely the most
embarrassing thing I’d ever done in my life.
had gone through our awkward bows and stepped into an opening dance pose, the
dorm room door to our room burst open. I was holding onto Lyon’s waist and
hand, as usual, and he was pretending to hold up a dress. We both froze, too
stunned to react.
standing in the doorway. He looked at all of us, his brows raised and his
expression completely blank.
dignity withered and died. “When you’re finished with…whatever this is, I need
to see the lot of you downstairs to be measured for your formal uniforms.” Jace
managed to say, although he sounded a little hoarse. I could have sworn I saw
him suppressing a smile. “Hurry up.”
and I died a little inside. Lyon shoved away from me. Judging by the shade of
red his head was turning, he was too angry and embarrassed to speak. I couldn’t
say anything, either.
fell down on the floor, gripping his sides. I had to step over him in order to
get out of the room.
Book Three:
roaring winds and frozen rain, I saw the shape of someone standing at the top
of that staircase. At first glimpse, it looked like a knight; a petite man clad
in armor that shimmered like obsidian glass and adorned in painted golden
wings, even on the gauntlets and helmet, giving the wearer an angelic
appearance.
my hand toward the black armored knight, who had started descending the steps.
Once we were both inside, we began working together to push the door closed
again to keep out the cold.
off her helmet.
dark hair fell down over her shoulder in a braid. Some of her bangs were
sticking to the moisture on her forehead and the sides of her face, and her
lightly freckled cheeks were flushed from the cold wind. When her bright green
eyes looked up at me in the darkness, I felt like I couldn’t breathe.
was a much deeper, more passionate kiss than any we’d ever had before. She put
her arms around my waist and hugged me close, and for a long time we just stood
like that. I couldn’t believe how much I’d missed her in such a short amount of
time. Under all that armor, she was still the simple, beautiful girl I’d eaten
peaches with on the beach in Saltmarsh. She was still the Beckah I loved.
The Dragonrider Chronicles
Book Four:
group of dragons and their riders continued to land on the platform and file
into the tower. One hundred proud warriors had left to retake the city only a
few days before. Less than forty of us returned.
only looking for one.
Does anyone see him?!” I shouted at the top of my lungs and shoved my way
through the other dragonriders. I called his name over and over, hoping to spot
him or his blue dragon making their way down the corridor ahead of me. They
must have fallen behind.
bloodied, war-beaten face that came walking in from the rain. Before I knew it,
I was standing back at the open gateway that led out onto the platform.
was nowhere to be found.
my shoulder. A bolt of hope shot through me as I spun around, hoping to see him
standing there.
partner, Lieutenant Prax, standing over me like a giant in blood-spattered
battle armor. He was much older than I was and a far more seasoned rider.
That’s why the look on his face absolutely terrified me.
or Jace depart with us.”
easily. We’d made it this far, gone through all of our dragonrider training
together from beginning to end – so I knew he could fight.
This exciting, dragon-filled world returns in the DRAGONRIDER LEGACY trilogy, which concludes with book 3, LEGEND, on May 7, 2019.
It was wonderful having you with us today. Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with The Dragonrider Chronicles!
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged fantasy, Fledgling, Nicole Conway, The Dragonrider Chronicles, YA by Tena Stetler with 2 comments.