Season of the Dragon follows a cursed girl who is grappling with two souls when her father is killed by a dragon which sends her on a quest for vengeance where she becomes the hunted. What got you excited about starting this Dragos Primeri series?

The original inspiration for this story began back in 2016! Initially, I was inspired by the idea of a story with a elemental magic loosely based on my Feng Shui practice. I began talking with readers at comic-cons and book festivals about dragons and elemental magic. The world of Menauld grew out of those conversations. The main character, Quen, took a while to develop.  But once I “got” her, I became excited for the possibility of the story I could tell about her—and the mysterious shadow soul within her.  

Quen Santu was a character that faces a lot of obstacles. What were some sources that informed her character development?

While I don’t outline every scene for my books, I know where I want my characters to wind up at the end. For Quen, I had a premise that guided her character arc, and thus informed the conflict. The idea was this: To become our most powerful selves, we must accept the truth of what—and who—we are. That’s the “why” for writing the book, and the idea for the Quen character came from that. But an additional, and very important, idea soon developed: the bonds of family. Quen, for good reasons, questions whether she is lovable if people learn the truth about her. So that first idea—embracing the truth of who/what you are—butts up against the second story question—will people love me if I reveal my truth? That emotional question forms the spine of the story. All the fun with dragons, mages, and rogues flows from these essential questions for the main character.  

What scene in the book did you have the most fun writing?

The romantic scenes are all fun to write, but the scene I enjoyed writing most is the drinking scene in the Juinar Inn. Quen’s found family is kicking back with a few drinks after a difficult day, and it was fun to imagine this group of rogue-type characters getting “pished.” I wrote a drinking song called “Song of Niyadi” that kicks off the book at the beginning. It was a blast to re-work that song into bawdy lyrics—and hella difficult as I had to stay within the rhythm of the song with the same number of syllables! But hey, that’s fun for a word nerd such as myself.

What can readers expect in book two in the Dragos Primeri series?

It’s difficult to answer without giving away the end of Season of the Dragon… I can say that book two will focus mainly on Aldewin, and readers will learn much more about this mysterious man from the north, and learn his secrets that remained at the end of book one. And as with book one, readers can expect that book two will immerse them once again in the world of Menauld—and the northern continent, Tinox. Oooh, I have such fun things planned! SotD truly is just the beginning.

Author’s Linktree: https://linktr.ee/nataliewrightauthor