Donita K. Paul: Romantic Fantasy

CFBR: It is truly a pleasure to have you with us. You have three very different books coming out. Can you tell us a little about each?

Donita K. Paul: The first book, Dragons of the Valley, is the second book in my new fantasy series, The Chiril Chronicles. It continues where The Vanishing Sculptor ended. The main characters Tipper and Bealomondore fight in a war, are chased by a wicked bounty hunter, and grow in character and courage.
The Dragon and the Turtle is a children's book which I co-wrote with my daughter, Evangeline Denmark. Roger the turtle and Padraig the dragon become fast friends while on a quest to find the lost turtle's home.
The third book is Two Tickets to a Christmas Ball. This novella has eccentric characters, a romantic plot, and a touch of Christmas magic.

  

     

CFBR: Your covers and illustrations are some of the best we've seen, who does your artwork, and how did you connect with them?

Donita K. Paul: Mark Ford does the cover art for the Chiril Chronicles and the DragonKeeper Chronicles. WaterBrook commissioned him.

The illustrations inside The Vanishing Sculptor were drawn by Rachael Selk, one of my employees.
Vincent Nguyen created the illustrations for The Dragon and The Turtle. He was also commissioned by WaterBrook. Isn't Vincent fantastic? If you go to dragonandturtle.com and look under the creator page, you will find a link to more pictures by Vincent. They are fun to see.

CFBR: Are your stories more romance or more Fantasy?
Donita K. Paul: I started writing romance novels, but now I mostly write fantasy. Sometimes I will add a romantic subplot.

CFBR: What was your motivation to write a fantasy?
Donita K. Paul: I have to be truthful and admit it was done on a whim. I was not an ardent fantasy fan and, in fact, had not read much before I started. One June I had an infection in my leg and had to stay down with my foot elevated higher than my heart. The length of the ordeal was to be six weeks. I was bored in five minutes. My son brought me a fantasy series - nine hardbound books, each about 900 pages! When I finished them, I thought, "That was pretty cool." Nine months later, I decided I'd give fantasy a whirl just to see what happened.

CFBR: How do you use fiction to bring people closer to God?
Donita K. Paul: My aim is not to draw people closer to God. As my characters learn and grow, it reaffirms what I know, and hopefully provides the Holy Spirit an opportunity to work in readers' hearts.

CFBR: What role does Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild, and American Christian Fiction Writers play in your success.
Donita K. Paul: They are excellent places to network with publishers, editors, agents. They also provide professional level craft classes. 

CFBR: Your website is loaded with fun things to do. Where do all the ideas come from for all the activities-games, recipes, etc? 
Donita K. Paul: I invent the recipes with the help of my daughter. We both love to cook. My grandsons help with quality control.

CFBR: What is on the horizon?
Donita K. Paul: I am currently finishing the last book in the Chiril Chronicles. After that? More picture books, more Christmas novellas, more dragons!

CFBR: Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to share with us.
Donita K. Paul: Thank you for giving me an opportunity to share. It is certainly my pleasure.

Donita K. Paul retired early from teaching school, but soon got bored! The result: a determination to start a new career. Now she is an award-winning novelist writing Christian Romance and Fantasy. She says, “I feel blessed to be doing what I like best.”

She mentors all ages, teaching teenagers and weekly adult writing workshops.

Other books by Donita K. Paul