What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write The Oathbreaker's Daughter (The Dragonknight Trilogy Book 1)?
Wow, that's a tough one. I've always loved strong female characters in fantasy, going back to Belit and Valeria in Howard’s original Conan stories, but we didn’t used to see a lot of female warrior main characters in fantasy. At least, not until recently. I wanted to write that kind of character – she’s young, fierce, strong-willed, but also unsure of herself – and she has been told her whole life she can’t be what she knows she’s meant to be. But that’s only part of it.
The genesis of this book began back in 2018, with the basic idea of what if nothing known to be “true” about the dragons in this world is accurate? What if there’s more at play? Forces at work? Power dynamics have always featured heavily in my novels (and fantasy as a whole), because there’s always people out there trying to have more. And what if the top 1% of 1%, whether they’re friends, enemies, or indifferent, work together to create a power structure that keeps them at the top? And then we have one person, a headstrong young woman who just simply will not accept societal norms and facts because they don’t coincide with her view of her destiny. This book is only the tip of that iceberg, and the next two will reveal more and more. In the end, it can be read as just a fun fantasy adventure, if that’s all someone wants.
If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of The Oathbreaker's Daughter (The Dragonknight Trilogy Book 1), what would they be?
Flight of Icarus - Iron Maiden / Lux Aeterna - Metallica / Heart of a Dragon - Dragonforce
What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?
Read - fantasy and horror, mostly. Write - Though I've written very little of it, I'd say I enjoy writing horror the most.
What books are on your TBR pile right now?
More than I can list, but to name a few... Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons, a Philip Dick short story compilation, The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward, and Conan the Gladiator by Leonard Carpenter.
What scene in your book was your favorite to write?
Another tough one - The Battle for Portton between the Protectresses and the pirates known as "Hulgre Fratencav" came together beautifully in my head. It was fun, violent, and heroic, but also showcased inexperience and hesitation in the face of danger, something so often ignored in fantasy. Fantasy heroes tend to be people of action, rushing headlong into danger and combat, but so rarely do we see a character’s FIRST real combat with all the fear and anxiety that brings. When the dust settles, it ends with a heartwarming, touching scene between the Protectresses as they truly accept our main character as one of them. I’ll be honest – I cried after I wrote it.
Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)
Does procrastination count? No? If I stray from the Word doc to the internet, I have to do a set of ten pushups or hammer curls. It's weird, I know...
Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?
Most recently, it's "Full speed or nuthin', full speed or nuthin'!" Again, from Lux Aeterna by Metallica.
If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?
If you know you're destined for it, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Fly!
Martin V. Parece II is the author of the new book The Oathbreaker's Daughter (The Dragonknight Trilogy Book 1)
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