Interview with Shami Stovall, Author of Dread Pirate Arcanist

What can you tell us about your new release, Dread Pirate Arcanist?

Dread Pirate Arcanist is the sequel to my award-winning fantasy novel, Knightmare Arcanist! It follows a teenager by the name of Volke Savan, and he lives in a world where people can bond to mythological creatures to gain magic. People who bond to phoenixes get fire and healing, whereas people who bond to leviathans get wind and storms—and the possibilities are endless!

In the sequel, Volke faces off against a dread pirate who has bonded to a manticore. Volke’s adopted sister, Illia, actually has a grudge with the pirate—he’s the man who killed her parents and cut out her right eye. It’s definitely a confrontation that builds throughout the adventure, and I hope readers look forward to seeing how it concludes.

What books are currently on your nightstand?

The Institute, by Stephen King. I really liked the sound of the premise, and I’ve enjoyed a fair number of his works, so I’m looking forward to reading it! The last book I read before that was Without Remorse, by Tom Clancy. It’s a great Punisher-style revenge tale for people who like thrillers.

What advice would you give your teenage self?

Don’t practice until you get it right—practice until you can’t get it wrong.

If you had an extra hour each day, how would you spend it?

Either writing or playing video games. Both are great loves, and each night I go to bed I lament the fact I couldn’t do more of both.

What makes your world go round? Why does it bring you joy?

I assume you mean me personally and not the world in my book, but I’ll answer both regardless!

I love reading and playing video games. I do both in equal amounts. When I was younger, I had a rough life, and I escaped to worlds in books, or ran with Mario up green pipes—to places where heroes always won and villains were just the right amount of menacing.

In my book, Dread Pirate Arcanist, the world centers on bonding with magical creatures. It makes me happy to think there would be a world where everyone can bond with their favorite magical creature. If you like unicorns, for example, you could be a unicorn arcanist! I’ve always loved books that allowed the reader to think “what if” and then just insert whatever they wanted into the scenario.

What scene in Dread Pirate Arcanist was your favorite to write?

The best scene to write was when the main hero confronts the dread pirate on his ship, the Third Abyss. The pirate is actually very powerful, and the resulting fight is rather shocking (if I do say so myself). Those scenes are the best to write. I love great tension.

Shami Stovall is the author of the new book Dread Pirate Arcanist.

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