SEELIE KAY: Postcards from The Ledge: This week in The Loft: Canadian author Daryl Devoré!

Joining me today in The Loft is author Daryl Devoré. Daryl writes hot romance in all sorts of subgenres, including contemporary, fantasy, medieval, twisted fairy tale, rockstar, billionaire, and hockey. She writes part-time. In her free time, she indulges in yoga, workouts, Raks Sharqi (belly dancing), Tae Kwon Do, baking, and gardening. Daryl also enjoys taking long walks on her quiet country road or snowshoeing across the back acres, and in the summer, kayaking along the St. Lawrence River. She lives in an old farmhouse in Ontario, Canada, with her husband and two cats.

Author Daryl Devore is the large Tigger in this photo.

It was taken in a Wall Yoga class on Halloween.

The pose is the author's favorite--Bat.

S: Welcome, Daryl! Thanks for joining me The Loft today.

What would you like people to know about you?

D: I’m Canadian, therefore I write in Canadian. No, those are not spelling mistakes in my books – favourite has a u in it – signalled has 2 Ls. I write stories the way I want to. I am not really good at following the rules. I’m an only child and we tend to grow up very independent. I don’t want to be like every other writer. I am me and I write my books my way. And one last thing – I don’t read romance books--other than those my author friends write. I don’t want to be influenced by the genre.

S: (Smiles.) As an American, I always wonder if the authors I interview from other countries think I am misspelling words.

What is the best/worst thing that has ever happened to you as a writer?

D: The worst was a comment by a fellow writer about a book. She said it was a good thing the book was only going to be an ebook because that’s all it was good for. Besides being an insult to a lot of indie authors, it hurt. I was really proud of that book. The thing is – she’s an indie and publishes her books as ebooks. The best thing – the amazing group of writer friends I’ve made. They have helped with edits, and brainstorming ideas and opinions on covers, and a million other things in a writer’s life. I have friends all over the place - California, Florida, the Netherlands, and so on. I need to sell a million books so I can go visit them.

S: Obviously, you read reviews? Why?

D: Yes and no. I will read a four-star review or better because I’ll use it in a teaser for promotion. I do understand that not everyone will like my books, but I’m not going to change anything based on what the reviewer says and I don’t need the stress of the hurt. There's a quote I like to paraphrase--A good word makes you feel good for an hour. A bad word hurts for days.

S: That's so true. I read all of my reviews because I enjoy learning what they like and don't like. Constructive criticism is fine, but intentionally hurtful words are not.

If you had to do it all over again, would you still choose to write books?

D: Yes, I would still be writing. I started in high school, so I was writing long before I became a writer. That book I wrote in high school creative writing class has been revised--a lot--and has been published.

S: What inspires your stories?

D: An idea. A word. A song. I once wrote a whole book because I had the last line figured out. I wrote a trilogy because of a song. Someone said dragon and that was the inspiration for my latest.

S: It's exciting when that happens, isn't it?

What’s the best advice you have ever given?

D: It has become an impossible piece of advice – but find a critique group. That’s where I have met all my writer friends. I learned from their writing styles. I learned from critiquing their chapters. And the bonds we developed have lasted for years.

S: What inspired your book, "The Last Dragon?"

D: A long time ago, I wrote an erotic medieval romance and someone said they kept expecting a dragon to appear. I have no idea why. There was no fantasy in the book. I laughed it off. But it seems my muse stuck that thought in the back of my brain and one day this dragon popped up and said, "Time to write a book."

S: Is there anything special you would like people to know about your book?

D: This book took a long time to write as I transitioned from solely an erotic romance writer to also a sweet one. It is my first attempt at fantasy and I really enjoyed it. There is another book being written that branches off from this one.

Here's the blurb--

What do dragons, knights and romance have in common? Grab a copy of multi-published author Daryl Devore’s medieval fantasy romance--The Last Dragon and discover the answer.

A sorcerer craving dominance merged with a dragon, the power overwhelmed him causing him to split into three dragons. Demora ruled thought, but was lost in time. Yidithe offered protection, shining like the light of the sun. Ayrradex craved chaos, revelling in destroying souls.

Many knights died, attempting to slay the devil beast. One knight, Prince Hawkyns, did not fear death. He’d lost everything. Away on a mission when Ayrradex attacked his father’s kingdom, Penrythe, Hawkyns returned to find his noble father – feeble and defeated. His wise mother – crazed. His beautiful wife and unborn child - dead. Only a pile of ashes remained for him to bury. He knelt before his King and vowed to slay the devil-beast or be slain.

Derry was born with powers that terrified her parents. They delivered her to a nunnery to be raised in secret. Jathe, a wise sorceress, discovered the young girl and trained her to one day use the secret hidden in her soul.

Legends spoken around campfires hinted the sole way to destroy Ayrradex was when the hearts of a knight and a golden dragon became one. But after a vicious battle with Ayrradex, the golden dragon was thought to be dead.

Can Prince Hawkyns’s bravery and Derry’s powers end the reign of the devil-beast’s terror?