Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi there!
I’ve always been a voracious reader. And I’m a fantasy and magic lover at heart. When I was in elementary and middle school, you could usually find me a little apart from the other kids, building imaginary worlds and crafting heroic adventures in my mind. Funnily enough, it took me a long time to realize that other people might enjoy my stories, too.
I have four books written now. And a fifth is coming soon. My first series, Werewolf Max, is about a boy who becomes a zombie-fighting werewolf. My newest series, Fairies of Titania, is about a girl who travels through an enchanted door to the world of fairies.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called The Last Fairy Door. My six-year-old daughter actually inspired it. I asked her one day, “what kind of book do you think I should write now?” And her prompt reply was, “write about a fairy princess!”
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
It’s hard to say what writing habits are “usual” or not. Haha Talking with my other author friends, it seems usual to have a completely messy desk, spend half your time browsing through social media, and drinking a lot of coffee. So I guess my preference for Earl Grey tea over coffee is a bit unusual. And I do my best writing with my fluffy border collie assistant curled up at my feet.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
So many authors have shaped the way I write! I don’t know if I can narrow it down.
The first book series I fell in love with was the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I literally cried my ten-year-old eyes out when I finished the last book and there weren’t any more.
The next books I fell in love with were the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey. The way she wrote her world and her dragons struck me so powerfully. I still love that world today.
When I couldn’t find more of her books, I started devouring every Xanth novel by Piers Anthony that I could find. And there are a lot of them!
I have a lot of other favorite books as well. Pride and Prejudice, Watership Down, everything by C. S. Lewis, The Last Unicorn, The Princess Bride The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, every book in Orson Scott Card’s Enderverse.
What are you working on now?
I’m actually starting on a new series now. I ‘ve finished up writing my Werewolf Max series, and I like having two different stories to work on at the same time. It helps to work on one when I get weary of working on the other.
The new series is called Dragonriders of Avria. And the first book is about a young boy, about fourteen years old, who ends up on an island where humans and dragons work together to fight off a dangerous enemy. It’s kind of like Eragon meets Dinotopia and the Dragonriders of Pern, and I’m super excited to be working on it!
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
For me, the best way to get sales is to write a series, spend on advertising for the first one, and link to the next in the series at the back of each book. It also helps to have the first chapter in the next book available at the back, so readers can develop an appetite for the next story.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Do what it takes to craft an enjoyable story, with a superb cover, and a compelling blurb. Those three things make the book you offer readers worth their hard-earned money.
Would you want to spend time or money on a book with an amateur cover? A boring blurb? Or a story you can’t get into?
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
As far as writing is concerned?
“Don’t be boring.”
-Sherlock Holmes
What are you reading now?
I’m reading Juxtaposition by Piers Anthony. Mr. Anthony was kind enough to read my Werewolf Max series and gave me a very nice review. Since I had only ever read his wildly popular Xanth novels, I decided to give another series of his a try.
While I don’t love it as much as Xanth, I’m still intrigued enough by the storyline to want to stick with it.
What’s next for you as a writer?
More books! I love writing and publishing. And I love hearing kids (and adults, too) say how much they love reading my stories.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Blank notebooks so I could write in them. Well, okay, maybe one book about how to survive on a desert island, and two blank notebooks.
Author Websites and Profiles
N. A. Davenport Website
N. A. Davenport Amazon Profile
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