- What is your “day” job if you are not a full-time author?
I originally studied psychology, and I’ve worked as a career counsellor as well as in a library in the north of England. Now, I am the mother of a beautiful daughter, and I devote school hours (and many hours of the night) to writing and publishing.
- What would the title be if you wrote a book about your life?
Lots of love and adventures but no sleep (haha, that’s a terrible title, I’m not very good at those)
- What is the hardest thing about being an author?
All the bits that are not writing (aka having to sell your book). Also, bad reviews – you know they’re coming because not everyone is going to like your style, but it still hurts when you’ve poured so much blood, sweat, and tears into a book.
- What is the best thing about being an author?
I love, love, love making up stories, and letting the characters interact with each other in my head. I have so much fun playing around with language and experimenting with different ways to try and convey a place or an emotion. My husband has some pen pals, and one of them read my book, deeply read it, and having others understand the little details and connections you were trying to weave into the pages is such a rewarding feeling.
- Have you ever been star-struck by meeting one of your favorite authors? If so who was it?
Sadly, I have never met any of the authors I admire in person. But Elisabeth Wheatley (the book goblin) commented on my comment on a random Facebook thread after I had just read book 1 in her Daindreth series. I was pretty excited about that.
- What book changed your life?
Too many to list them all! Wild Swans by Jung Chang is the true story of three generations of women in China, and a book I will never, ever forget. Books I admire closer to my own genre are: Uprooted by Naomi Novik, Totenbraut by Nina Blazon (German), The Bird and the Sword by Amy Harmon, and The Boy with the Cuckoo-Clock Heart by Mathias Malzieu. If you factor in religious books, I would add the Bible and The Book of Mormon.
- What were some of your favorite books growing up?
Fairy Tales, books by Michael Ende and Frederica De Cesco, and Harry Potter.
- What books are currently in your to-be-read pile?
Again, so many (help, how do you write AND read them all?). At the top are One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig, and the Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson.
- Which do you prefer ebooks, print, or audio books?
I prefer to mix them up. I can’t read several books at the same time, but if they are in different formats, somehow it doesn’t bother me. So I tend to have at least one audiobook and one written book on the go.
- If you could live inside the world of a book or series which world would it be and why?
Probably Narnia, because a part of me is still secretly opening closet doors, hoping to find that one that will transport me to a magical world with talking animals, lanky frog creatures, and gentle, almighty lions.
Book One
D. S. McColgan
Genre: paranormal fantasy, romantic, gaslamp
Publisher: A Tale of Ltd
Date of Publication: 22 March 2024
ISBN: 978-1-7385050-0-5
ISBN: 978-1-7385050-1-2
ASIN: B0CW1BZRZT
Number of pages: 242
Word Count: 69’522
Cover Artist: Lukas Lauener
Tagline: Saving a mysterious stranger might come back to bite her.
Book Description:
Liliana is shocked to find a dying man in the middle of the forest, surrounded by the remains of a brutal fight. She brings him home to her father’s farm to nurse him back to health. However, when the stranger regains consciousness, he doesn’t remember who he is or how he came to be there.
Intrigued by the mystery of it all, Liliana sets out to discover who this handsome, well-mannered stranger is. Could he be the man who whisks her away and shows her the world? Or will whatever happened in the forest put her and everyone she loves in grave danger?
This is the start of a new supernatural fantasy series focusing on the decisions one woman has to make in her effort to balance love, morals, ambition and responsibilities as her world expands from her little cozy village to the events that span her continent.
Excerpt:
At dinner, Liliana repeated what the stranger had said.
After all, he now had a name.
Then the weather was discussed, and the whole table
agreed that they were expecting another cold snap. Grandmother felt it in her
bones, the farmhands and Cedric observed it in the animals’ behaviour and
Father smelled it in the air. The chicken broth was well received.
Armed with a portion of said broth, Liliana ventured
to the stranger’s bed after dinner. He awoke immediately and swallowed
greedily, his gaze fixed on the bowl. There were so many questions swirling
around in her head that she didn’t quite know where to start. If he was missing
his memories, he couldn’t answer most of them, and she didn’t want to overwhelm
him.
‘Do you remember me?’
He looked up briefly. ‘Yes.’
The fact that he could remember newer things was a
good sign.
‘How’s the pain?’
‘Don’t ask.’
Liliana would’ve liked to know if his curt manner was
part of his personality or due to the pain he was in. To wake up in a strange
environment, in this agonising state and unable to recollect anything … No, she
didn’t envy him.
Once the bowl was empty, she gave him the medicine,
and Grandmother came to look at his wounds. She loosened the bandages in some
places, careful not to damage the skin that had already healed. She rubbed on
some of the ointment containing the resin Liliana had collected.
The stranger grimaced but made no sound.
‘That’s my grandmother,’ Liliana said. ‘She’s nursed
many people back to health.’
Since he lay there quietly afterwards, Liliana stayed
in the room. She was eager to talk to him more, but he kept his eyes closed,
exhaustion on his face. So she sat down with her book, in front of the
wardrobe. It was a precious, carved piece of furniture that Father had given to
her mother after their wedding.
‘How did I get here?’
Astonished, she looked up. His eyes were still closed,
but it seemed he felt her presence in the room. ‘I found you half-dead in the
woods and brought you here.’
A pause followed, during which Liliana watched him
over the edge of the book. What a peculiar way of speaking he had … Although
she understood him clearly, the melody of his sentences sounded strange to her
ears. His lips formed the words with precision, as if every single one of them
deserved to be heard.
‘Be honest, what are my chances?’
‘The fact that you survived the first few days is
amazing. If you keep going like this, I’m sure you’ll make it.’
A hint of a smile appeared on his lips. He opened his
eyes and slowly turned his head to look at her, quietly grunting with pain.
‘What … are you reading?’
The bronze colour of his eyes still fascinated her.
‘Oh, this? A collection of fairy tales.’
Another pause followed while they studied each other.
‘You like books?’
‘I do. Would you like me to read you one of the
stories?’
‘Yes, please.’
Liliana cleared her throat. ‘Most farmers struggle
with reading. While I am by far the best reader in the family, it probably
still sounds bungled to trained ears.’
The stranger gave her another smile to acknowledge her
efforts and closed his eyes.
Liliana began to read. She hadn’t read out loud in a long time. No one
here shared her enthusiasm for books. Why would they? There always seemed to be
gossip to share, and after a day of hard work, most people in the village
didn’t want to overexert their tired brains. For them, books were an expensive
and superfluous possession. When Cedi had been younger, she’d taught him to
read. As with many other activities, her little brother started on it with
great zeal, only to lose interest after the first few strides. Reading to
someone who may be well educated made her nervous. But she soon found her rhythm.
As intended, the stranger relaxed. Distraction was a good antidote to pain.
D. S. McColgan emigrated from the Swiss mountains to Wales, where she now writes her stories surrounded by green hills, countless sheep and castles. She writes in German and English, and her short stories reside in the realm of fairy tales or magical realism. This year, she has published the first two books of her fantasy series: A Tale of Something New & A Tale of Something Red.
If you are not afraid of blood and fancy a historical tale with slow-burn romance, secrets, authentic characters and atypical twists, you will love her series.
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