In this episode of Storyline Sessions, bestselling author and winner of the Firebird Book Award, Pinnacle Achievement Award, and runner-up Page Turner Award winner Starr Z. Davies talks about the launch of her new book – Stormvalor: A Noblebright Fantasy (Divica Stormborn Chronicles Book 1) that marks her genre shift from dystopian fiction to epic fantasy.

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Timestamps:

00:00 – Start

00:47 – Conversation start

01:20 – How does this release feel different from the others?

02:10 – Marketing vs Writing

02:50 – Beta readers, initial reviews and changing the ending

04:18 – Making the first book feel more than just a setup for sequels

07:00 – Difference in writing and worldbuilding process between genres

08:28 – Deciding to shift genres

10:18 – From YA to adult

12:04 – THE CHARACTER ASSASIN – letting go of your characters

16:24 – Surprising yourself and choosing the POV for your story

18:20 – Organized chaos and worldbuilding

20:40 – MAPS!

23:10 – Naming characters

24:30 – How to be a prolific writer and stick to a schedule?

28:38 – Writing awards

33:22 – Finding the right artrwork

36:34 – Kickstarter process and crowdsourcing

40:55 – Audiobooks

44:32 – Self publishing vs Trad vs AI

48:05 – Building your audience

50:15 – What would you do differently if this was your first series?

53:02 – Future plans

55:16 – Outro