Birdy Rivers was writing since her teens and she started professionally writing since her mid twenties. Before she became a full time author and editor, she worked as a medical assistant. When Birdy isn't writing, she is raising her twin girls and spending time with her family and friends. She enjoys reading, gaming with her husband, music and going outdoors. Music and writing were always special to Birdy, because they served also as therapeutic measures for her depression and anxiety. Birdy is a huge mental health advocate and often features struggles of mental health in her stories.

If you want to know more about Birdy Rivers:

https://www.facebook.com/bridy.rivers

https://www.amazon.com/Birdy-Rivers/e/B01LX25763/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B097SLN7M9/ref=dbs_a_w_dp_b097sln7m9

The interview:

1. What was your very first story and how old were you, when you wrote it?

My first book was written in the early years of college, so I think I was nineteen or twenty. It was called the Wolf’s Journey to the Moon. I’m not entirely sure whatever happened to it. I think it’s saved on USB somewhere. The next thing I wrote was the Shattered the Series and that was a few years later after I was done college.

2. Can you tell me about the 'Children of the Empire'?

The Children of the Empire are the first born of the kings and queens of each kingdom. They are normally named the Crown Prince or Crown Princess which means they are the next to rule. 

3. Next to the classic tale of Snow White, did you have any inspiration, when you created the book?

I’ve always loved the idea of doing a fairytale retelling as I loved watching the disney princess movies growing up and then currently have been rewatching them with my daughters. I also really enjoyed the show Once Upon a Time. I wanted to do a retelling that was different and that made the characters of these beloved stories relatable, especially for adults. 

4. You worked as a medical assistant earlier, do you use your knowledge, or about mental health also in your stories?

I personally have a Mental Illness. I’ve been diagnosed with Major Depression Disorder, PTSD, and generalized anxiety. I do like to feature some mental health in my stories as I know many have a mental illness and it’s not something that is always talked about. Most importantly I want others to know that they aren’t alone in their mental health journey. Since I have worked in the medical field I do like to feature a type of healing character in my stories. In Children of the Empire, Rapunzel is an elf and she has healing magic. 

5. What is your favourite genre to write and read? Why?

I love to read fantasy, paranormal, and sci fi. I do enjoy a vast amount of different types of romance books as well from MC, to mafia, and contemporary. As for writing I really enjoy fantasy, paranormal, romance, and a bit of sci-fi.

6. Fairy tale retellings are very popular now. What do you think about them? Do you have any favourite classic tale? If yes, why that tale?

I think it’s awesome to see retellings of fairytales, myths, and legends. It’s always interesting to see someone's unique perspective of those stories. Growing up my favourite fairy tale was Beauty and the Beast and is still one of my favourites til this day. I also really enjoyed the Little Mermaid as well. I didn’t really start to love Snow White till I was older. I personally enjoyed retelling not just Snow White, but other fairytales as well in Children of the Empire. 

7. Writing next to small children is not easy. How do you balance time between everyday life and writing? Do you have a favourite time to work on your projects?

Doing anything with small children is a challenge. I have my desk set up right outside the girls playroom so that I can watch them and write at the same time. I think with twins I’ve learned to master multitasking which definitely helps with finding a balance between mom, friend, wife, and author. I tend to write a lot at night when the girls are asleep, but I can definitely get some writing done during the day if I plan it right and if the girls are willing to let me. 

8. Children of the Empire is a part of a series. Can you tell me about it, maybe share a secret?

Yes, it’s part of a series. I’m working on book two currently which will be titled Children of the Empire: Reflected Mirrors. I’m planning on about four to six books with at least three novellas.  I don’t know if this counts as a secret, but readers will get to see the Evil Queens POV in book two, there might also be some other villains joining the party. 

9. Do you have any other project next to Children of the Empire?

I’m working on book two in the Children of the Empire. I’m also working on a book one of a paranormal romance trilogy and a stand alone paranormal romance. I also have a contemporary romance that is in the revising and editing stage. 

10. If you could live anywhere, in any real, or fictional universe, where would you live and as what? Why?

I would love to live in middle earth as a hobbit. I’m short and I love to eat, just not hairy feet. I really want to go to New Zealand one day and see hobbiton.

Thank you for your answers! And you, dear Reader, what would you ask from Birdy Rivers? 🙃

Allegra Pescatore grew up in a small village in northern Tuscany. As the daughter of two artists, her childhood was magical, she grew up on the works of Frank Herbert, J.R.R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, Phillip Pullman and many others. After moving a lot and visiting many countries, Allegra now lives in Western PA, in a cozy cottage. Allegra started writing, when she was eight years old. As a disabled woman and staunch LGBTQ ally, she hopes to create engaging, diverse, and representative fantasy and science fiction. Stories, where people who do not often see themselves center stage get the chance to shine. When she is not writing, Allegra rules her kitchen with an iron fist, gardens, or dabbles in various art forms, creates stories for her tabletop gaming group.

If you want to know more about Allegra Pescatore and her works:

https://twitter.com/AuthorAllegra

https://www.authorallegra.com

https://www.facebook.com/authorallegra

https://discord.gg/eeHmzc7

Where Shadows Lie:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084S3JVCB

NACL: Eye of the Storm:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1952348021

The interview

1. You grew up on the stories of so many great authors. Do you have a favourite, who, or who's works inspired your writing?

Oh boy, difficult question right off the bat. My father read me a lot of the greats, and all of them inspired me in their own way. The Hobbit was my door into fantasy, and Harry Potter was what inspired me to teach myself to read english, so the obvious answer would be one of those, yet I don't know that either of those are my favorites. I think the work that really stuck with me was the Valdemar universe by Mercedes Lackey. It had magic, politics, action, humor, and romance, but at no point did they ever feel like they neatly fit into a specific sub-genre. She explored so many different facets of fantasy within the same universe, and she let her world move through time, instead of only telling the story of a single age. I really loved that! As for who inspired my writing, I would have to actually look at science fiction. Dune was perhaps the most inspiring piece of fiction I had ever read, and it bridged the divide between fantasy and sci-fi so well. Every time I go back to it, my desire to write is renewed. 

2. You started writing, when you were eight. About what was your first story?

I've been a very myopic writer throughout my life. My first story was the very first draft of what would become Where Shadows Lie. It was written by hand, in italian, in a hardback green notebook that I carried around for years. It was terrible, and yet the core pieces of the story were already in place. While almost everything has changed, the core cast of characters has remained mostly the same. I still have the little playmobil figurines I used to play with when I developed Elenor, Gabriel, Fay, and Fedrik. Sometimes I have conversations with them, and while they don't talk back and it makes me look a little crazy, it's something I've done for most of my life while working through plot problems.

3. You moved a lot, saw a lot of countries. How did these affected your writing, or your topics?

The places I've lived and traveled have inexorably changed me. I feel like my worldbuilding has become much more diverse. I started out like most do, with a euro-style kingdom. As I traveled and saw more of the world, though, the worlds I wrote expanded. Both culturally and geographically, I now try to create settings as diverse as I can make them. I try not to assume anything about culture when I first begin worldbuilding a new setting, building it up from the ecology instead of shoehorning the environment into a prefabricated box of european aesthetics. The other big thing that travel did was put me in scary, life-threatening situations. I believe that it helped my writing a great deal, especially when it comes to writing characters who are facing impossible odds, or who need to dig deep for strength they didn't know they had. 

4. You write fantasy and science fiction. Why these genres?

Fantasy and Sci-Fi have been a lifelong love. While I enjoy them apart, most of my own writing falls solidly between the two. I like mixing it up and pushing the boundaries of what is expected. My first two books are actually set in the same universe, despite one of them having dragons and magic, and the other computers, giant corporations, and tech-happy pirates. These two stories are headed on a collision course. This is part of a large, collaborative project, called the Ao Collective. Our goal is to really play with genres, try out fun combinations, and see what multiple minds can come up with when working together in a sandbox. The Ao Collective, however, is not my only project. These days I'm also experimenting with everything from LitRPG, to erotica, to memoir. I have fun with all of them. 

5. Every author has their own cliches, like certain character types, plot twists they prefer. Do you have any, which you like using often?

Oh do I ever! The most obvious one is that I have written multiple versions of the same characters. Often, when I'm experimenting with a setting, I just drop in an old character, adjust their life story to fit, and play around with them. Sometimes, these characters stick, and diverge so far from each other that they are unrecognizable. this is how, for example both Elenor from Where Shadows Lie and Lani from NACL: Eye of the Storm came to be. Despite the fact that one is a disabled and deeply flawed princess fighting for the throne and the other is a wild, foul-mouthed, ill-tempered pirate, they both originated as the same character. As for tropes, I'm a big fan of anything enemy-to-lover, and am a big fan of super weird and eclectic characters. The big thing, though, is that almost all my books have some sort of big bad giant corporation manipulating things in the shadows. I can't seem to get away from it, and considering my love of intrigue plotlines, I probably never will. 

6. Do you write on English only? I have heard from more people, the best is to write in your native language. What do you think about it, do you agree, or disagree?

I write in English because my Italian vocab is that of a thirteen-year-old. English was the language my father read to me in, so it was what I've always associated fantasy with. One day, I very much hope to write a book in Italian, but that day is still far off. I think that there is something to be said in writing in other languages, if nothing else as practice. I do, however, think that the best writing comes from a place of truly understanding the flow of a language. It is, therefore, hard to master in one that you are not both fluent and practiced in.

7. As someone writes stories since her childhood, do you have any part of the book creating process, which is the easiest and the most difficult for you?

I love, love, love the drafting stage, especially drafting endings. When a story starts coming together, all the pieces clicking into place and the words tumbling end over end to get onto the page, it feels like flying. If I could only write book endings, I would. Strangely, I also really love revisions. They make me pull my hair out, but the rush when something that didn't work is fixed and everything starts flowing again is pure magic. The thing I dread the most is line edits and proofing. I am a tad dyslexic, english was my second written language, and I am naturally more of a big-picture thinker. It means that focusing on every comma, capitalization, and sticky sentence is torture. Fortunately, I have the help of my editing team in that phase, but even with their assistance, I dread those weeks. 

8. If you should choose one from your works, which one would you recommend to read first? Why?

That is a very difficult question, because the order in which you read my current two books will change the way you will interpret certain events. For example, in NACL: Eye of the Storm, there are multiple references to the magic system, world, and even food of Where Shadows Lie. If you read NACL first, you'll miss those. On the other hand, if you read Where Shadows Lie first, you'll miss the ominous undertone of the Gods, and the cameo of one of the NACL characters, and the fact that this seemingly Epic Fantasy tale is, in fact, science-fantasy. So I would say that if you're looking for an Epic Fantasy story full of intrigue and dragons, read Where Shadows Lie first, and if you are more of a high-octane adventure and pirates sort of person, go read NACL: Eye of the Storm first. Either way works, but both will be essential for the upcoming sequels.  

9. Do you prefer soft, or hard magic systems?

I think both have their place. For a long time I've mostly written hard magic systems, but of late I've been playing with softer ones and really loving it. I think, as a whole, I'm shifting away from hard magic systems for pure fantasy, but keeping them in place for my science-fantasy. I really love how magical magic feels in softer systems, though there is so much more potential for an inadvertent deus ex machina. Harder systems are fun because it more readily allows readers to try to figure out how to solve problems with magic, which I think involves the reader more deeply into the story. For now, I write both. Time will tell if one wins out over the other in my own writing. 

10. If you could be anything anywhere, what would you be and where? Why?

I would definitely and without question be a dragon rider. I'm not even picky about what setting. I would just like a dragon best friend, and to be able to fly about with them and have adventures. If those adventures were more of the 'travel to exotic locations delivering messages' and less of the 'oh god, someone's trying to kill us' variety, all the better, but I'd be willing to put up with the latter if it meant hanging out with a friendly dragon. Since I don't see a way to realize that dream in real life, however, I must content myself by having many, many pets. Hopefully Dog+Cat+Gecko=Dragon. If not, at least I have a lot of fluffy friends who take up most of the bed at night and make me laugh. 

Thank you for your answers! And you, dear Reader, what would you ask from Allegra Pescatore? 🙃