| Megan Reyes is the author of the Heroes of Havensong series for young readers. Megan lives in Northern California with her husband, four sons, two dogs, and an ever-growing collection of dragon and fox figurines. When she’s not writing, she’s probably drawing, painting, going on walks, or getting lost in a new book. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram @MReyesWrites. We absolutely loved Dragonboy, so we were thrilled to interview Megan Reyes for this month's feature! Rapunzel Reads: One of my favorite parts of Dragonboy was the worldbuilding--I was always completely engrossed in the setting, and there were many elements, like the companion magics, unlike anything I can remember reading before. Do you have a favorite part about the world of Haven? If so, why? Megan Reyes: I'm thrilled to hear you enjoyed your journey in Haven. Honestly, imagining Haven took years and it is such a blast for me to come up with details about each and every corner of the Northern and Southern realms (both of which will be explored further in future books). It's hard to choose a favorite part, but if I could visit, I would first want Blue to give me a tour of the Gerberan stables, where he grew up. Then I'd want to visit Meraki Island because I imagine it to be as beautiful as Hawaii--plus I'd love to see all the Magics roaming around. Lastly, I'd probably mostly want to hang out on Dragon Mountain because the Dragon Growers are really low-key and relaxed. |   Author photo credit: Elaine Kendrick |
RR: What inspired Dragonboy?
MR: It all started with a single sentence that entered my thoughts: Every twenty-five years, the king is eaten by a dragon. This turned into a story idea that kept blossoming with more characters and world-building. Also, I've always loved books about magic and dragons and kids going on adventures—so it made sense that Dragonboy would have all of those components.
RR: I loved all the characters in Dragonboy; although Wren and Blue were definitely my favorites, everyone in the story, even the minor characters, grabbed my attention with their vivid and distinct personalities. Who is your favorite character, and why?
MR: It would be impossible to pick a favorite of the four Heroes because I adore all four of them. :) Also, they all represent different parts of me and in that way, I feel very connected to each of them. But, aside from Blue, River, Wren and Shenli, I would say my favorite characters are the fox and Madera. I have always loved ancient, magical creatures, as well as sassy grandmas with fun personalities.
RR: Do you have any tips for an aspiring writer?
MR: Yes! Here are my 4 top tips:
1. Surround yourself with support.
Writing is hard and you need people in your corner to cheer you on. This support team will hopefully include a few other writer friends who can read your stories and offer feedback. They will help you see things in your story that you cannot see and point out the things that aren’t working so you can make your story better.
2. Finish the first draft of the first book!
Starting your first book can be intimidating. But actually finishing that first book is even harder. As Neil Gaiman says: “This is how you do it: you sit down at the keyboard and you put one word after another until it’s done. It’s that easy, and it’s that hard.”
Finishing your first book is a HUGE milestone. Because once you’ve proved to yourself you can do it, you can convince yourself to do it the next time. And the next. And the next.
3. Take yourself seriously.
This is for writers who want to become published someday.
The goal of any serious writer is to write great stories. In order to get better, we need to first learn what makes a great story in the first place. This means studying the craft. I’m talking character arcs and plot points. Even for those of you who don’t like to outline, you’ll find that every story demands certain expectations from the reader (like… character arcs and plot points. ;) )
Read books and blogs about writing. Listen to author and publishing podcasts. Learn the ins and outs of the publishing world. All of this knowledge will only help you take the next steps in your writing journey.
There is no shortcut here. This kind of learning takes time. Allow yourself this space. Ultimately, you will learn different writing methods well enough to then decide what works for you and what doesn’t. By the way, you can check out a list of writer-ly resources on my website (http://www.meganreyes.com/writer-resources.html).
4. READ
Please. Please read. Reading a variety of books (of different genres) helps you learn what kinds of stories authors are publishing. Also, it's good to learn what kind of books are your favorite—these are likely the kinds of stories you will enjoy writing the most!
RR: One of my favorite elements of this book was the history of the various places and peoples who inhabit this world--as the characters who live in each of them show, they all have wholly distinct worldviews and conflicts, which brought the story (and world) alive for me. How did you go about creating such a detailed and interesting history for Haven?
MR: Creating Haven took years and it's still growing inside my imagination! When I first started writing the series, I drew a map of Haven (you should see the gorgeous map of Haven inside my books! That map was drawn by the talented illustrator, Sveta Dorosheva). Over the months and years, I added notes to the map such as: where various characters live and where major plot events occur. Also, I will often go to Pinterest to get inspired by various fantasy landscape art. At this point, it's almost like the Land of Haven actually exists in my mind--that's how clearly I can imagine it!
RR: What books inspired you when you were growing up?
MR: The Enchanted Forest Chronicles series by Patricia C. Wrede were some of the first fantasy books I fell in love with as a kid. Also, I adored the Narnia books by C.S. Lewis.
RR: What is your favorite thing about being an author?
MR: Ooh, this is a tough one. I think, honestly, when readers share how they enjoyed my books. It's so rewarding to hear when people connect with certain characters or parts of my story. I know how much these characters mean to me and I always hope they can become important to others as well.
RR: With four points of view and lots of twists and turns, there was always a lot happening in Dragonboy's plot, but it never became confusing or hard to keep track of. How did you go about writing such a multilayered and fast-paced story?
MR: It wasn't easy—haha! I had a lot of help from my editor (the amazing Liesa Abrams) who helps me sift through which scenes to cut and which ones to expand on. I also keep a lot of meticulous notes on my computer where I have character profiles and plot ideas.
RR: What are you planning on writing next?
MR: I have finished writing Heroes of Havensong, Book 2 and I am currently working on Book 3! Also, next year I'm coming out with a new chapter book series for younger readers called Llama Quest. It's about a magic llama and 2 kids who go on adventures to find the magic stones that were stolen from their kingdom. So be on the lookout for that in Fall of 2024.
MR: It all started with a single sentence that entered my thoughts: Every twenty-five years, the king is eaten by a dragon. This turned into a story idea that kept blossoming with more characters and world-building. Also, I've always loved books about magic and dragons and kids going on adventures—so it made sense that Dragonboy would have all of those components.
RR: I loved all the characters in Dragonboy; although Wren and Blue were definitely my favorites, everyone in the story, even the minor characters, grabbed my attention with their vivid and distinct personalities. Who is your favorite character, and why?
MR: It would be impossible to pick a favorite of the four Heroes because I adore all four of them. :) Also, they all represent different parts of me and in that way, I feel very connected to each of them. But, aside from Blue, River, Wren and Shenli, I would say my favorite characters are the fox and Madera. I have always loved ancient, magical creatures, as well as sassy grandmas with fun personalities.
RR: Do you have any tips for an aspiring writer?
MR: Yes! Here are my 4 top tips:
1. Surround yourself with support.
Writing is hard and you need people in your corner to cheer you on. This support team will hopefully include a few other writer friends who can read your stories and offer feedback. They will help you see things in your story that you cannot see and point out the things that aren’t working so you can make your story better.
2. Finish the first draft of the first book!
Starting your first book can be intimidating. But actually finishing that first book is even harder. As Neil Gaiman says: “This is how you do it: you sit down at the keyboard and you put one word after another until it’s done. It’s that easy, and it’s that hard.”
Finishing your first book is a HUGE milestone. Because once you’ve proved to yourself you can do it, you can convince yourself to do it the next time. And the next. And the next.
3. Take yourself seriously.
This is for writers who want to become published someday.
The goal of any serious writer is to write great stories. In order to get better, we need to first learn what makes a great story in the first place. This means studying the craft. I’m talking character arcs and plot points. Even for those of you who don’t like to outline, you’ll find that every story demands certain expectations from the reader (like… character arcs and plot points. ;) )
Read books and blogs about writing. Listen to author and publishing podcasts. Learn the ins and outs of the publishing world. All of this knowledge will only help you take the next steps in your writing journey.
There is no shortcut here. This kind of learning takes time. Allow yourself this space. Ultimately, you will learn different writing methods well enough to then decide what works for you and what doesn’t. By the way, you can check out a list of writer-ly resources on my website (http://www.meganreyes.com/writer-resources.html).
4. READ
Please. Please read. Reading a variety of books (of different genres) helps you learn what kinds of stories authors are publishing. Also, it's good to learn what kind of books are your favorite—these are likely the kinds of stories you will enjoy writing the most!
RR: One of my favorite elements of this book was the history of the various places and peoples who inhabit this world--as the characters who live in each of them show, they all have wholly distinct worldviews and conflicts, which brought the story (and world) alive for me. How did you go about creating such a detailed and interesting history for Haven?
MR: Creating Haven took years and it's still growing inside my imagination! When I first started writing the series, I drew a map of Haven (you should see the gorgeous map of Haven inside my books! That map was drawn by the talented illustrator, Sveta Dorosheva). Over the months and years, I added notes to the map such as: where various characters live and where major plot events occur. Also, I will often go to Pinterest to get inspired by various fantasy landscape art. At this point, it's almost like the Land of Haven actually exists in my mind--that's how clearly I can imagine it!
RR: What books inspired you when you were growing up?
MR: The Enchanted Forest Chronicles series by Patricia C. Wrede were some of the first fantasy books I fell in love with as a kid. Also, I adored the Narnia books by C.S. Lewis.
RR: What is your favorite thing about being an author?
MR: Ooh, this is a tough one. I think, honestly, when readers share how they enjoyed my books. It's so rewarding to hear when people connect with certain characters or parts of my story. I know how much these characters mean to me and I always hope they can become important to others as well.
RR: With four points of view and lots of twists and turns, there was always a lot happening in Dragonboy's plot, but it never became confusing or hard to keep track of. How did you go about writing such a multilayered and fast-paced story?
MR: It wasn't easy—haha! I had a lot of help from my editor (the amazing Liesa Abrams) who helps me sift through which scenes to cut and which ones to expand on. I also keep a lot of meticulous notes on my computer where I have character profiles and plot ideas.
RR: What are you planning on writing next?
MR: I have finished writing Heroes of Havensong, Book 2 and I am currently working on Book 3! Also, next year I'm coming out with a new chapter book series for younger readers called Llama Quest. It's about a magic llama and 2 kids who go on adventures to find the magic stones that were stolen from their kingdom. So be on the lookout for that in Fall of 2024.
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