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