Frequently Asked Questions
(the fancy way of saying here's what people seem the most curious about)
A poster I made for my room in 2020.
What made you decide to write a novel?
I'd been really into making movies with my friends when the pandemic of 2020 shut everything down. Since I couldn't see any friends, I did some stop-motion movies with Lego for a while, but I really missed doing more exciting storytelling. The isolation of the pandemic turned me into a big reader so I got the idea that maybe I would try writing a novel.
Why did you decide to write about dragons?
Lots of my friends from school were reading Tui T. Sutherland's series about dragons, Wings of Fire, and I fell in love with her books too. Plus, I think being so restricted during the pandemic made the idea of being a dragon even more appealing - they're so big and powerful and free.
Was writing a novel harder or easier than you expected?
My dad was writing a novel of his own at the same time so I saw how hard it is to get it right. For me, some days it flowed and other days it was a bit more work. But to be honest, the hardest part was often getting to bed on time because I like to write at night.
How did you go about the process?
I didn't want to let my parents help me because they're both writers and I figured no one would trust that it was my story if they knew my parents had been a part of it. But my mom did give me a great book called How To Write A Novel, Grades 6-8: Workbook by L. M. Lilly, and she also showed me Pixar's basic story structure. I started A Dragon's Tale: Plight of the Hybrids with a plot outline and some notes on the main characters and their goals.
When did you write it?
I first tried to write a novel in the spring of 2020 when school shut down, but it was pretty terrible. Then I started this novel a few months later in the summer. We had plans to go to Europe but obviously those plans got cancelled. I'm bummed we didn't go but then I never would have written this novel. Once school started in September, my grade 5 teacher let me work on my novel in class for an hour every day. Since I didn't sign up for any extra-curricular activities due to the pandemic, I had every evening and every weekend to write.
Did you ever get writer’s block, or just tired?
Yes! But I learned a good trick that if you aren't in a good creative space, walk away from your computer. I also learned to write ahead to a scene you're excited about, rather than trying to write a scene that doesn't involve any peril or glorious death scenes.
Did you get help or feedback along the way?
I really wanted the feeling of satisfaction from doing it on my own. But I also know that every author needs an editor so I hired a great freelance editor to help me make my novel the best it could be before I published it. I also hired an illustrator to create the cover art and the map, and was very lucky to work with a designer at my mom's company who did the book layout.
What surprised you most about writing a novel?
I learned that you can get your hopes up about page count by having too large a font!
Who’s your favourite writer?
Tui T. Sutherland. Duh.
How did you celebrate when you finished?
My parents bought me a strawberry shortcake (my favourite), and my sister made me a "Happy Novel" card. The next day, my mom took me for Lee's Donuts (my second favourite) and my parents bought me an awesome figurine of a dragon sitting on a book! But one of the coolest parts was that when I announced it to my class, my friends were all super excited.
What made you decide to self-publish your novel?
I wanted to get it out into the world quickly, and self-publishing is the fastest way (even though I did get a really sweet note from an agent).
How can I buy your book?
You can buy my novel as a paperback, hardcover or kindle on Amazon in just about any country by clicking HERE! If you live in Vancouver, you can also pop into Kidsbooks and pick up a copy.