Interview with Victoria Simcox

In both The Magic Warble and the sequel, The Black Shard, Kristina is our heroine. Your daughter is also named Kristina. How much of her personality is inspiration for the Kristina of your books?

Yes, my daughter inspired Kristina, in the book, and even though I named Kristina my character, after my daughter, the two are different personalities. Kristina in the book is slightly timid, where my daughter is not so much.

Growing up, what authors or books influenced you as a kid coming into young adulthood?

C.S Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia were my favorite books as a kid. I used to read them to my mom when she cooked dinner; they are one of my fondest childhood memories. I also love J.K Rowling's Harry Potter series, even though I was an adult when I read them. Besides them, I love all kinds of Juvenile fiction.

Talking animals are a main feature of several children's books. How did you weave that particular feature into your books?

 I thought: What's a magical world without talking animals, lol. Then I just included them in my character scheme, and gave them personalities like humans have. It was a great idea because many children have told me that this is one of their favorite aspects of the book.

The cover art for both of your books is quite enchanting. Will you talk a bit about the collaborative effort with the artist?

 An artist by the name of Amanda Swanson did the illustrations and cover. She specializes in fantasy art. I had her read the manuscript and she created the artwork from her imagination.  I am very happy with what she has created.


Please share some advice for new writers starting out, no matter their age or work situation. Aspiring writers often hear,

Read what you want to write. Also, read other types of writing than what you write. You can get inspiration from different types of writing than your form.

Hone in on your writing craft. Make sure you write every day or at least try. If you want to be a professional writer, you must love what you do and not count it as a chore.

Above all else, be patient. Don't give up when you're faced with rejection. If you feel deeply that your story is worthy of being published, then do your research and find away to get it out there. In addition, consider self-publishing, say for instance with Amazon, or other self-publishing companies that are available; it's a way to get your work read and if it's really good you may be noticed by a publisher.

You can check out Victoria's personal blog @ www.victoriasimcox.blogspot.com