Q&A with Author, Maria Grace
I’d like to welcome you all to our Dragon Scroll blog series featuring our beloved authors. In this post, we will be sharing a Q&A discussion with the one and only Maria Grace. Maria is featured in our inaugural Muses of Mythology Anthology, Dragon Dreams. Perhaps best known for her Jane Austen’s Dragons series, she has contributed an original short story from this same universe to our anthology. We will share her biography, a few questions and answers about literature and dragons, and where you can learn more about her and her wonderful written works!
Maria Grace – Author Bio
Six time BRAG Medallion Honoree, #1 Best-selling Historical Fantasy author Maria Grace has her PhD in Educational Psychology and is a 16-year veteran of the university classroom where she taught courses in human growth and development, learning, test development and counseling. None of which have anything to do with her undergraduate studies in economics/sociology/managerial studies/behavior sciences. She pretends to be a mild-mannered writer/cat-lady, but most of her vacations require helmets and waivers or historical costumes, usually not at the same time.
She writes gaslamp fantasy, historical romance and non-fiction to help justify her research addiction.
Her books are available at all major online booksellers.
Q&A
What is it about dragons that you love so much?
Dragon myths are found in nearly every culture, yet there is no single ‘definition’
or defining characteristic of dragons. They can be large or small, clearly reptilian
or not, good and kind or evil and destructive. There is something utterly
fascinating about creatures who so many cultures embrace, but are so variable
at the same time.
Why do you enjoy writing about dragons?
I love working with creatures who are so incredibly versatile. When working with
fairy creatures, or vampires and werewolves, the lore is so widely
assumed/understood, that a writer has to be very careful to color within those
lines. I find writing dragons gives me a much bigger playground in which to tell
stories.
What are some of your favorite books to read featuring dragons?
Hands down, it would be Anne McCaffrey’s Pern books. She presented a world
of dragon living and working with people that was utterly compelling. There are a
lot of books that feature a dragon, but few create the encompassing world that
she did with Pern.
What got you into writing?
I remember writing my first stories and poems in the third grade. Luckily, I had a
teacher who encouraged me. Crafting stories became my go to creative outlet
and primary escape for the next ten years or so. By the time I graduated high
school I’d written 8 full novels and quite a few short stories. All of which are
mostly terrible and reside in a box whose location I’ll never reveal.
I took a break for a bit through college and grad school and raising young
children, but about 17 years ago returned to my fiction worlds and was able to
make it a full-time occupation.
If there was one piece of advice you could give to other writers, what would it be?
Take time to learn your craft. I never realized how much I didn’t know until I
started taking craft classes. Becoming more skilled in the craft has made me love
writing all the more. The ins and out of publishing and marketing are important,
but can’t take the place of skilled writing.
Where can readers follow your writer platform?
https://randombitsoffascination.com/
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMariaGrace
https://www.facebook.com/groups/BlueOrderDragons/
https://www.facebook.com/RandomBitsofFascination