Hey there word nerds! Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing K.S. Villoso who writes speculative fiction with a focus on deeply personal themes and character-driven narratives. Much of her work is inspired by her childhood in the slums of Taguig, Philippines. She now lives amidst the forest and mountains of Vancouver, Canada with her husband, children, and dogs. Her novel, The Wolf of Oren-Yaro is a gripping adventure about a queen, trying to unite her divided kingdom, even though everybody hates her.
In this episode K.S. and I discuss:
- The inspiration behind The Wolf of Oren-Yaro
- Building on a previous series
- Creating a deeply flawed character that readers can still root for
- The interplay between the external and internal journey of the protagonist
- Meeting genre expectations in a new way
- Building a world through character
Plus, her #1 tip for writers.
About K.S. Villoso
K. S. Villoso writes speculative fiction with a focus on deeply personal themes and character-driven narratives. Much of her work is inspired by her childhood in the slums of Taguig, Philippines. She is now living amidst the forest and mountains with her husband, children, and dogs in Vancouver, Canada. Visit her website or connect with her on Twitter or Facebook.
The Wolf of Oren-Yaro
Born under the crumbling towers of her kingdom, Queen Talyien was the shining jewel and legacy of the bloody War of the Wolves. It nearly tore her nation apart. But her arranged marriage to the son of a rival clan heralds peace.
However, he suddenly disappears before their reign can begin, and the kingdom is fractured beyond repair.
Years later, he sends a mysterious invitation to meet. Talyien journeys across the sea in hopes of reconciling their past. An assassination attempt quickly dashes those dreams. Stranded in a land she doesn’t know, with no idea whom she can trust, Talyien will have to embrace her namesake.
A Wolf of Oren-yaro is not tamed.
If you decide to check out the book, we hope you’ll do so via this Amazon affiliate link, where if you choose to purchase via the link DIY MFA gets a referral fee at no cost to you. As always, thank you for supporting DIY MFA!
Link to Episode 292
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