Donita K. Paul Blog Author Interview ~ JeanBookNerd

Photo Content from Donita K. Paul

Donita K. Paul retired from teaching and took up the mantle of grandma. She loves her new career as author of stories her grandchildren devour. Winner of multiple awards, she lives in Colorado, enjoying friends and family, pets and beautiful scenery. Her favorite part of writing is the readers.

Print Length: 416 pages
Simultaneous Device Usage: Up to 5 simultaneous devices, per publisher limits
Publisher: Zondervan (December 23, 2014)
Publication Date: December 23, 2014
Sold by: HarperCollins Publishing
Language: English
ASIN: B00J1UJAN8

Can you catch us up from where One Realm Beyond leaves off and Two Renegade Realms begins?

At the end of One Realm Beyond, the evil guild members had blown up the building that housed that illustrious council. Two years have passed at the beginning of Two Renegade Realms. Cantor has been involved in a systematic search for his missing mentors and Kale has been undergoing rigorous training under Dukmee. Their paths cross again when both are called upon to find facts about a potential invasion.

What inspired you to write The Realm Walker series?

I’d been pretty much housebound for some time. Sitting in my Hobbit Hole, I looked over the many things I like about my domicile. I wondered what it would be like to step from my comfortable surroundings, through a portal, and into an exotic setting. Travelling without the hassle of luggage, airport security, and reservations would be convenient. Who wouldn’t like to go adventuring without all the mundane details? I have four seven foot book cases. On those shelves are portals to many worlds. I was gripped by the desire to provide entry into a fantasy world of my own making.

When researching dragons for this series, did you learn anything interesting or exciting about them?

Researching dragons? Really? (Said with sarcasm and a chuckle.) This is actually one of my favorite questions. Sometimes, with students, I launch into the difficulty in this day and age in finding a dragon tack and harness shop. Also the wildlife conservation sites rarely issue permits to the secluded regions where dragons can be watched in the natural habitat. This opens up the discussion of researching myth and lore rather than fact and authenticity. What I love about dragons is that I can endow them with any characteristics I want.

Are there any characters in The Realm Walkers Series that are most like you in real life?

There is a minor character who just wants to be helpful and be part of a bigger picture. I think that is the way I want to fit in to the grand scheme of things.

Are any of the characters based on your own children or family members in any way?

I have a friend who is a bit like Bixby-extremely intelligent but a bit flighty, interested in fashion, crafty, and likely to follow her own inclinations rather than fashion gurus.

As a former teacher, did your experience working with students inspire your writing?

Definitely. If so, in what ways? First, teaching very young children trains you to distill the pure essence of a truth and present it in word pictures that translate well to a child’s thought process. This knack adapts to communication with all ages. Second, interacting with students gives an author a keen sense of what needs to be addressed. What areas of weakness are hindering youth in becoming useful vessels for serving God on the high purpose of life, and on a more earthly plane, being a happy, functional human.

Do you have a favorite character in The Realm Walkers series? If so, what makes this character so special to you?

Bridger, the bumbling dragon. Who doesn’t love a sincere but inept sidekick? His earnest desire to serve is endearing. Cantor’s dismissal of his offer is irritating and evokes sympathy and the desire to see this character exceed expectations. To me this reflects preschoolers with their limited skill set, great potential waiting to be developed, the simple interpretation of their surroundings, and their enthusiasm for “doing.”

Is there a lesson or reflection you would like readers to learn about themselves from The Realm Walkers series?

Fulfill your potential, and always, always give others a helping hand up, rather than blocking or ignoring their climb towards achievement.

Your nickname is “the Dragon Lady”--- what prompted your interest in dragons?

About the only thing I knew about fantasy when I started writing, was dragons showed up in the stories. Honestly, I had no qualifications to write in this genre. Do you have a favorite dragon species to write about? I love the talented mini-dragons in the Chronicles. In Realm Walkers, I’m intrigued by the mor dragons who are shape-shifters and companions to the heroes. And, what can you tell us about the dragon species in The Realm Walkers series? Most mor dragons have three shapes, their normal form, their fleeing form, and their resting form. A mor dragon might shapeshift into fish to help his constant to cross a river, lake, or ocean. Then he might become a goat to blend in with his surroundings and not attract attention. Bridger is phenomenal in his ability to transform himself into a multitude of inanimate objects as well as other animals. His sister pours all her talent into presenting her dragon form in a fashionable array and has forfeited the other two useful forms she might have had.

What’s coming up next in this exciting series?

The last book in the trilogy deals with an ancient prophecy of three realm walkers saving the worlds of their jurisdiction and re-establishing order in the guild. There are plenty of surprises in how this comes to fruition.

If Cantor D’Ahma was stuck on a deserted island and only allowed to take 3 things with him, what would he choose and why?
Realm Walkers don’t get stuck! He’d wait for a portal to open or even create one if needed. When he travels he always has at least three hampers: food, money, and weapons. Just as a side note: Bixby’s three hampers are crowns, clothes, and food.

In book two of the Realm Walkers Series, Cantor, Bixby, and Dukmee must band together to find the storied realm walker Chomountain after the devastating attack by the corrupt Realm Walkers Guild. But what they discover while traveling turns their mission upside down and they must now find a way to restore Chomountain.

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