| Kyra Halland | Kyra Halland | <div class="ExternalClassC12F091B3BC74F4BB64C268F87EE236A"><h2>
<a href="https://phoenix.overdrive.com/phoenix-phoenixpl/content/media/4503339" target="_blank">Beneath the Canyons: Daughter of the Wildlings Book 1 by Kyra Halland</a></h2><p>
Kyra Halland has always loved fantasy, and she's always loved romance. She could never find novels that combine these two in the way she craved, so she decided to write her own. She writes tales of magical worlds where strong, smart, feminine heroines and honorable, complicated heroes find love, and through their love save their world and each other.</p><p>
Kyra Halland is the pen name of a fantasy author living in southern Arizona. She grew up in Tempe, Arizona, where she earned a bachelor's degree in Music Education and an M.A. in Music History and Literature from Arizona State University. For the past three decades, she has resided in Tucson with her attorney husband, whom she met at ASU. She is also a mom and mom-in-law, proud grandma, and devoted cat servant. </p><h3>
Q + A</h3><h4> What inspired you to write this book? </h4><p>
<em>Beneath the Canyons</em> started as an experiment in combining my favorite genre, fantasy, with the traditions of the western. I wanted to put the familiar western elements into a world that isn't ours, where magic is pervasive and well-known. To me, fantasy and western were made to go together. The struggle between good and evil; epic journeys where simply surviving is a victory; the hero with extraordinary skills and strengths, a loner, who has his own mission in life and his own moral code that doesn't necessarily fit with the accepted conventions; the contrast between the down and dirty struggle for survival that was life in the Old West and the otherworldly wonder of magic, and between the rough technology of the late 1800s and the traditions of magic and fantasy. I was also inspired by the landscapes of the West - rugged desert hills and dry riverbeds, grassy rangelands, and snow-covered peaks and evergreen forests. These landscapes hold deep secrets and power and history, and demand the utmost in skill and courage of those who journey or live there.</p><h4>
What attracted you to this genre: romance, mystery, non-fiction, etc.? </h4><p>
I've always loved fantasy. When I was a child, my father read
<em>The Hobbit</em> and
<em>The Wind in the Willows</em> out loud to me and my siblings.
<em>The Prydain Chronicles</em> by Lloyd Alexander and the
<em>Earthsea Trilogy</em> by Ursula K. Leguin are some of my other favorite books from childhood. I'm drawn to the sense of wonder, the chance to go on adventures and explore worlds beyond our own, the heroism, and the magic! I enjoy reading about ordinary people with extraordinary gifts doing extraordinary things. In fantasy, there really are no limits to what can be done. <br><br> I've also always loved reading about two people who fall in love and overcome the odds to reach their happily ever after. <br><br> The combination of romance and fantasy draws me because love is such a powerful motivation, and showing characters in love, in a developing or committed relationship, shows sides of them that otherwise might be passed over as they struggle to save the world or whatever the fantasy story is about. It makes the characters more well-rounded and more sympathetic, and raises the stakes in the story. Saving the world is a huge thing; saving it for the people you love - sweetheart, spouse, children, family members, friends - makes it a lot more personal. I also like exploring how the development of the relationship and the fantasy quest affect each other, and how the couple deals with the challenges they face as they work together to achieve their goal of saving the world.</p><h4>
What book are you currently reading? </h4><p>
I'm currently reading
<em>Fierce Hearts</em>, a romantic fantasy charity anthology to raise funds for Ukraine humanitarian relief. I have a story in this anthology. It's an honor to be part of
<em>Fierce Hearts</em> with many of my author colleagues who also write romantic fantasy.</p><h4>
Are you writing anything now? If so, when will it come out? </h4><p>
I'm currently in edits on
<em>Storm of Magic</em>, book 3 of the
<em>Mage of Storm and Sea</em> series. I really can't say when it'll be out; it's a big book. Later this year, is the best I can say. I'm also writing the first draft of the next
<em>Wildings</em> series,
<em>Children of the Wildings</em>. No idea when that will come out. I'm aiming for starting sometime next year.</p><h4>
If you weren't a writer, what would you do? </h4><p>
Being a writer is actually the perfect career for me, and after I started writing, I realized I had never really wanted to do anything else. I enjoy scrapbooking and paper crafts, so if I didn't spend so much time writing I would probably do more of that. Also, my house would probably be a lot cleaner!</p><h4>
Do you use your local library? If so, which library is it and what do you do there? </h4><p>My local library system is the Pima County Public Library. I don't read much on paper any more, so I enjoy being able to borrow eBooks from the library.</p></div><br> |
