The League of Scribes: Interview With Lea Doue

Each week, The L. Palmer Chronicles calls upon the Seven Samurai Dwarves to bring you a member of The League of Scribes.

The League of Scribes is a legendary group of authors who write grand adventures in the realms of science fiction and fantasy. They are able to write rich, compelling stories while keeping content in the PG –PG-13 range.

If you have been on a quest to find clean sci-fi and fantasy novels, you have reached the right place.

This week, we present:

Lea Doue

Otherwise known by her Code Name: Soda Cat

Because I’ve got a weakness for Cherry Coke and cats.

About the Author:

A native of south Georgia, Lea currently lives in Nova Scotia, Canada with her husband, their two boys, a rescue greyhound, and a cat. But, sadly, no dragons. Homeschooling and writing take up most of her time, but she also enjoys directing a small puppet team at her church. The Firethorn Crown, a re-imagining of Grimm’s “The Twelve Dancing Princesses,” is the first novel in the Firethorn Chronicles, a series inspired by fairy tales and other stories.

Lea Doue’s Work

The Firethorn Crown (Firethorn Chronicles 1)

Princess Lily, the eldest of twelve sisters and heir to a mighty kingdom, desperately seeks a break from her mother’s matchmaking. Tradition forbids marriage with the man Lily loves, so she would rather rule alone than marry someone who only wants the crown.

Fleeing an overzealous suitor, Lily stumbles into a secret underground kingdom where she and her sisters encounter a mysterious sorcerer-prince and become entangled in a curse that threatens the safety of her family and her people. Lily can free them, but the price for freedom may be more than she’s willing to pay.

The Firethorn Crown, a re-imagining of “The Twelve Dancing Princesses,” is the first in the Firethorn Chronicles, a series of stand-alone novels inspired by fairy tales and other stories. Follow the sisters on their adventures in a land where sorcery is feared, women can rule, and dragons fly.

Interview

Who would love your books?

Anyone who likes fairy tales (and dragons!). Anyone who’s not into trilogies—each princess will have her own story and each book will be a stand-alone with a definite ending, but with elements and characters linking them all together. Anyone who wants their damsel in distress to have a part in saving herself.

What was the inspiration for your series?

The Firethorn Crown is the first in The Firethorn Chronicles. It was inspired by The Twelve Dancing Princesses, and each of the following books will be loosely based on fairy tales and other classic literature.

What authors or books inspire you most?

So many! But especially anything by Robin McKinley. I’ve read most of her books and short story collections multiple times. It was her book The Hero and the Crown that first made me want to be a writer when I was twelve. I also read and enjoyed a lot of Greek mythology and Shakespeare in university (don’t ask me any trivia on those, though—it’s been a while).

Would you rather ride a galactic unicorn or a space dinosaur? Why?

Galactic unicorn, because I already have dragons, which are kinda like dinosaurs.

When did you decide to be a professional writer?

I remember the exact moment. It was a few days before a significant birthday, and I thought, “I haven’t written my book, yet.” And then I started. It took just over a year to get it written, and eight more months to get it edited and out into the world.

Are you a planner, a discovery writer, or a hybrid?

I daydream on paper (lots of “what-if” questions), then build my characters and discover who they are, which helps shape the plot. Once I have a jumble of scenes, some random dialogue, and a basic story, I outline. For The Firethorn Crown, I outlined every single scene and then wrote from that. So, hybrid, I guess.

What is your number one piece of advice for aspiring writers?

Don’t compare your writing to that of anyone else.

Where do your books fall on the Rating Scale of PG to PG-13 Content (1 = How To Train Your Dragon, 8 = The Dark Knight, 10 = Borderline-R-Rating).

Maybe two.

If you could own one magic or sci-fi object or technology, what would you choose and why?

A transporter, so I could visit my family whenever I wanted.