In her “retirement” at The Garlands, Dorothy Winsor pursues a second career as a young adult fiction author. To date, she has published seven books, including her most recent novel, Dragoncraft, a tale of duty, love, and the precarious dance between power and loyalty.
Turns out Dorothy’s readership extends from “young adult” to “mature adult” as several of her Garlands neighbors who joined her for The Garlands September 2024 Dragoncraft release party can attest. Not only do her neighbors purchase books for their young adult grandchildren, but they also enjoy diving into her work themselves!
Says one Garlands reviewer, “I am not an avid novel reader, but Dorothy’s descriptive writing style put me in the workshop, the village, etc., and I could really visualize the characters. The twists and turns of this mystery fantasy were clever, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading her work.”
The journey from concept to Winsor’s most recently published book took about six years. The experienced parent and author jokes that the process is “like sending a kid out the door and off to fend for themselves in college!”
In addition to reading from her latest book, Dorothy shared insights into her life as an author, and a few “between-the-pages” notes about the creation of her latest work with her Garlands neighbors at the release party and, subsequently, in her own words, on this blog.
The idea for Dragoncraft came from a character named Addy, who appeared in my previous book, Glass Girl. Addy was the love interest for the point-of-view character, Emlin, so he wasn’t central, and yet readers told me that every time he appeared, the page “lit up.” As it happened, I, too, was fond of Addy, so, I wanted to write more about him. I suspect many writers create characters they want to write about again. That’s one way we get book series.
But an engaging character is not enough to sustain a book. I had to create an interesting plot that made the most of what’s appealing in Addy.
I needed to ask two questions:
- What vulnerabilities did Addy have that a plot could exploit?
- And what strengths did he bring that could, in turn, shape the plot?
What vulnerabilities could a plot exploit?
Addy’s vulnerabilities are part of his appeal. Despite our attraction to heroes, we often like vulnerable characters because we can empathize and more easily identify with them.
Addy’s mother died and his father rejected him. His older brother, who is now the ruler, is the only person who has loved him his whole life. His history of being unloved leaves him emotionally vulnerable. I could play on that vulnerability to generate plot
What strengths does Addy bring that could shape the plot?
Because Addy has always sensed that family secrets have been kept from him, he’s nosy. And, he’s smart. These two qualities suit him to be a scholar or, as his brother prefers, a spy. Less admirably, but potentially good for plot, he lies easily and well. He also has a dry sense of humor that readers liked.
What plot elements do these vulnerabilities and strengths suggest?
These strengths and weakness suggest opportunities for both internal and external conflict. Aha! Plot!
Addy’s love for his powerful brother is ripe for being exploited by the brother. Also, in Glass Girl, Emlin’s father betrayed Addy’s brother. If Addy is snooping around, as his brother wants, that’s a perfect setup for learning things about Emlin and her father that could tear them apart.
In other words, Addy’s desire for love can cause a lot of pain if I put his brother in conflict with his girl. And a character in both internal and external conflict is usually one we enjoy reading about.
I wound up writing about conflicting loyalties and how they work on a person who, for most of his life, has had no one to back him up. So, he has our sympathy. But he’s clever at what he does, so we respect him. I also let the character be his funny, clumsy, and unconventional self. I hope readers enjoy the result.
~ Dorothy
Dragoncraft is available at all online bookstores, including Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
