Interview with Tricia Ballad, Author of Daughter of Oreveille

Everyone, please welcome Tricia Ballad, author of Daughter of Oreveille, for a wonderful interview! I just adore her cover.

Tell us your latest news.

Daughter of Oreveille, my debut novel, was released in August, 2013. Book two, Defender of Oreveille, is currently going through the editing process.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I knew I wanted to write stories when I was about four years old. I’ve always been fascinated by stories of magic, and the ability to transport someone to another world was the most powerful magic I could imagine!

Writing has always been a part of who I am, even during those years when the most interesting thing I wrote was a grocery list. I don’t think I really had an epiphany moment when I said, “Now I’m a writer!” any more than I’ve ever woken up and said, “Now I’m human!” It’s just something I’ve always been.

How did you come up with the title?
Social position and identity are core to the world of the Faeland, so I chose to use a shortened version of my main character’s noble title, Daughter of the House of Oreveille, as the title for her story.

Is there a message in Daughter of Oreveille that you want readers to grasp?

When I wrote Daughter of Oreveille, I wanted to redefine and explore the female heroine. I haven’t been able to identify with the strong female lead in many of the books I’ve read, because many of them seem to act more like men in women’s bodies. I wanted to write a more realistic female character, whose strength came from her femininity, not in spite of it.

When I was younger and forming my understanding of the world, I saw a geek culture that was very male-oriented, and if I wanted to hang out with the guys and do something more interesting than talk about make up, I had to fit in - I had to be “one of the guys.” I’m seeing that basic reality changing, and I think it’s great that more girls are stepping up in the geek world and saying, “accept us for who we are.”

I wanted to write a character that those girls could relate to, and to give them an example of a strong woman who understands the need to hide her true self, but who also learns that embracing her identity is far more powerful.

Can you share a little of your current work with us?
I have sample chapters of Daughter of Oreveille available at http://www.DaughterOfOreveille.com.

What paranormal creature would you be and why?
I would love to be one of the Fae!

If you could be any character in fiction, who would you be?

Elizabeth Bennet from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. I love her wit, and yet she’s just as likely to get carried away as any one of her sisters. Except for Jane. Jane is lovely, but I identify with Elizabeth.

If Hollywood made a movie about your life, whom would you like to see play the lead role as you?

Anne Hathaway. I love that she has a strong sense of grace, and yet she does not sugar-coat her opinions when she is standing up for what she believes in.

Blurb: Brianna, Daughter of the House of Oreveille, will inherit everything - if she plays by the rules.

Instead she rejects yet another fine noble of the Faelands in favor of a half-Fae commoner.

How much will Brianna be forced to sacrifice to protect the life - and the man - she has chosen?

She has never been afraid to break the rules, but when she rejects yet another potential husband

from one of the most powerful Houses in Faeland, she risks more than disapproval.

The House of Oreveille has been without a Defend since her father’s death in the jotnar wars. Her mother’s drunkard second husband has neglected his duties; the estate has fallen into decay and rumors are flying that the grand house of Oreveille, protector of the border between Gaia and the Faeland for thousands of years, may soon fall.

Brianna does not intend to repeat her mother’s mistakes, but to save Oreveille she must weigh

the fate of her people, and the safety of the Faeland, against the desires of her heart.

For More Information Visit: TriciaBallad.com

AVAILABLE NOW ON AMAZON

Bio: Tricia Ballad started making up stories as soon as she was old enough to talk, and began writing them down soon after.

When she could not find a story to fit her mood, she wrote one. And in one way or another, she’s been writing ever since.

After spending most of her childhood cavorting with words when she should have been learning algebra, she came up for air in college, did her fair share of stupid things, met the love of her life, and managed to graduate with a degree in creative writing. 

Tricia spent the next decade in a haze of sleep deprivation and diapers. When she finally remembered how to sleep again, she returned to writing stories. Her debut novel, Daughter of Oreveille, was released in August 2013.

Tricia lives in Illinois with her husband, four children, and assorted other creatures. She is fairly certain there is a family of coffee-stealing gnomes hiding in the walls.