C. B. Lyall - Magical Repercussions After Helping Witches

C. B. Lyall - Magical Repercussions After Helping Witches
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CB Lyall grew up in the UK, but has since has lived in New York, India, Belgium and Hong Kong. Despite her undiagnosed childhood dyslexia CB Lyall has published two novels - The Virus of Beauty - Book 1 and The Veil of Corruption - Book 2 in her three-book YA Fantasy Series. As our Author of the Day, she tells us all about The Veil of Corruption. 

Please give us a short introduction to what The Veil of Corruption is about.

Wilf hates magic. Witches and wizards are disappearing as the veil spell weaves its way through the Magical Realm. Wilf should be a hero for saving the witches, but instead, he's being accused of causing the spell's corruption. The Witch Council is preparing to hand him over to the wizards. To make matters worse, Wilf and Katryna's attraction is causing Ermentrude to research a vow cure.

What inspired you to write about someone who is accused of corrupting a spell after saving witches?

How could I not include corruption as the series covers the witches' political struggles against a wizard-controlled ruling council? Wilf gained access to unlimited magic in book one, The Virus of Beauty, but doesn’t possess the skills to use magic safely. In trying to save the Veil Spell, he added the wrong type of magic. The result is the spell has developed, and no longer follows its mandate.

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Tell us more about Wilf. What makes him tick?

Wilf loves that he’s accepted by his Normal friends and they believe he’s the goal striking superstar the team needs to win the Asia Youth Championship. At home, he feels like a failure. His father, Reginald, doesn’t understand why Wilf refuses to learn how to control and use magic. Wilf wants his father’s approval, but using magic terrifies him, because he thinks he accidentally caused his mother’s death with it.

Why do you write Fantasy? What drew you to the genre?

I had undiagnosed childhood dyslexia and my world-shattering event was having to read aloud in front of the class at aged 8. That year, I used to take the same book out of the library every week until I learned it by heart. It was a book about Fairy Tales. It felt that the book was magical for me, and it saved me. I also love the freedom of writing fantasy and creating my own world and rules.

Besides writing, what other secret skills do you have?

I’m super organized. You must be when you move around the world with three children. I’m also an avid golfer, although I only started playing on a regular basis five years ago. I love it.

Readers say they were captivated right from the start. How did you pull this off?

The beginning of a story is the hardest part. As a writer, this needs the most revisions to hit the right balance between orientating the reader where the story is taking place, who the main character is, and drawing the reader into the story. It’s gratifying when you pull this off and readers tell you it works.

Does creating surreal worlds and enigmatic scenes come with any particular problems? If so, how do you deal with it?

I love creating my own worlds. I have a binder with all the rules of society and magic that I must obey when writing the series. Sometimes it would be easier to disregard the rules to make the story easier to write, but in the long run consistency to how society works it key to making the world believable for readers.

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This is a photo of Hong Kong where the books are set. I lived there for 4 years.

What did you have the most fun with while writing Veil of Corruption?

I had the most fun with writing the twist and turns of the plot and taking it in unexpected places. I also love writing Ermentrude’s no-nonscience character. She’s a blast.

This is Book 2 of the Virus of Beauty Series. Can it be read as a standalone? How does it tie in with the other books in the series?

I think there are enough details at the beginning of Book 2 that readers can jump in there. The story really continues from the first book to the last. It’s a trilogy with cliffhangers at the end of the first two books.

Do any of your characters ever take off on their own tangent, refusing to do what you had planned for them?

The characters have a life of their own, but usually this is in the early plotting stage. When I sit down to write, we’ve usually agreed on how they’re going to behave through the story.

Does the book have an underlying message? What do you hope readers will take away from this?

The books are about the need for balance in life. No one group should have control over another. This leads to power struggles, corruption, and abuse of privilege.

Do you have any interesting writing habits? What is an average writing day like for you?

I like to write in the afternoon and usually will sit down at 2pm for 3-4 hours on weekdays. I’m a tea drinking and drink gallons while I’m writing.

What are you working on right now?

I’m in the revision stages of the last book in this series, The Vassel of Magic. It will be published in May 2022. I’m excited to hear what readers think of the ending.

Where can our readers discover more of your work or interact with you?

Readers can sign up for my newsletter and find out more about me at cblyall.com I’m also on twitter @cblyall, FB @CarolynBLyall, Instagram @cblyallauthor I also have a few iTunes podcasts: Story_Hub by C. B. Lyall https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/story-hub-with-c-b-lyall/id151000…