Chandelle LaVaun - Fantasy with Non-Stop Action & Adventure

Chandelle was born and raised in South Florida. She is the ultimate fangirl. Her favorite things in life are dogs, pizza, slurpees, and anything that sparkles. She suffers from wanderlust and hopes to travel to every country in the world one day.  As our Author of the Day, she tells us all about her book, Elemental Magic.

Please give us a short introduction to what Elemental Magic is about.

Elemental Magic is a Young Adult Urban Fantasy series featuring a fierce sharp-witted heroine, a swoon-worthy hero worthy of being your newest book boyfriend, magic you’ll wish was real, and an epic heart-wrenching forbidden romance. This series has everything: witches, shifters, vampires, the fae, a magical academy, and tons of action & adventure. It follows the story of two twin 16-year-old girls who were separated as babies and now are discovering each other and that they are the center of a centuries-old prophecy where they just might destroy the world forever.

The Coven Saga consists of seasons, much like your favorite tv shows, and designed for you to binge read. If read in order they all connect to one larger story, however, they were designed so they could be read separately. You can start this saga with any of the books from any of the seasons: Elemental Magic, Academy Magic, Fae Magic, or Vampire Magic.

What inspired you to create this series? Was there anything in particular that made you want to tackle this?

Back in 2009, after years of struggling to find a career/education track that felt right I finally got back into reading. There were three book series that changed my life and opened my eyes to something I never knew I was missing : twilight, The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare, and The Black Dagger Brotherhood Series by JR Ward. Before these books I only read Agatha Christie. Finding urban fantasy and paranormal romance let me escape stress of reality. They made daydreaming so much more fun. When I started writing this series I asked myself “if I was a witch with magical powers, what would I like those to be? If I could design my dream guy (ignoring the whole teenager part) what would he look like? Act like?” That’s how the adventure of Elemental Magic started and then it took on a life of its own.

Tell us more about Tegan. What makes her tick?

Tegan is a curious kitten. She’s brilliant and a little bit devious - but not in a bad way. She’s a mental chess player. She’s always one step ahead of everyone because she never stops thinking. She’s the nerdy book girl most of us readers are. For Tegan, she spent her whole life wishing magic was real…and then one day it was. Some heroines are shy and timid, some are terrified of their new life, but not Tegan. Every single day she wakes up excited because magic is real. She does not fear her new abilities and that gives her strength and confidence to go for it. She’s extremely loyal to her family and friends. She’s empathetic and knows how to put herself in other people’s shoes and see things from their eyes, this makes her patient and kind.

What makes Tennessee such a great love interest?

Tennessee, in my opinion, is what girl’s mean when they say they like “bad boys” lol on the outside he’s alarmingly attractive. His aura is both magnetic and intimidating, and therefore exciting. He’s a rule breaker. He’s the quiet brooding type glaring at people from the corner with his arms crossed over his chest. But on the inside he’s a mushy teddy bear. He’s kind and patient, he would die for his family. He loves with his whole heart, there’s no gray area there. If you’re in his circle you are his circle.

Besides writing, what other secret skills do you have?

I’m actually a visual artist. I went to a performing arts school for middle and high school where I studied all things fine art. My favorites are drawing and photography. Give me some colored pencils or chalk pastels and you wont see me until my hands cramp up.

Why Young Adult Fantasy? What drew you to the genre?

I love Young Adult fantasy because there’s an innocence that’s lost in adulthood. The characters haven’t been beaten by life yet, they’re not bitter and stressed over a 40 hour work week at a desk inside a cubicle with no windows to the outside world. Everything is exciting. Particularly first love. When I read books I want to escape from the pressures of life so I want to write books for people like me.

Which book in the series is your personal favorite and why?

I will always have a soft spot for The Lost Witch because it’s book one, and those are always so much fun to read and write. Before the conflicts get too serious and dangerous. And I love the last book in the series, The Aether Witch, because the magic was fun to write and all the characters cared so much for each other. But my favorite is book four, The Broken Witch. I don’t want to give spoilers, but that plot line was SO much fun to write. I waited years to write that book and I loved every second of it.

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

The main characters? No. The side characters? Usually. Hahaha. I have severe OCD so I plot my books out heavily. I know my characters in and out, and I can’t think of a time when they ran away from my plan. The side characters tend to try and steal the attention of the scene, which is never planned but never a bad thing.

The books have quite a few twists and turns, did you plan it all out before you started writing, or did some of it just "happen" along the way?

As I stated in the previous question, I have severe OCD so I outline my books in color-coded detail. Chapter by chapter. To the point where I even write in my outline the date and time of each scene. I wish I was kidding. So I would say 95% of what I write is planned far, far in advance. For example, The Coven Saga will be 45 books in total, there are things that happened in book one that will play out in book 45. That being said, I always allow flexibility for myself. If I get an idea along the way that changes my plan I will let the plan change and adapt.

Is there an underlying message you wish to relay about basic human nature through your characters?

Wow, that’s a great question. I would say kindness, compassion, acceptance, and a whole lot of patience. I have a whole variety of characters from all different walks of life and love, and for me, it’s important to show that all humans deserve human rights and acceptance. I never get political in my books, we get enough of that on the news, but I want everyone to feel welcome and loved with my characters.

What is an average writing day like for you? Any interesting writing habits?

I’m an insomniac vampire, despite years of trying to change it. For me, writing is the easiest at night. Something happens to my brain when the sun goes down. Before the pandemic I was a workaholic - I still am, but now I’m a lot nicer to myself and my schedule. Unless I’m under a tight deadline, I give myself a few days off per week where I don't even open my computer. And if I stare at a blank screen for too many hours trying to remember what words are then I let myself shut the computer and tap out for the day. I worked myself into a serious burnout that I’m two years into trying to get out of. But when I do write, it’s either on the couch or in my bed with snacks and my puppies invading my personal space. Recently I discovered there are streaming channels on my Roku called “fireplace dreams” where I can choose from a variety of videos of fireplaces, bonfires, campfires, etc. There’s even one with a Christmas tree and snow. It makes the perfect background noise to drown out my overactive brain. Right now, I’m obsessed with the “ancient library” video with a fireplace inside a library and a thunderstorm outside.

What are you working on right now?

Right now I am working on about four books simultaneously haha. The first is the first book in a brand new adult paranormal romance series called Queen of Death. The second is The Blood Witch, The Coven: Vampire Magic Book 1. The third is a lighthearted Christmas paranormal romance called Trim My Tree, and the fourth is Fiery Fae, the second book in The Night Realm: Court Marked trilogy - both of those are books I cowrite with my best friend Megan Montero.

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

I’m on all the social media platforms - or the ones an elder millennial would know about LOL. I’m on instagram, where you’ll see pictures of my dogs mostly. Pinterest, where I have boards for all of my books so fans can see the images that inspired me. I’m on tiktok, but I’m terrible at it. Honestly, the best place to find me is in my reader group on Facebook called Chandwitches. I’m in there all day interacting with fans. It’s a really fun place to be, I have an amazing group of loyal fans. Plus I post art of my characters, fantasy castings in there (using real celebrity pics), and bonus scenes on occasion. The Link to that is Facebook.com/groups/chandwitches.

I’d also love to point readers towards my website where I have a lot of merchandise and art made custom just for all of my books. I also sell “The Coven : Insider’s Guide” which gives all the details about characters and the world and bonus scenes, along with FAQ for me. It was made by request of my fans, available on KU and kindle.

Also, when you subscribe to my newsletter (chandellelavaun.com/subscribe) you get a free prequel novella that takes place immediately before the start of book one and is written entirely in Tennessee’s point of view.