Natalie Wright - Magic, Mystery, and Court Intrigue

Natalie’s fantasy transports readers to epic worlds of mages and rogues, dragons and dragomancers, magic, mystery, and court intrigue. Her debut epic fantasy, Season of the Dragon, was named a Top 10 Indie Epic Fantasy by BookShop.org and Ingram. Currently putting the finishing touches on The Spring Dragon, book two of the Dragos Primeri series, Natalie is excited for its release on March 1, 2025. She lives in Arizona with her husband and two cat overlords and visits her college-age son frequently in NYC.  As our Author of the Day, she tells us all about her book, Season of the Dragon.

Please give us a short introduction to what Season of the Dragon is about.

Born cursed with a second shadow soul, Quen is a misfit in her small village. Animals are frightened by her, and people often avoid her due to her oddities. She awaits an envoy to deliver her acceptance to the Pillar to study water magic as her father did.

But Quen’s life is forever changed when a dragon destroys her village and kills loved ones. Burning with the need for vengeance, Quen joins vigilantes hunting the dragon. But Quen soon discovers SHE is the one being hunted as factions vie to control her growing power.

Season of the Dragon features an incredibly detailed world filled with magic, dragons, and court intrigue. What inspired the creation of Indrasi and the Dragos Primeri series?

The initial inspiration for Indrasi came from a science story. I read an article about a solar system which had two suns, but one was small and orbited the larger sun in an asymmetrical orbit similar to how Pluto orbits our sun. Inspired by this, I wrote a poem entitled “To Dance with Lumine.” It was the “origin” story for the gods on this world—the two suns and the moon.

From that initial seed, the worldbuilding and story creation go hand-in-hand. As I write, characters reference animals, religion, money, places, etc., and I work that into the story. This makes the writing process slow, but hopefully leads to a world that feels organic and richly detailed.

The Dragos Sol'iberi cult plays a significant role in the story. How did you develop the lore surrounding the dragon gods and their primal souls?

From the beginning, I knew the story would contain a dragon cult. The full development of the Dragos Sol’iberi, though, didn’t get fleshed out until I wrote that section of the book (the last 1/3). Because the Primal dragons are ancient, I liked the idea that this cult of shapeshifting women had been around nearly as long and had secret knowledge about dragons—and the ability to control them.

That last piece—that dragons can be controlled—is part of the “brakes” I put on the dragons not being so overpowered (magically speaking) that they could just wipe out humans. Then there would be no conflict!

From the start, I wanted to work with elemental magic and tie the dragons to that magic. I practice Feng Shui, and the magic system and dragon lore in the book is tied to my Feng Shui practice—the combination of elements tied to seasons comes from that practice.

The mythology in your book feels ancient and layered. Did you draw from any specific cultures, myths, or historical periods to craft the magical and political systems in Season of the Dragon?

The world of Menauld isn’t based on one specific Earth culture or time period. Instead, everything I’ve learned/seen/read over the years goes into the brain blender! I studied art history in college, and love to study world culture, history, and mythology, so that definitely is an influence readers may see in my work.

I live in the desert southwest of America, so I drew on my experience to develop the Sulmére—Quen’s home province. But the desert in Season of the Dragon is more like the Sahara (rather than the Sonoran) desert—sands sweeping across dunes and extremely sparse vegetation. I drew inspiration from nomadic cultures of the Sahara but also medieval-period Mongolian culture and ancient Egypt.

A lot of fantasy stories stay in one general location/country, and rarely hop continents. By the end of the Dragos Primeri series, I hope to show readers ALL of the world! The region we’ll travel to in book two is inspired by Iceland, Norway, and Alaska. The big cities we’ll explore in book three will resemble cities in Italy, Spain, and France.

Like our own world, the world of Menauld is vast and diverse!

Quen’s dual soul is a fascinating concept. What inspired you to explore the idea of someone carrying two souls, and how does this dynamic shape her as a character?

Perhaps because I have always struggled with integrating my two sides—I’m a lawyer (logical) but also a writer (creative)—duality tends to show up in my writing quite a lot.

In this story, Quen confronts her father about whether he truly loves her if he wants her to suppress her “shadow” soul. She asks him, “How can you say you love me when you won’t see the truth of me?” This question forms the core of who Quen is, and will be something that haunts her into future books too.

The idea of being “seen”—of being loved for who we truly are—I think is relatable. It’s the thing that readers mention the most when they meet me at book events. I hope that my exploration of this idea throughout the series is satisfying to readers.

Animals fear Quen due to her second soul. How did you use this element to highlight themes of isolation and identity throughout the book?

You introduce a slow-burn romance in the narrative. How did you decide on the tone and development of this romance alongside the high-stakes fantasy adventure?

This is a five-book series, and the Quen and Aldewin relationship provides the emotional spine to the entire series. With five books, you can’t have everything worked out and tidy by the end of book one! So in Season of the Dragon, readers get a start to their relationship, but there’s much more to come!

The Dragos Primeri series has other romances as well. The character Shel meets a new love interest in book two (The Spring Dragon), and we’ll dive deeper into the relationship between Rhoji and Eira (and introduce some serious complications there!) in book three (working title, The Sons of Summer).

While romance doesn’t drive the primary plot, the relationships—familial, platonic, romantic—are very important in the book. I love writing relationships!

Your world-building is intricate and detailed. How do you go about organizing such a vast and complex universe? Do you use outlines or other methods to keep everything consistent?

I don’t! 😂

Seriously, I have notebooks filled with handwritten notes, drawings, scribbles, etc. But for The Spring Dragon (releasing March 1, 2025), I used the worldbuilding and organization tools of Campfire app. Campfire has become indispensible to keep the vast library of info I’m creating organized. And, all the worldbuilding for The Spring Dragon will be available to readers on the Campfire Reading app when the book launches.

Season of the Dragon has been praised for its crisp prose and clear storytelling. How do you maintain a balance between rich world-building and keeping the narrative accessible to readers?

It’s not easy! Mainly it takes lots of read throughs and revisions. I’m not afraid to axe huge chunks (at one point the book was over 160,000 words but by the end it was about 113,000 words). Reading the manuscript loud to myself helps, and I cut anything that doesn’t move the story or add necessary information.

You’ve announced that The Spring Dragon will release in 2025. Can you give us any hints about what we can expect from the sequel and how Quen’s story will evolve?

I’m so excited about this book—I can hardly keep a lid on it! It’s difficult to discuss without spoilers for book 1, but readers can expect to journey beyond Indrasi. And, there will be chapters from the point of view of one of the dragons. Yes, the dragons have a culture and relationships of their own. After 1000 years in hibernation, dragons are in a partying mood!

And be ready for a fascinating romance between two of the dragons that I absolutely love writing. I hope readers love it too.

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

I’m most active on Instagram, but also active on Threads, Facebook, and TikTok. My handle is @NatalieWrightAuthor on all platforms.

For readers who love seeing vibes and aesthetics, they can check out my Pinterest boards for the books.

For deep dives into my content, all my story extras are on Campfire Reading App (character backgrounds, character art, worldbuilding, lore, etc.).

For my tour/appearance schedule, as well as my online store to purchase special editions and signed copies, readers can view my website: www.NatalieWrightAuthor.com