It is a truth universally acknowledged, that an aspiring author who interviews her writing heroes, must fangirl over said heroes.
Do you like fantasy? Dragons? How about fantasy with dragons? I say, sign me up! If you’ve been around me long enough, you know how much I adore fantasy books. To me, they are like bottomless bowls of popcorn, sprinkled with all sorts of candy goodness. That’s my favorite way of eating treats, when I don’t have to worry about reaching the bottom of the bag. I also love fantasy series that satisfy my every geeky craving.
So I was super happy to meet Stefanie Lozinski after I joined a fantastic group of YA fantasy writers last year. Her fourth book in her Storm and Spire series released last month, and I am so excited to spotlight her this month for you. Check out her entire series below, plus the blurb for book 1, Magnify.
“The dragons have fled the skies.
A noble House is clinging to life.
The God of gods is rising.
As the Envoy of the Four Kingdoms, Wes has had his purpose decided since birth: sacrifice the treasures of the people to the dragon gods, and they will keep Kaveryth safe.
For five years, he’s been forced to watch his Kingdom fall into ruin while carrying an unbearable grief of his own. The Elders insist that they must continue to be faithful to the Dracodei, but Wes is beginning to doubt that their protectors are holding up their end of the bargain.
Despite his misgivings, he continues to fulfill his duty—until he meets a misunderstood dragon who offers him a choice for the first time in his life.
Will he have the courage to make the sacrifice that truly matters?
Doesn’t it sound like it has all the makings of an amazing fantasy epic? I certainly think so. To celebrate her release of book 4, Maker, I asked Stefanie my five author spotlight questions. Check out her answers below:
Why do you write?
I know this is kind of a cliche answer, but I write because I have to, lol. Back in 2020, I had this difficult time where I decided I was going to quit trying to become a novelist (I’d also quit my freelance nonfiction writing jobs that year).
It was just. too. hard.
“I can’t do it!”
“My books are terrible!”
The usual. It was false, and part of me wishes I’d stuck with it at the time, because I’d be in a totally different place today. But honestly, I’m glad I gave myself the permission to take that time away from writing. I didn’t write anything for a full year, fiction or nonfiction. Maybe a little longer than that.
Eventually, though, the deep longing to write came back, and it was such a strong feeling that I couldn’t ignore it. I told myself that if I even published just one book, I’d at least know that I could do it. I’d know what I was giving up.
Needless to say, I haven’t slowed down. I’m currently writing the fifth book in my Storm & Spire series, and I plan to write a whole lot more. I’ve been writing since I was a kid. It’s something I was always meant to do. Walking away made me realize that there’s a hole in my heart when I’m not creating!
What/who inspires you in life (not in your writing, but in general)?
My faith in Jesus Christ lies at the root of everything I do. When things are difficult, I know that I am not alone, and that if I stay faithful to God’s plan, I WILL have the strength to carry out what He asks.
Aside from that, I am so inspired by my husband. We’ve been married for almost three years and I am so thankful every day that he came into my life. He is in the construction industry, and he does a dirty job with long hours to support me and our children. When I don’t feel like writing, I remind myself how blessed I am to have the freedom I do what I love because he makes that happen for our family.
Our two children are also a huge inspiration. I want them to grow up knowing the power of good books, and seeing that perseverance pays off. 🙂
What are some of your favorite things?
Being a wife and mom. Books! I love just having them around me. Our home would feel so empty without them. Coffee. Early mornings. Summer drives. Long walks. To-do lists and my Kanban board. Haha.
What would your perfect day look like and how is it different from your actual everyday?
Honestly, my routine now is pretty great (though there are a couple of tweaks I’ll mention, haha). I get up around 4 every day (I’m more diligent about the time when I’m drafting), brush my teeth, wash my face, get coffee, and say my morning prayers. I sit and write from 5-7, and then I get my kids up. We eat, homeschool, do chores, go for a walk, whatever, and then have lunch.
When my toddler goes for her nap, my oldest has quiet time while I try to get another writing session in, work on admin work, etc. Then my husband comes home, we eat dinner, and usually hang out as a family. Then early bedtime for me, haha.
I’m a big homebody and introvert, and very type A, so the predictability really makes me happy. It also keeps me fairly productive in my writing career.
That said, I’d LOVE some more variety of location – like being able to work in a coffee shop a couple times a week. Being able to afford a real vacation once and a while would be awesome, too. And I am pretty excited for when my children are older and I don’t have to work around their schedule quite so much. I’m 100% a morning person, so in an ideal world, I’d try and get my entire word count in before lunch.
If you could invite a group of writers (dead or alive) to a tea party, who would it be?
Well, I’d definitely love to get the authors of the Gospels together. That would be pretty great! I’d also love to actually get to meet my writer friends in person. We could have a totally epic tea party, and dragons could possibly be involved.
Those were great! I am all for dragons being involved. And if I may say so myself, early morning writing is the most productive time for me to write as well. No other time of the day compares to it.
To connect with Stefanie, you can follow her through her IG and Facebook pages, or simply sign up for her newsletter (or join her ARC Team).
I also asked Stefanie two bonus questions for my VIP Circle subscribers: What does her editorial process look like? And what advise does she have for young writers? If you want to read those answers, and enter the giveaway below, join my VIP Circle here.
To celebrate her latest release in her Storm and Spire series, I put together a a super cute giveaway to share with you. It includes:
- A paperback copy of Storm and Spire’s book 4.
- A handmade brown leather bookmark with feather and medieval axe ornaments.
- A handmade pink leather bookmark with tassel and dagger ornaments.
- Three flowery bookish stickers.
This giveaway will run until April 22nd and a winner will be randomly selected through my VIP Circle by April 24th. Open to U.S. residents only. Good luck!
Did you like this post? Then consider joining my VIP Circle and don’t miss out on all my additional content (monthly messages, inspirational quotes, bookish recommendations, giveaways, and much more!). Click HERE.
And if you want to collaborate with me don’t be shy. I love to work with fellow writers, spotlight authors, and host writing challenges. I’ve also been known to swap short critiques on occasion. Reach to me here.
M.C. Muhlenkamp 
Thank you so much for having me and for the thought provoking questions! 😀 It’s always so fun to get to talk writing. I’m sure everyone I know in real life is sick of it by now, haha
Thank for answering them! I’ll talk writing with you all day any day 🤣.
Followed your site and signed up for the newsletter 🙂 Stefanie’s series is fantastic and I’m excited about your giveaway. (The tea party question is so fun and cute!)
I’m so glad you enjoyed the spotlight! Thanks for following and good luck 🤞🏻