An Interview with Shelby Oval

Have you ever gone on a hike that was really, really, really, long? Well, the conception of Out of Embers and Shadows was on said type of hike when Shelby Oval’s partner dragged her twenty miles into the mountains of Slovenia. The only way she could push through the gruelling hike? Dragons. She imagined having her own and soaring above the clouds, and once she made it to the top, she imagined riding it back down to the ground. From the hike, Oval began to play with the idea of dragons and war, building a world that would quickly become the baseline for Out of Embers and Shadows.
While Oval is a teacher by day, she is fighting wars, falling in love, and building worlds by night as she furthers her Shadowfire adventures. She loves to read fantasy and explore the different worlds other authors have created which is why she got a master’s in literature from the University of Glasgow—it was all for the books! If you can’t find her reading or teaching or writing, then her partner has probably dragged her on another hike up another mountain—which means another book is sure to come soon!

The Shadowfire series is just one of many projects she is working on so there are plenty more opportunities to read her works. So whether you enjoy hiking or not, let’s all hope Shelby Oval’s partner keeps dragging her on outdoor adventures!

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What inspired you to start writing this book?

Okay, so basically what is in my author bio—I was on a long hike with my partner in some tall ups (aka mountains) and I was NOT having a god time. I do not like to go to the up as it is to much up (not the heights, but the fact that you have to walk up to them … I’m a tad lazy in that regard). So to pass the time on this gruelling hike, I started rambling off some of the ‘bad movies’ I was having and one of them was actually coherent enough to be a real story. Thus, the Shadowfire series was born!

Tell us the story of your book’s current title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

So each of my book titles (in my Shadowfire series, that is) ends with the word shadows as that’s our FMC Lora. The other parts relate to her different relationships with the other characters or based on what is happening in the book. So, book one, Out of Embers and Shadows, follows Lora (the shadows) as she copes with the embers of a friendship she thought long-extinguished, leading her to try and rekindle it and others!

Describe your dream book cover.

I am actually a VERY picky cover gal. My cover artist I have, bless him, has to redo them over and over because the tiniest part will ruin it to me. That being said, I do love them and love that they are consistent! Dream cover? Definitely the Mirror of Erised from Harry Potter—that way the cover can look how YOU want it to look.

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

I think about this all the time. I have songs that inspire different scenes in my books. For example, the song Sword Sparring by Ghostwriter is what I played on repeat while writing a scene in book two, and Safe With Me by Ike Dweck is for sure an internal monologue of one of my MMCs toward my FMC.

What books are you reading (for research or comfort) as you continue the writing process?

I have a (probably unhealthy) obsession with Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. I have read it over six times in the past three years and it makes me cry every time. I think—and I say this often—that it is the most beautiful book ever written. Other than fangirling over Patroclus, I also like to reread the books that got me into fantasy, so Throne of Glass (book four and after … really just for Rowan), A Court of Mist and Fury, A Legacy of Poison and Lies, and From Blood and Ash.

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

I hold two master’s degrees—one in literature from the University of Glasgow and one in middle level education from Converse University (USA). I am a middle school English, social studies, and drama teacher by trade and I require all my students to learn basic ASL when I teach (at least the alphabet and how to ask to go to the bathroom). I LOVE school so eventually I want a PhD in education—I want to teach the teachers!

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

Not so much as influenced me to write, but I had two great teachers in middle and high school that really pushed me to love reading and the arts. Mrs Stowe in eleventh grade Brit lit inspired me to really hone in my literature skills and helped me solidify my writing, while Ms K (drama teacher) imbued in me a love for Shakespeare and all things dramatic. They both really shaped how I view works of fiction and really the world on whole!

Where is your favorite place to write?

I am very, very, very picky about my writing space and while I’d love to say some flowery answer about a cafe with a cup of coffee, the truth is this: My desk in my apartment. I have it all kitted out with everything I could need AND there are snacks and coffee close by! (PTL for a partner who buys you a coffee machine!)

What advice would you give your past self at the start of your writing journey?

Don’t take some bullsh*t school online that will ‘teach you how to self-publish.’ It is basically English 101—which you already know—and they don’t actually give you the skills to format the book on your own.

If anyone needs help or has questions and doesn’t have a community of writers to ask, hear me now: Ask me. Email me, DM me, hell, send a carrier pigeon. I am free and try to be as useful as possible. I am here for you! So use me!

What’s one thing you hope sticks with readers after they finish your book?

Cliffhanger! I love a cliffhanger and so all my books are tortuous in that they end with a big thing happening or a big thing being revealed! But on a more serious note, I hope readers gain insight into unconditional love and what healing for yourself looks like.

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