Check out our interview with Dana Swift, the author of "When Dealing With Dragons."
What was your inspiration behind your most recent book?
The first spark of inspiration for WHEN DEALING WITH DRAGONS came from a conversation with my mom. She loves contemporary fiction instead of magical fantasy and always good heartedly asks why I can’t write a contemporary novel next? One such inquiry was while we were watching ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL together and I responded how if I wrote about veterinarians it would be dragon veterinarians.
And I thought, how much I would like to read a book about dragon veterinarians!
What does Reading Rainbow mean to you?
It means reading widely and outside of yourself. To me it means reading in every shade of color, in different facet of light. In the spectrum of humanity, it means understanding others through the act of reading.
Why do you feel representation of a variety of people is so important when it comes to writing books?
Representation in books showcases the diverse world we live in. There are many times in our lives we can get stuck in the echo-chambers of our communities, all hearing the same statements, all thinking the same thing. Books are a safe and enjoyable avenue to think about other people’s perspectives, especially for young people. Reading in general brings such perspective and tolerance for others, and thus why it’s so important.
Tell us a little more about the book and why you decided to write it.
I wrote WHEN DEALING WITH DRAGONS during a time of rejection actually. Right after my debut series I had an idea for a Hades & Persephone retelling. I loved it, but a lot of editors thought it read too adult. So, I set out to write a new book that was firmly in the young adult category. Actually, since more YA books have slid to upper YA, I wanted this one to be suitable for 13-year old’s and older who I saw as a bookseller start getting aged out of the category. So, in many ways this is my most YA book I’ve written, meant for kids or anyone who loves YA.
What can fans expect from your book?
There are certain things I do in every book. Fun chapter titles, banter, and dual point of view romance to name a few. This book is a little different in that while still high stakes it’s softer than anything else I’ve written. The characters aren’t out to save the world. The heroine isn’t a magic wielding superhero. Yet, it might be my favorite couple I’ve ever written.
It also has a lot more exploration of very real-life topics like animal exploitation, abuse, and classism. If it makes you laugh, cry, and think a little I feel as if I’ve done my job.
I can’t promise you’ll like it more than my debut duology, but I can promise WHEN DEALING WITH DRAGONS a heartfelt romantasy with endearing dragons.
What's up next for you in the bookish world?
The companion novel to WHEN DEALING WITH DRAGONS! I’ve finished writing it and am just doing final edits now! It is slated to come out Summer 2027. It stars two new protagonists, but Farren and James will be side characters. So if you like the world or magic system in When Dealing with Dragons I got to explore that more in this next book.
