Demon Storm, Book 6
Young Adult Fantasy
Date Published: 07-13-2024
Publisher: Shadow Spark Publishing
Wolf and demon born…
…under storm the land is torn.
Tendrils of darkness reach from the depths of her mind and shadows flicker around every corner. Still reeling from Raven’s horrific display of power, Kari suffers in silence.
When Guine finally returns with stories of a mirror that could help him with his problems, Kari finds herself hoping that maybe, just maybe, it could help with hers as well.
With the promise of a relatively straightforward outing, Kari, Ari, and Guine set forth to find the mirror.
But what they find beyond the looking-glass threatens not only Kari and her sanity, but also the world she loves.
Interview with Valerie Storm
Have you read anything that made you think differently about fiction?
When I was a kid, one of the first books I remembered reading was Hero’s Song by Edith Pattou. I’d read a lot of fiction, but something about that book hit me in a magical way. It was raw, and the story was dark. I think I started taking fiction more seriously then.
How do you select the names of your characters?
This varies! There are some characters I’ve just made their name from sounds (Vasthra), some who had a meaning/need behind it (Lycia Malum = I needed it to translate to Malica from a twisted mind), and others with actual meaning (Luxalba was a mix of something like “white light” because the character was so pure). It all comes down to what the character needs.
Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?
Oh, yes. In one book I quoted a very unimportant line from a Disney movie…and I’m sure there’s lots of other things that I’ve forgotten about over the years!
What was your hardest scene to write?
Honestly my most difficult scenes are the between big action scenes. I often struggle with character dialogue in the between moments…what are they doing and talking about?! At some point I had to really get deep in their minds and figure it out and that was a whole process.
Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?
The Demon Storm series could never have standalones now. The series will be a bit long (8 books!) and completely interconnected. BUT I’ll soon write some standalones in the same world and I’m very excited about that!
What were your goals and intentions in this book, and how well do you feel you achieved them?
The Storm Breaks was made to really show the stakes of the Catalyst, Kari’s true story arc nemesis. I wanted it to be a real threat, not a background character that occasionally drove Kari insane. I think this book really helps drive that home…and the rest of the series will continue to do so >:3
What inspired you to write The Storm Breaks?
Really, it’s a culmination of some plots my brother had written years ago when he was trying to get me back into writing. When I realized Kari’s story was going to need to be finished, I pulled the plots together into something cohesive and beautifully dark, and then The Storm Breaks was born.
Can you tell us a little bit about the next books in Demon Storm or what you have planned for the future?
Demon Storm will have two more books (The Storm Descends and Fate of the Storm), then it will be all done. After that, I want to start working on some prequel stories…or maybe a sequel series! I haven’t decided yet.
Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in The Storm Breaks?
The Storm Breaks primarily follows Kari (our fabulous wolf demon main girl) and Guine (the annoying human companion she picked up in Heart of the Storm) as they get whisked away on a reluctant adventure. Some other usuals make appearances of course, too, but I won’t name them all >:3
What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
The best part about The Storm Breaks is the DRAMA! Especially in rewrites when I had to revamp a lot of scenes and some villains, new and old, get introduced…the agony the characters have to face is my absolute favorite thing.
About the Author
Valerie Storm was raised in Tucson, Arizona. Growing up, she fell in love with everything fantasy. When she wasn’t playing video games, she was writing. By age ten, she began to write her own stories as a way to escape reality. When these stories became a full-length series, she considered the path to sharing with other children & children-at/heart looking for a place to call home.
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