Q & A with YA/MG Fantasy Author Holly Davis

YA/MG Fantasy Author Holly Davis joins us on the blog today to talk about books, music, and more!


Tell us about your new book.

A Diamond Bright and Broken is a YA epic fantasy and my debut novel, releasing November 5, 2024 with Inimitable Books. It’s a Tangled retelling with a genderbent Flynn Rider and includes disability rep, sapphic romance, mages with unique magic, and a ride or die sister relationship. Here’s the book blurb:

Sixteen-year-old Cadence was born with the ability to cry tears of diamonds–a secret talent her parents have abused to climb the royal ranks thanks to the infinite source of wealth. At their command, she cries diamonds to pay for the pricey treatments for her sister’s neuromuscular disorder. Regardless of the pain, she’ll do anything for her sister, who weakens by the day.
​
When the prince heckles Cadence at the King’s Summer Solstice Ball about her sister’s disability while dancing in the ballroom, she’s left on the verge of tears, threatening to expose her power. She is saved by a mysteriously charming girl who sweeps in to take the next dance—and the single diamond Cadence cried. The stranger reveals the Magi Queen sent her to tell Cadence that she’s a mage, and that her power is a curse.
​
Yearning to discover the secrets behind her powers, Cadence sets off for the City of Magi. To claim the life she wants, Cadence must embrace her power—before she loses the bright spots in her otherwise sad existence. After all, even diamonds can shatter.
 
What inspired you to write it?

I’d written and queried a few manuscripts before writing A Diamond Bright and Broken. When I came up with the concept, I’d seen a beautiful YouTube thumbnail of an illustrated girl crying. For some reason I thought, what if she was crying diamonds? And the story grew from there! Cadence is most like me out of all the characters I’ve written, so I think I was finally ready to write someone who really represented me.
 
Can you share a little about your writing process?

I’m a plotter who likes to know where my story is going and how it will end before I write it. I follow the Save the Cat beat sheet to plot out my story and save everything to story bible in Microsoft Word. I usually take 1-2 months to finish a 1st draft and try to write during live writing sprints or with writer friends for accountability. I let it rest for a few weeks before doing some developmental edits before handing it to beta readers and critique partners. Then I go through maaany rounds of edits before I feel it’s ready enough to query. And I usually pay for a professional to critique/edit the first few chapters, my query letter, and synopsis to ensure my whole query package is as strong as possible.
 
What inspires your creativity/writing (music, movies, art, etc. Feel free to share links to playlists or Pinterest boards)?

I love listening to instrumental music, and also hearing other people talk about their stories gets me hype about mine! That’s why I love connecting with the writing community. I have a writing music playlist of songs I listen to when I write which you can find here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRAw-sOu1AE0yPD2-lQrTvW_UeN2oVGVD&si=1otXORXyvGxDd8VC
 
Anything else you’d like to share about your book?

Diamond is the first book in a duology, so you’ll get to be in this world a bit longer (I’m writing the sequel right now!). Also, if you submit your preorder receipt, you’ll receive 3 full body character art cards which are gorgeous! https://www.inimitablebooksllc.com/a-diamond-bright-and-broken
 
Favorites:

Favorite book in your preteen years? I actually read a lot of Robert Cormier books in 6th and 7th grade before I found my fantasy groove in high school. A lot of Cormier’s books were about troubled teens and had a lot of swearing in it, which was definitely the opposite of me, but maybe that’s why I was drawn to reading about it?
 
Favorite book now? The Shades of Magic series by VE Schwab. A Darker Shade of Magic was the first book to completely draw me in by the prose that felt like a poetic story, made me stop and admire Schwab’s writing craft, and bring such intrigue.
 
Favorite actor/actress? I don’t really have any faves, but I loved Tom Holland in Spiderman.
 
Movie and/or TV show? I love all things cooking shows like MasterChef and MasterChef Junior. I don’t cook much so their skills are super impressive and their stories and journeys are inspiring!
 
Singer? I’m definitely a Swiftie! Ha ha. I love the poetic lines she creates and both her upbeat and somber songs. I also really like female Kpop groups like BLACKPINK, VCHA, ITZY, and TWICE.
 
Where can we find more about you and your books online?

You can find links to preorder A Diamond Bright and Broken via my publisher’s website as well as submit your preorder receipt for exclusive character art: https://www.inimitablebooksllc.com/a-diamond-bright-and-broken

Join my newsletter for exclusive sneak peeks, reader and writer freebies, and more: https://www.hollydavisbooks.com/
 
I also frequent social media to connect with writers and readers alike:

https://www.instagram.com/writehollydavis/
https://www.youtube.com/@WriteHollyDavis