Wisdom from a Wordsmith - Episode 25 - Writing from Walsh Mountain

I first learned of Candice during a writer’s conference when she was teaching a workshop on using Instagram as a marketing tool. She was a great choice for teaching that topic because Candice’s Instagram posts are adorable, challenging, and engaging! Not too long after that workshop, Candice’s novel Unbetrothed launched, and I purchased it right away. I love YA books that are romance and fantasy crossovers, so I knew I would enjoy her writing — and I did!

I hope you enjoy getting to know Candace and her main character!

What aspects of your childhood inspired you to become a writer?

I was a dreamer who always had a story to share with anyone who would listen. When no one was listening, I still thought in stories. I wasn’t much of a reader, but I’ve been journaling since I was in 3^rd grade.

What do you hope readers will learn from reading your novel?

I hope they go on a fun adventure, learn a little about Hispanic culture, and challenge themselves about their own inadequacies. How do they respond when they find their self-worth in one thing or another? What’s the true answer to that question?

What is something interesting about you that readers may not know?

The reader may not know that many of the little experiences in UNBETROTHED were drawn from my travels in Huasteca and Puerto Rico. I really have gone waterfall climbing. I really have seen people drowning. I really have camped in a tropical wilderness.

What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Keep writing, keep sharing your work and don’t give up.

About Unbetrothed:

Around Agatha Sea, princesses are poised, magically gifted, and betrothed.

So, when seventeen-year-old Princess Beatriz still fails to secure a betrothal, her parents hold a ball. Forming an alliance could mean the difference between peace and war, but Beatriz doesn’t want just any suitor. She’s in love with her best friend, Prince Lux. Marrying Prince Lux will always be a silly dream as long as she has no magical gift.

Princess Beatriz will do whatever it takes to obtain a touch of magic, including making a deadly oath to go on a quest to Valle de Los Fantasmas. A valley where no one comes out alive.

If she can manage to succeed, Princess Beatriz could have everything she desires and secure peace for her kingdom. If she fails, she’ll lose not only her greatest dream but also her kingdom, and maybe even her own life.

This is what Beatriz has to say about her story:

When my whyzer, a bestower of magic, called me haughty, I was certain he meant my arch nemesis and not me. He may have had a few interesting observations in which I apologized to the Ancient One. Eventually.
The real suspense in my story occurred once I found the true enemy in my kingdom. The scoundrel tricked me and almost stole a loved one from me, but I get ahead of myself.