Hi everyone. Today I am doing an author interview with Clare Dugmore. She is one of our authors featured in our Beyond Starlight Anthology. If you don't have your copy yet please make sure to grab it before February 19, 2025. That is the final day it will be available. Now lets get down to why we are here.
AUTHOR INTERVIEW WITH CLARE DUGMORE
~ Beyond Starlight introduces readers to the first 25,000 words of The Starlight Prince. What led you to release this preview as part of the alien fated-mates collection?
Honestly, the exposure! The characters and themes from The Starlight Prince were actually conceived for a paranormal romance story I was serializing. Around this time last year, I started to feel what I'd shared online so far wasn’t exactly where I wanted the story to be and decided to pull the serialization.
But I wasn’t done with Maddie and Kalas. Their love story still needed a home!
Then I saw StoryTellerPublisher22’s call for participants in an alien fated mates collection. I thought it was a great opportunity to reach potential new readers, and hopefully reignite my writing career!
~ Did sharing the first part of The Starlight Prince in Beyond Starlight influence or shape how you completed the rest of the story?
Only in that Beyond Starlight was a science-fiction romance collection, and as I mentioned above, the characters from The Starlight Prince were conceived for a paranormal romance.
So just moving from a paranormal to a sci-fi setting caused me to change the whole rest of Maddie and Kalas’s story, and move it into space! And I’m glad I did -- I love Kalas’s home planet, Kralis and the culture I’ve created for it.
~ For readers who discovered Beyond Starlight in November, what new developments or surprises can they look forward to in The Starlight Prince this February?
Well, for starters, we move from Earth to the planet Kralis! So, there’s an adjustment period for Maddie on this new planet, and of course, an expanded cast of characters. We’re introduced to Kalas’s parents, and the royal court of Kralis!
~ With fated-mates being central to the plot, how did you approach building the romantic connection between the main characters in The Starlight Prince?
It’s been a tricky balancing act between insta-love, and actual, real love. And that’s actually something Maddie struggles with. Does Kalas love her for who she is? Or because they’re fated mates?
At the same time, I approached Maddie and Kalas’s love story in a similar way I do all love stories -- what do they provide each other with that they were missing before? How do they complete the other person?
~ The cosmic setting of The Starlight Prince is an exciting backdrop for romance. What inspired the world-building in the story, and are there any sci-fi influences you drew from?
Everything! Lol I’m a huge fan of fantasy and sci-fi TV shows and movies, video games and anime, so elements from my favourite stories will have seeped into The Starlight Prince.
Kalas was originally inspired by the character Kars from Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, and there’s a scene in the anime where Kars transforms and grows wings (like a harpy). So of course, Kalas had to have wings. But then I was left asking, why? From there, the whole Kralian race was conceived as humanoid creatures who can shape-shift into two forms. Harpy-like winged humanoids and giant, crow-like featured wyverns.
And it didn’t stop there. The Kralians had to have their own language, customs and cultures, and even their own deity. Korvarith Thalun -- the Twilight Crow -- who chose Maddie as Kalas’s fated mate!
~ Writing a story in segments, as you did with Beyond Starlight leading into The Starlight Prince, can present unique storytelling challenges. How did you ensure the story felt cohesive and engaging for readers across both releases?
I often take breaks when writing a story, so it wasn’t really that much of a challenge. I knew the broad strokes of the story before I even started, and planned for the 25k mark to have an ‘end of act one’ feel. From there, it’s been simple following my plan to the end of the story.
~ Your stories often blend emotional authenticity with imaginative settings. How do you ensure readers feel connected to the characters, even in such extraordinary worlds?
Be they shape-shifting aliens, or persecuted witches, or whatever else I conceive, all my characters have a ‘human’ core. They have emotions, fears, wants, and needs that almost every human experiences. Even if you can’t imagine yourself flying or casting spells, I’m sure you can imagine feeling like you don’t belong somewhere, or questioning if your lover’s feelings for you are genuine.
~ What do you hope readers gain from experiencing both Beyond Starlight and The Starlight Prince? Are there themes or messages that stand out to you?
First and foremost, I hope readers are entertained! I read and write as an escape, and want others to find an escape through my stories.
I also hope that readers stop and think about what ‘belonging’ means, and the damage that can be done to a person by rejecting (or even persecuting) them for being different from you.
I hope readers question tradition, and whether for a nation to prosper they have to think about leaving the old ways behind.
~ Finally, as The Starlight Prince launches in February, do you plan to revisit this universe in future works, or are you exploring new sci-fi romances or genres altogether?
Yes! I already have! In between writing the Starlight Prince, I wrote a lead-in story called The Adventures of Josain Jovenne, which you can get for free by subscribing to my mailing list: https://claredugmore.com/the-adventures-of-josain-jovenne
The story shows Kalas’s coming of age ceremony, and Maddie being revealed as his fated mate. Then, while Kalas is on Earth finding Maddie, the story follows a space adventurer called Josain, who decides to sneak around the royal palace. She runs into a Kralian with a secret, and together they unravel a plot against the royal family.
I also have plans for at last one more book in the universe The Starlight Prince is set -- though on a different planet and featuring new characters. There will be a sample chapter of this story at the end of The Starlight Prince! ;)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Clare Dugmore
When Clare was younger, they believed faeries lived at the bottom of their garden. As an adult, that translated into a love for all things weird, be it faeries, vampires, witches, aliens and other non-human beings.
For Clare, reading and writing have always been an escape, and through their writing, they hope to offer an escape to others too. Right now, their books are spicy reads, focused on sexy non-humans.
Through their love of books and writing, Clare's ultimate goal is to create a community of like-minded creatives who come together to encourage, support, and celebrate not only each other but also causes that are important to them. This can be seen through Clare's support of charity anthologies and fundraisers.
Clare is a forty-something, married, parent of two. In their spare time, they enjoy binge-watching shows with their partner, spending time with their two sons, playing video games, and crafting.
You can learn more about Clare and their stories at www.claredugmore.com
ABOUT THE BOOK
The Starlight Prince
A love story written in the stars.
Hunted for being a witch, Madelyne longs for somewhere to belong and performs a full moon spell to find her true love.
Across the galaxy, Kalas completes the aeons-old celestial ritual to show him the location of his fated mate. Enchanted by Madelyne’s beauty, Kalas flies to Earth to find her.
And, with nothing left for her on Earth, Madelyne agrees to accompany Kalas to his home planet.
But as Madelyne adjusts to her new life, old doubts linger, and she just cannot understand why someone like her would be worthy of the crown prince.
Madelyne has spent her entire life being told she doesn’t belong, and now Kalas must convince her it’s more than just ‘fate’ that makes him want to claim her as his own.
You can read the first 25k of The Starlight Prince now as part of Beyond Starlight: An Alien Fated Mates Collection. https://books2read.com/beyondstarlight
And if you enjoyed what you read in Beyond Starlight, you can pre-order the complete version of The Starlight Prince ahead of its release on 25 February. https://books2read.com/TheStarlightPrince
Hey! Thanks for having me on the blog, and thank you for organizing Beyond Starlight. I hope everyone who brought or buys a copy of the collection enjoys it. <3