Q & A with Dannika:
Was the Mageri universe something you set out to create from the beginning or was it happenstance that then led to all the other series you’ve written being in the same universe?
It wasn’t a plan from the start, but I was immediately drawn to the fresh supernaturals and world
I had created with the Mageri series. Prior to publishing, I wrote sixteen novels in the same
universe (most of which are trunk novels), and that gave me the opportunity to shape the
different Breeds, laws, history, and their powers before I started publishing. Each series is
another facet of the Mageriverse, and I can take my readers even deeper into the rabbit hole.
Will I ever leave this world? Never say never. Writers are led by their ideas and the stories
sometimes write themselves. But to be honest, I love the one I created so much that I would find
it difficult to leave it behind. It feels like home.
Was becoming an author always the plan/dream job or did it come to you later on in life?
I’d like to say I was one of those people who knew unequivocally that at the age of eight, I was
going to be a writer. But growing up, becoming a writer felt more like winning the lottery. I
loved reading and writing as a kid. I was the weirdo who wanted a typewriter for my 16th
birthday and, according to my best friend, declared I would write a novel someday. Instead, I
wound up spending an inordinate amount of time writing song lyrics and poetry well into my
twenties. I also loved journaling and writing in other capacities.
Life often takes you in different directions. Though I worked a corporate job, I also wrote
procedural documentation and manuals. But a full-length novel wasn’t something I had ever
done. Poetry, lyrics, and short stories were the extent of my experience. But one day, I sat down
and revisited that old dream of writing a novel I could never finish. I had just discovered urban
fantasy and paranormal romance, and that type of worldbuilding and romance inspired me more
than other genres I read.
When Sterling happened, it all clicked. I can’t explain the magic of what that book did for
me—the doors it opened in my mind—but I don’t regret it having happened later in life. Maybe I
needed all that life experience to tell the stories I wanted.
Are you more of a panster or a plotter? And has that evolved as you have written more books?
I love pantsing. I could pants all day long. It sparks joy, and I usually don’t have any roadblocks.
I can fly through those books like Wonder Woman.
But when you’re a series writer, plotting is required. There are a myriad of details, breadcrumbs,
and story arcs you have to track, and all those loose ends need to be tied up in a satisfactory way.
It takes me days just to prep my notes for a new series installment. Even while writing, I often
have to stop, refer to my notes, and create a loose outline of what I need to address in that book.
My Crossbreed series was probably the most complex series I’ve written. Even though my
paranormal romances (Seven Series and Black Arrowhead) follow a new couple in each novel,
I’m not off the hook. I still have to plot the overall series and character arcs.
How did it feel to be a pioneer in self publishing?
It was an amazing time to be a writer back in 2011! Ebooks had just come out but hadn’t taken
off. Readers didn’t understand what they were, so I got to witness when the huge boom happened
with digital books. And what a great community. There were so many indie authors giving
advice and helping each other. Everything was spaghetti to the wall.
Marketing was essentially nonexistent or financially inaccessible. You could do a few blog tours,
but all we had to grab a reader’s attention was a beautiful cover, a low price point, and a gripping
story. There weren’t many cover designers and editors compared to what’s available today
either.
Without gatekeepers, writers suddenly had freedom to write the stories we wanted and what
readers wanted. We also had full control over our prices and covers. What most people don’t
realize is self-publishing has been around for centuries. But printing your own books and then
selling those physical copies is costly affair. Ebooks made self-published novels accessible to all.
Writers were no longer limited to hauling physical books to conventions or hoping a local
bookstore might buy them. An ebook could reach people all over the world at the click of a
button. It changed the landscape of publishing.
I honestly wouldn’t be here without the support of those readers in the early days. They were my
biggest cheerleaders, and even after thirteen years, some of them are still faithfully following my
stories. I never take that for granted.
Games:
Who said “I never thought I’d say this, but be quiet. Silence is golden.” in Risk is Ella.
The villain was Boris.
Observations and questions you shared from Risk:
(Thank you so much for sharing!) If you can answer any of these questions, you can do so in a comment.
- I am such a big fan of Simon. I adored his witty humor and sexual innuendos. They were just the right amount of funny, but didn’t come across as vulgar. I liked how he kept refusing to rush into a relationship and how he kept saying he isn’t a hero.
- I was very moved by that scene between Simon and Levi when Levi rescued him from the ravine.
- Ella was a very intriguing character and yet had me guessing for quite a while. I liked how the relationship (with the circumstances that were presented) never felt like insta-love.
- The ending left something to be desired because it felt like the end of the adventure, but not the end of their story (if that makes any sense). The novel ended at what seems like a natural ending point, but I know there’s a continuation to it all. THERE HAS TO BE
Quotes you readers shared from Risk:
“Ladies, gents, a pleasure as always. Carry on with eating forty kilos of sugar until your teeth rot out.”
“I never thought I’d meet my equal ! ”
“That men will perish and women will rule the earth?” Hannah replied. “Sorry, wrong number. For that request, you’ll need to ring the department in charge of flying pigs. Do you want me to transfer you? I think they’re busy at the moment working on a snowstorm in hell.”
“She pointed at his shirt that said CHESS PLAYERS DO IT ALL KNIGHT.”
“That’s not a man who will take you to dinner; that’s a man who will drink you for dinner.”
“He leaned on the counter and answered, “Simon Hunt’s sex line. What’s your dirtiest fantasy?”
“Simon’s version of exercise was riding women, not rowing machines.”
“You move your arms a lot when you talk. Just remember we’re holding hands, and that makes us look like a couple of idiots out here playing London Bridge.”
Giveaway Results:
For each book, Dannika Dark will give away 2 signed paperbacks. (Open Intl)
Grand-Prize Giveaway:
For a US or Intl winner, this will be a set of audiobooks for the series offered by Tantor Audio. For a second winner, (US only) there will be a set of signed paperbacks from Dannika Dark.
Schedule:
We are doing one book every 4-5 weeks, posting on Fridays. We will have a review for most of the books with the team here at Books of My Heart plus some of our friends.
Jul 19: Sterling – Brandee @Unconventional Bookworms
Aug 16: Twist – Lillian @ Mom with a Reading Problem
Sep 20: Impulse – KC
Oct 18: Gravity – Berls @ Because Reading
Nov 15: Shine – Kimberly @Caffeinated Reviewer
Dec 13: Risk – Anne
Jan 4: Q & A Post with Dannika Dark
- 🎧 Nemesis by Gregg Hurwitz @gregghurwitzbooks.bsky.social @ScottBrick @macmillanaudio.bsky.social @stmartinspress.bsky.social #LoveAudiobooks @GreggHurwitz@MinotaurBooks @StMartinsPress @MacmillanAudio - February 11, 2025
- Sunday Post – 9 February 2025 @caffeinatedreviewer.com @kimbacaffeinate @readingreality - February 9, 2025
- Series on Saturday: Jill Shalvis Edition @JillShalvis #SeriesOnSaturday - February 8, 2025
Nice interview. I remember when e-books were a new thing also. I wore I’d never get an e-reader. Happy reading, this series looks good.
I thought she did a great job with the questions and it was very interesting.
Insightful interview, Anne💜 It was surprising to see that she and I had a shared experience in corporate jobs (at one time I led a group of policy and procedure writers). Small world.
Thank you. I really enjoyed her responses.
Congrats winners!
Really great interview! Love getting these insights. I remember when ebooks were still a new thing and my nook! So different today.
Thank you. I thought she did a really interesting and informative view into things we asked.