Meet D.E. Night | Author

I’ve always been inspired by the magic of imagination and drawn to fantasy worlds. It wasn’t until my mid-twenties that I realized I was happiest while creating my own fantasy world. And that ended up being The Crowns of Croswald, my middle grade fantasy series. Ever since I was a little girl, I had visions of imaginary places––invisible towns with low hanging stars that grant wishes or a magical tree house comprised of invisible vaults, for example. What I didn’t know then was that these were all little seeds of the Crosworld magic. As far as day-to-day inspiration, it hits at the most random, unexpected times. An idea will just pop into my mind while I’m driving in my car or on a walk with my son. And I love nothing better! It’s like little surprises throughout the day. When that magic strikes, I have to catch it and write it down so I can make sense of it later. In this time of basically staying home, taking deep dives into imagination, encouraging myself to think creatively has been an adventure every day. Books (reading and writing) are the best escape!

I believe that we all have a story to tell. One of the things that keeps readers coming back to Croswald is how rich the world is—I started with one character and kept building until I had a whole world populated with magic and mischief makers and dragons and drama and good and evil. I really see my settings—more pictures than words—so I think that sets me apart. Writing books is definitely not easy! I have disciplined myself to just keep coming back, over and over, to the page. Whether I get a whole chapter or just an idea, I keep showing up. I want the world to know that a perfect escape from the challenges of your day is only a book away! Fall into magic.

Fun question! We’d start every morning with a bike ride and some coffee. The friend may have to put up with me writing for an hour or two… Then we’d check out Books and Books in Coral Gables. There’s a cozy café and the bookshop is wrapped around a lovely courtyard. Such a great place to read, write, and let your imagination run wild! If I lived closer, I’d write there every morning. Later, we might go and take fun pictures at an inspiring place, like Wynwood Walls which has these giant, super colorful murals from artists from all over. In the evenings, I love to wander Lincoln Road with friends. There’s great shopping, music, dining, and people watching. A favorite restaurant of mine is definitely Barton G––their food is delicious and the presentation is so creative. Definitely order the cotton candy: it’s wild!

I want to dedicate this shout out to the #bookstagram community, an online community of book lovers. They’ve been so supportive throughout my journey as an indie author, in their openness to both read and review stories by an unknown author. Without them, The Crowns of Croswald would be just a hobby, not a job. Their response and engagement and support are completely magical––so definitely shoutout to them! Come join us! My Instagram handle is @author.denight and a fun hashtag to follow is #thecrownsofcroswald.