Debut Author Interview: Kacy Ritter and The Great Texas Dragon Race Giveaway and IWSG Post

Happy Wednesday Everyone! Today I’m excited to have Kacy Ritter here to share about her debut MG contemporary fantasy The Great Texas Dragon Race. I’m a huge fan of contemporary fantasies, and this one is set in Texas where my late husband is from. So, I’m super excited to read Kacy’s book.

Here’s a blurb from Goodreads:

Wings of Fire meets The Hunger Games in this debut contemporary middle grade fantasy stand-alone about thirteen-year-old Cassidy Drake, who enters the dangerous Great Texas Dragon Race to save her family’s dragon sanctuary.

Thirteen-year-old Cassidy Drake wants nothing more than to race with her best dragon, Ranga, in the annual Great Texas Dragon Race. Her mother was a racing legacy, and growing up on her family's dragon sanctuary ranch, Cassidy lives and breathes dragons. She knows she could win against the exploitative FireCorp team that cares more about corporate greed than caring for the dragons. 

Cassidy is so determined to race that she sneaks out of her house against her father's wishes and enters the competition. Soon, Cassidy takes to the skies with Ranga across her glorious Lone Star State. But with five grueling tasks ahead of her, dangerous dragon challenges waiting at each one, and more enemies than allies on the course, Cassidy will need to know more than just dragons to survive. 

 

Before I get to Kacy’s interview I have my IWSG Post.

Posting: The first Wednesday is officially Insecure Writer's Support Group Day.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

The awesome co-hosts this month are: PJ Colando, Kim Lajevardi, Gwen Gardner, Pat Garcia, and me!

Optional Question: 99% of my ideas come from dreams. Where do yours predominantly come from?

Mine definitely do not come from dreams. I hardly ever remember mine. My ideas come from asking “What if?” and seeing things in my everyday life. For example, the idea for my current YA fantasy came from finding a very weird ugly button I found in a flower bed soon after I moved into this house. Here’s a picture of the button:

In my story, the button has a tiny gold rope and a key that are magical.

Where do your ideas come from?

Interview With Kacy Ritter

Hi Kacy! Thanks so much for joining us!

1. Tell us about yourself and how you became a writer.

Like many writers, I grew up with my nose in a book. We moved around a lot when I was a kid, and many of my best friends were—and still are—fictional characters. I LOVE worldbuilding and am such a fantasy geek at heart.

2. Where did you get the idea for The Great Texas Dragon Race?

They say, “Write what you know.” Well, as a Texas fantasy geek, I know dragons and I know Texas… so I thought, “Why not?” I decided to write a contemporary American fantasy that played on familiar Wild West themes, and when I envisioned a young girl in red cowboy boots racing across the West Texas sky on her bestie dragon, everything fell into place. I loved the idea of usurping a familiar horse trope and turning it on its head. The “ranch story”—a plot in which a large landowner attempts to force out the proper underdog rancher—is a classic Western archetype. My protagonist, Cassidy Drake, seemed like the perfect dragon rider to save her farm and dragons from abuse and exploitation.

Your Writing Process

3. How did you develop the world-building for the magical elements of your world that is set in a modern-day world? Share tips for other writers who write contemporary fantasies.

My novel doesn’t actually feature magic at all! In The Great Texas Dragon Race, everything is the same as our world, except that it’s filled with dragons. The dragons don’t talk, though they are very expressive, and they don’t possess supernatural abilities. This allowed me to create a grounded fantasy in which dragons are treated—and sometimes abused—like any other animal in our world. I think it’s critical for writers to remember that fantasy can look like whatever they want. For some, that can include well-planned, hard magic systems. (Which I also love!) For others, like me, it can simply be adding a dash of the fantastical to the modern world.

4. That’s a good point about contemporary fantasies and fantasies in general. It sounds like your book is a real page-turner from the first page. Share about how you kept the plot moving. Did you have any slow parts in your earlier drafts? How did you pick up the pace?

I had soooo many slow parts in earlier drafts. Yeesh! I’m also in the middle of drafting a second (unrelated) modern Texas fantasy, and while I think I’m moving the plot forward, I know there will be slow parts that get the proverbial ax in subsequent drafts. Because you really do have to kill your darlings. Over the course of the past few years, I’ve become a huge fan of beat sheets and plotting beforehand really helps me keep up the pace. That way, I don’t waste valuable words explaining settings and characters… Which I used to do ALL of the time. Instead, I let the characters interact with the scenery as they move on to the next beat.

5. You have a full-time job. What’s your writing schedule like and how do you complete your manuscripts fast enough when you have another career?

Fun fact: I also have a one-year-old daughter, so the past year has been… interesting. Honestly, I have no idea how I’ve gotten through. I imagine it has been some combination of coffee, therapy, and a strict weekend writing schedule. ;)

Your Road to Publication

6. What was your road to publication like?

The most interesting aspect of my road to publication was that I originally wrote my novel as YA! When I queried, I had a relatively “good” request rate, but many agents said they couldn't see where the novel would fit in the market. Fortunately, I ended up with two offers of representation anyway! The agent I decided to work with, Adriann Zurhellen, had a fantastic editorial vision for my story and suggested I age Cassidy down and tweak the novel to middle grade. Lo and behold, something clicked! I’d been a middle grade writer in disguise the whole time.

7. That’s great that you were flexible enough to switch from YA to middle grade. How did your editor help you strengthen your story? What did you learn about the craft of writing from working with your editor?

My editor, Emilia Rhodes, really is a rockstar. She has the innate ability to see the diamond in the rough. I *thought* my novel was pretty polished by the time it hit her desk, but it didn’t have the sparkle it has now. She guided me to streamline the story and eliminate plot threads that didn’t need to be there. At the same time, she helped me breathe life into the social dynamics at work during the brief “down times” within the race. So… what did I learn? A whole heck of a lot.

Marketing

8. What are you planning to do to promote your book and celebrate its release?

I’ve been sending bookplates and bookmarks to any indie who will take them. (Hey, indie bookstores: Do you want bookplates? Let’s connect!) I’m also celebrating my launch at a fantastic Houston indie, Blue Willow Bookshop. There will be books. There will be cookies. And maybe—just maybe— there will be a LARGE INFLATABLE DRAGON.

I also have dragon-y events planned in Dallas, Arlington, Plano, Denton, San Antonio. Check out my website for more info!

9. How are you using Twitter and Instagram to connect with readers, teachers, and librarians?

For me, it’s all about hashtags and forming meaningful digital relationships with readers and writers who love MG. The outpouring of support, especially from teachers, indies, and librarians, has also been so lovely and unexpected. But our 2023 debut class has been critical in amplifying content. Both @2023debuts and the brilliant middle grade debut authors at @MGin23 are always ready and willing to boost the signal, share the love, and spread the word!

10. What are you working on now?

My next book was just announced last week! Tentatively called The Marfa Monster Mystery, it’s about a 13-year-old half-siren and her friends solving a mystery in the hopes of saving their monster-friendly community from the human skeptics. It’s also set in Texas (because I just can’t help myself) and features a Vintage Trailer Park Inn for Monsters. Yeehaw!

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Kacy. You can find Kacy at https://www.kcritter.com/, https://twitter.com/KC_Ritter, and https://www.instagram.com/kc_ritter/.

Giveaway Details

Kacy is generously offering a pre-order of The Great Texas Dragon Race for a giveaway. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower of my blog (via the follower gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment by July 15th. If your email is not on your Google Profile, you must leave it in the comments to enter the contest. Please be sure I have your email address.

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog and/or follow me on Twitter or Kacy on her social media sites, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry for each. You must be 13 years old or older to enter. This book giveaway is U.S.

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday is hosted by Greg Pattridge. You can find the participating blogs on his blog.

Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops

FYI, I do not have as much planned this summer. I’m taking a little break to enjoy my daughter’s wedding celebrations and to help get ready for the wedding.

Monday, July 10 I have an interview with author Refe Tuma and a giveaway of his MG adventure story Frances and the Monster

Saturday, July 15 I’m participating in the Sip Sip Hooray Giveaway Hop

Monday, July 25 I have an agent spotlight interview with Danielle Hunter and a query critique giveaway

Tuesday, August 1 I’m participating in the Apple a Day Giveaway Hop

Wednesday, August 2 I have an interview with debut author Vanessa Montalban and a giveaway of her YA contemporary fantasy A Tall Dark Promise

Monday, August 7 I have an agent spotlight interview with Jane Chun and a query critique giveaway

Wednesday, August 16 I’m participating in the Old School Giveaway Hop

Hope to see you on Monday!