Hello, readers! Welcome back to CandidCeillie, where we are interviewing Destiny Soria, author of Iron Cast and Beneath the Citadel.

Destiny Soria grew up in a tiny town in Alabama that you’ve never heard of, where she spent her summers playing with sticks in the woods and exploring such distinguished careers as Forest Bandit, Wayward Orphan, and Woodland Fairy Princess. After college, she ran away to New Zealand for seven months and only pretended to be a character from Lord of the Rings on special occasions. Nowadays she lives and works in the shadow of the mighty Vulcan in Birmingham, AL.

I read and loved Iron Cast as an eARC, and I am so looking forward to reading Beneath the Citadel, which is available on October 9th.

Hello, Destiny, and welcome to CandidCeillie! Tell us a little bit about yourself!

Thank you for having me! By day I’m a commercial insurance agent, which is not as boring as it sounds and comes in handy more often than you’d think. By night I’m a writer of YA fiction that is replete with magic, mayhem, witty banter, and clever heroines.

What do you always keep on you?

My lip gloss and my taser. In the words of my favorite true crime ladies, “Stay sexy and don’t get murdered.”

What was your last five star read? What made it a five star read?

The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy, by Mackenzi Lee. Felicity is clever, stubborn, and brave–my favorite traits in a leading lady. And her friendships in the book are so beautifully nuanced.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever been given?

“Just go write it already” – one of my CPs. Always relevant.

What’s your favorite emoji?

Unicorn!

If you had a burger named after you, what kind of burger would it be, and what would you want to be on it?

It would just be the cheeseburger from Love Songs with Mr. Lunt. The greatest love story ever told, and a lifelong inspiration of mine. (For those of you who didn’t grow up with Veggie Tales, you’re welcome: https://youtu.be/CmIKR458M0A)

What’s the first book you remember falling in love with?

Ella Enchanted. It was the first book that ever made me cry, and the first book I ever started back over as soon as I finished it.

What do you like to do when you aren’t reading, writing or editing?

I wish I could say something classy and erudite, but actually I just spend a lot of time watching TV and cuddling my fluffy cat Sophie.

Where would you live, if you could live anywhere in the world?

I spent seven months backpacking in New Zealand after college, and I’ve been wanting to go back ever since. For morning views, you just can’t beat Middle Earth.

What talent would you most like to have?

Music! I’ve always wished I had a good musical ear, but other than a brief, painful stint with a clarinet in high school, I’ve never been able to pick up any instruments. Possibly this is more the fault of my terrible attention span than anything else, but let’s blame the universe instead.

What would be the perfect gift for you? Why?

I love to travel and I’m a big true crime/paranormal fan, so buy me a ticket and let’s go somewhere haunted and/or gruesome. I promise I won’t be (too) weird about it.

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