Grassroots literary publication, 2 Elizabeths, interviewed our very own Laura Cantu, author of XANDRIA DRAKE: ANCIENT RISING, in an exclusive Q&A about her latest book.

Below is a brief snippet from the interview:

2E – Laura, we couldn’t help but notice that there are some strong similarities between you and (protagonist) Xandria Drake! You both have experience in ballroom dancing, and in Oriental Medicine. What other similarities do you share with her, and how do the two of you differ?
 
LC – Yes we do have some strong similarities! The main reasons I wrote her character as a ballroom dancer, and a doctor of Oriental Medicine (or a student of it) was because I knew so much about those fields from my own experience. Ballroom dancing and Oriental Medicine do play on Xandria’s personality quite a bit. These are very artistic, and creative careers, and they both require a lot of dedication, as well as thinking outside of the box.
 
In addition to those you mentioned, Xandria actually has anxiety and I have also suffered from the same affliction. In fact, one of the reasons I was driven to write the book was to learn how to deal with it.
 
I would say that the main way that we differ, is that when I wrote her (Xandria), she was actually a much younger version of me. So some of the choices she made are absolutely not the choices I would make today. A prime example is the fact that in the book, she chooses Sebastian over Viktor. Personally, I am done with the bad boy, but she did go that route!

To read the full story, go to 2 Elizabeths’ website!

For more information about Laura, visit her website or follow her on social media.