YA Fantasy Author Profile: Dina Von Lowenkraft

Author Dina Von Lowenkraft grew up amidst family members who constantly nurtured her creative side. “In my family there was always something going on,” says the author. “People playing music, singing, making pottery, woodworking, discussing ideas... it was a child’s paradise and I am very lucky to have had such a wonderful childhood.” 

A precocious reader, back then she especially loved series, but when there weren’t any handy, she would raid her mother’s bookshelf and read through the entire works of authors like Jane Austen, Virginia Woolf, Gabriel Garcia Marquez or whichever other writer grabbed her attention. She also submerged herself into all the horse books she could get her hands on. As a teen, she discovered the work of Joseph Campbell. His book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, had a tremendous impact on her. 

Her first experience as a writer came when she was in the 8^th grade, when she wrote a story about a shipwrecked girl on a deserted island and won a state contest. But it wasn’t until later, after she had worked as a graphic artist, a fashion consultant, earned an MBA, picked up a black belt, and married and had kids, that Dina took the serious plunge of becoming an author. 

Nowadays, besides being a mom, wife, and horse owner, Dina is a full-time author and the Regional Advisor for SCBWI (The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) Belgium. Her debut novel, Dragon Fire, a YA romantic fantasy about shapeshifting dragons set in the Arctic Circle, has just been published by Twilight Times Books and she has several more novels in the making, all in the fantasy and sci-fi young adult genres. 

“Dragon Fire took a little longer than some of my other manuscripts,” states the author. “From idea to second draft it took me about a year and a half. Of course, there have been revisions since then, so it’s hard to say exactly how long I spent on it. Perhaps 2 or 3 years off and on all told? But the intensive writing part probably took about a year.” 

Dina creates her fictional worlds in a lovely office lined with overflowing bookshelves that her husband put up for her. The room has a beautiful view of the garden and is peaceful. But she doesn’t always write there, and also feels comfortable writing in crowded settings. “I like being in the middle of things - which might be due to the fact that I was the youngest of three and grew up in a household that always had extra people in and out.” 

Dina describes her creative process in one word: intense. She gets completely caught up in her world and characters. “I cry with them, love with them, fight with them, eat dinner with them, I even play their favorite music in the car when I’m driving to the stables.” Indeed, the only time she’s not thinking about her characters is when she’s riding. 

Unlike many authors, she doesn’t suffer from writer’s block, but usually her many ideas end up creating too many threads which wind their way into her story and she has to spend a lot of time unraveling them in order to get to the book’s conclusion.   

Her submission process for Dragon Fire was nothing short of exciting. She received 3 offers from publishers in one week. “I spent a crazy ten days trying to figure out which publisher would give my novel the best home, and am very happy with my choice to accept Twilight Times Books’ offer.” 

For her, the most rewarding aspect about being an author are two things: “First, creating the world and feeling the characters come alive. I love that and always have. Second, having a reader say ‘I love, love, love your book!’ That leaves me high for days.” And who can blame her? 

Currently, Dina is revising the prequel to Dragon Fire and hopes that it will also be published by Twilight Times Books. She lives in Belgium with her husband, two children, three horses, and a cat.  

Find Dina Von Lowenkraft on the web: 

Site: www.dinavonlowenkraft.com

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dina-von-Lowenkraft/551209381555837

Twitter: https://twitter.com/vonlowenkraft