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Andri E. Elia’s sensational sci-fi Worldmaker of Yand-Yildun is a wild ride hurtling into the atmospheres of planets far, far away.

On the planet Yand lives a species of winged humanoids, one of which is our protagonist, Yanara. She is an extraordinarily powerful wizard. She and her two spouses, her wife Mandolen and her husband Frost, fight a very savage enemy that came at them from space. The three of them defend their planet against genocide, while at the same time raising their very special and unconventional family. Their star, Yildun, is the second star on the tail of Ursa minor, below Polaris.

The world seems especially into sci-fi and fantasy content these days (here’s looking at you, Dune) so we’re diving into Elia’s book at just the right time. If you’re looking for a strong, smart and self-assured woman with superpowers and sass to spare, Yanara, number-one spellcaster, will be your number-one gal. 

The author is a Ph.D. scientist and an astronomy buff, which shines through in her novel like starlight. We gladly asked her to elaborate upon her values and writing process in this fun Q&A session! Read our review here

Q: How did Worldmaker of Yand-Yildun come about?

A: In my previous book Queen of Highwings, one of my favorite characters was Snowfox, a yandar archer who, with his wife Asimia, left his homeworld Yand for a new planet, seeking to escape a savage interstellar enemy, the k’tul. 

Snowfox was a lonely, tragic figure, estranged from his beloved wife, but he returned to her to fight a new war by her side. This lonely man stayed in my head for years. I worked up his backstory, which became rich with new characters and magic. Prominently, Snowfox’s mother, Yanara, evolved as a powerful Celestial Wizard and a Worldmaker, the first defender against their cruel enemy. Yildun begins to tell Yanara’s story, as a Worldmaker Universe weaves the rich history of the winged humanoids.

Q: What are some of your favorite fantasy, sci-fi or magic-minded fictions? Did any of them help inspire this book? 

A: I have to go back to The Lord of the Rings and everything Tolkien. The noble, enduring relationships among his people have influenced the definition of relationships in my book. After that, The Dragonriders of Pern, by Anne and Todd McCaffrey. Their vivid scenes and bursting-to-life characters have been my foremost takeaway from these books. For another, Steven Brust’s Taltos series for the dry wit and the humor with which Taltos narrates his stories and various predicaments. I hope Yanara is as effective in telling her story as Taltos. Also a nod to the Chinese-style sword fighting movies and TV series I’ve watched by the boatful for their lightning-fast action scenes.

Q: You clearly have such a colorful and vivid imagination! What were some of the most fun elements of this fantasy to make a reality on the written page? 

A: Certainly the worlds of the Yildun star system, alien landscapes and magical creatures. Way up there was the dragon of Yand. Every scene with the dragon was so much fun to bring to life. Also, Yanara’s romantic exploits with her husband Frost, like the scene at the Emerald Cove on the moon Yenda, or their honeymoon at Riverqueen back on Yand. And with her wife Mandolen on the moon Ios’s tail, which precipitated literal fireworks. The kids and their companions, everything about them. Three fight scenes I find exceptionally thrilling are the battle of New Chanshal, of Outpost Ios and the Final Battle with its big twist. Perhaps the most fun are Yanara’s “bends” and her witty, oftentimes humorous narration. 

Q: What went into brainstorming, fine-tuning and relating the protagonist’s unique superpower?

A: I wanted Yanara to possess extreme power, but one that’s different from your standard super-powerful wizard with the expected bag of tricks. Yanara started in my head as an avatar of her planet, her power manifesting as a sort of planetary upheaval, like a volcanic eruption, or a mega-seismic activity. Then I realized that was not exactly the flavor or extent of her ability. She was not the planet (or celestial body), but rather the power that shaped the planet, that bent it to her will. Thus Yanara’s superpower became “bending.” She bends celestial bodies to her will. One element of that is her ability to form wormholes allowing her to navigate the universe. So the concept of a Worldmaker, a celestial wizard, was born.

Q: What were some of your biggest takeaways when writing? What are some you’d like readers to take away after reading?

A: The book “wrote itself.” Yanara’s narration led me to exquisite details in scenes and nuances in characters. There are obvious takeaways from the war such as the resilience and courage of the yandar folk. I had intended to write a subplot rich in romance; what came out on the page was a true paradigm shift. Yandar society has no prejudices restricting marriage to the norms of Terra. Instead, your marriage is what you put in your marriage contract. Your spouse can be a man, a woman or one of each, regardless of race, and that is the accepted norm. And your children are your children, biological or not. And no matter how powerful the wizard, her family is most important. And to her family, she’s mom.

Q: What is your next writing project?

A: I just completed the sequel, called Worldmaker of Yand – Polaris, which will be published in November. Fleeing the aftermath of the war, Yanara, Worldmaker and Celestial Wizard, brings her wife Mandolen and her husband Frost to a bronze moon orbiting the fifth planet of the star Polaris B. The three of them only sought to survive, but instead find themselves starting a new life and a new colony. Filled with magic, adventure, the colonization of the new moon and secrets from Yanara’s past. But what of the k’tul? I am currently writing the third installment in the trilogy, called Worldmaker of Yand – Draco, aimed to complete this particular arc in Yanara’s life. What follows after that will be a new arc in the Worldmaker Universe.

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About Andri E. Elia:

Andri E. Elia is a Ph.D. Scientist. She enjoyed a career as a research scientist inventing new composite materials aimed at lightweighting vehicles in order to lower emissions and combat climate change, to save our planet. She is also an astronomy buff. The author immigrated to the U.S. as a result of a war in her native country and is a naturalized U.S. citizen, of which she is very proud. The author says, “I love this beautiful planet of ours. Let’s all do our best to help it retain its beauty for the generations to come.”

Judy Moreno

Judy Moreno is the Assistant Editor at BookTrib and sincerely loves the many-splendored nature of storytelling. She earned a double major in English and Theatre from Hillsdale College after a childhood spent reading (and rereading) nearly everything at the local library. Some of her favorite novels include Catch-22, Anna Karenina, and anything by Jane Austen. She currently lives in Virginia and is delighted to be on the BookTrib team.

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