Ripped from the page (Astrid V.J.)

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Interviews with the characters we all love with a little help from the authors that wrote them.

In this case Astrid V.J.

Name (and title if appropriate):
Viola Alerion, storyteller extraordinaire and High Archivist of the Haldrian Empire

Written by:

Astrid V.J. USA Today Bestselling and International Literary Classics Award-winning author
 
Links to your creator:
 
Books you appear in (links welcome):
 

The Apprentice Storyteller, Book 1 of the Wishmaster Series

Finding the Way, Book 1.5 of the Wishmaster Series

Warring Lions, Book 5 of The Wordmage’s Tales series

Dragons’ Daughter, Book 7 of The Wordmage’s Tales series

Aspiring, Part 1 of the Siblings’ Tale

Becoming, Part 2 of the Siblings’ Tale

 
In no more than 5 words explain your ambitions:
 
Heal Haldria and improve lives.
 
Favourite place and why?
 
The Imperial Grand Library is one of the most incredible places I have ever been to. My favourite part of it is the Hall of Unregistered Histories. It is where I have found the most incredible gems in the form of first-hand accounts that ought to be shared, which is what I dedicate my life to.
 
Favourite weapon and why?
 

I have a collapsible bamboo staff that can double as both a support when walking and as a powerful weapon, especially when it is paired with my magic-channeling crystal.

 
Favourite moment and why?
 

Once upon a time, I was fleeing the empire’s minions who hunted me and unexpectedly crossed paths with a boy who had run away from home. It was a fortuitous chance meeting and it changed my life forever.

 
Most significant enemy and why?
 
If I told you that, I would give it all away, and that is no fun 😉
 
Tell me about your childhood:
 
I was sheltered and grew up without knowing anything about the reality of life in the Haldrian Empire. I had to go on an adventure to discover that everything I knew was based on half-truths and outright falsehoods. However, my childhood did give me the grounding I needed to be able to overcome those flaws later in life.
 
Where would you be now if you had made better choices?
 
I made the choices I did at the right time in my life. If I had not run away when I did, I would have remained trapped in the stifling environment of my childhood and probably would have caved to my family’s expectations. If I had not stopped to tell a story at a roadside inn decades later, I would not have met a young boy who has become one of the most important people in my life. If I had not returned to settle things with my family, I would never have become high archivist, nor found the incredible real-life accounts that made possible everything I have indeed achieved. What I have learned is that there are no “better choices” in hindsight. We can only do our absolute best with what we have right now.
 
Anything you’d like to say to your maker?
 
Thank you. Thank you for giving voice to the struggles we all face and providing insights into how to confront and overcome them. And thank you for allowing me to meet Jo who helped me achieve everything I have always dreamed of.
 
Thank you for your time, please feel free to leave a parting statement:
 
I would like the readers to bear in mind that we all find our peace when we are willing to follow our own truths.