Demon Heart 2 Never Say Die finds Naoko fighting to save her family and country while struggling to maintain balance between light and dark. What were some sources that informed this novels development?

I always believed that diversity in action. levels of danger, locales but consistency in maintaining the personality of my main character would be the main driving principles of my story about Naoko. Although she is a fictional character, I always tried to feel what she felt during the moments of introspection or when confronting a problem or a dangerous situation. The main sources that inspired this particular novel were political as well as scientific, with elements of ancient mysteries and legends from all over the world. This novel takes place in several different locales, and I also had to take into consideration the history, customs and legends of each country.

What were some new ideas you wanted to explore in this book that were different from book one?

Book One starts with Naoko’s introduction to the reader in a biographical fashion, which allows the reader to know here thoughts and feelings and learning experience as she gradually makes her journey from childhood to adulthood. In some ways, Naoko had to grow up faster than ordinary humans, and her transformation into demon hybrid was a forced necessity. In the first book, we follow Naoko through her physical and mental maturity, a career as a police officer and a secret agent for a covert government organization dealing with supernatural threats. In the second book, Naoko is a different person, living under a new identity and doing what she does best, while managing to be both, a protector of Japan as well as wife and a mother. The second novel also deals with old and new enemies, as well as corporate espionage, profound revelations and dangerous new weapon based on nanotechnology. The second book makes Naoko an important secret player on an international scene as she confronts powerful forces of evil.

I find that authors sometimes ask themselves questions and let their characters answer them. Do you think this is true for your characters?

That is a very interesting question. While I was working on the second novel, I was trying to understand my characters’ purpose, goals and motivations. Sometimes I asked myself, what makes each character unique and important to the story. I wanted to have characters whose presence was essentially necessary to move the story in the direction I needed to create gradual tension that would eventually lead to an explosive climax. Naoko seems like a simple character, but only on the surface. The same can be said of other characters, both good and evil. Then, there is an interesting gray area considering pure demons, whose immense powers are still limited by the even greater powers of ancient Japanese gods, whose wisdom and decisions might seem strange or incomprehensible to the conventional human mind. Life poses many questions to us, and we may not always find all the answers. As a writer, I want to say: Seek, and you shall find them!

What can readers expect from Demon Heart 3 Year of the Witch?

My answer to this question will not contain any spoilers, so I can safely share this informational preview with my readers. Those who have read the previous two novels will find Naoko once again operation in her element, as she faces off with forces of international terrorism, evil and ambitious humans practicing dark magic and the new dangerous players in form of the powerful western witches selling their services to the highest bidder. In this third and final novel, the readers will be introduced to the elements of both, Eastern and Western mythology, particularly the Nordic legends. Naoko and her friends and allies would once again travel to different countries, trying to solve great mysteries of the past, while fighting for survival against nearly impossible odds. One of the events would actually involve the incredible Tunguska meteorite impact in Siberia in the year 1908 and some incredible revelations how life on planet Earth had started and how it would eventually end. There will be surprises in this final novel, trust me on this.

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