Stone Fever follows a geologist exploring a defrosted Antarctica when she makes new friends and sets off to find the elusive iris stone. What was the inspiration for the setup to this exciting story?

Geography, especially maps, has always been a hobby of mine. I pictured how the effects of continuing climate change might affect human populations, forcing migration toward the poles. These two groups could lose touch with each other and evolve separately.

Keltyn is an interesting and well developed character. What were some driving ideals behind her character development?

She is a rock nerd with few social skills. She has swallowed her pride for the sake of professional advancement, yet harbors a grudge about how her people, and especially her father, have been treated by white society. When she learns that her boss may want to promote Antarctica for settlement by canadian farmers, she instinctively pictures how this will threaten the locals and hatches an ill-conceived plan to thwart her boss.

What were some themes that were important for you to focus on in this book?

First contact between different cultures; resilience in personal development; the importance of mentors; intergenerational wisdom/memory.

What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?

Stone Fever is the first book of the Erebus Tales series. The second book, The Color of Greed, will be out in spring 2021, and the finale, Gifts of a Dark God, next fall.

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