Over the Broad Earth follows two Celestial brothers, God and Satan, who can only unleash their sibling rivalry when humans engage in combat. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?

I wanted to explore a different dynamic from the traditional depiction of Satan as a fallen angel or jinn, and therefore inferior to God. Setting the two on equal footing allowed me to pursue a narrative where each side approaches a battle across the millennia with the same advantages and disadvantages. Instead of Satan being a rebel, for this story he has his own plans and claims to authority. I was inspired by Greek and Norse mythology, which contain many examples of competing gods. In those stories, such as the Iliad, gods are invested in and interfere with the outcomes of the mortal world. Much of the course of history has been shaped by wars and conflicts. For a long time humans believed their conflicts were mirrored by warring deities. I wanted the war between God’s and Satan’s armies to occur in tandem with human conflict.

Your characters are unique and have a compelling backstory. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?

The characters of Over the Broad Earth live across many different ages. They experience similar situations throughout due to the similarities within warfare, regardless of the era. However, what changes in the course of the novel are the internal mental state and motivations of the characters. They continually vacillate from confidence to doubt, valor to cowardice, selflessness to selfishness, sacrifice to self-preservation, and many other emotions and outlooks. These ever-changing attitudes send the characters down an oft-chaotic and unexpected development curve.

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

The search for meaning and purpose in the face of an absurd and meaningless world was a central theme. I wanted to explore sources of motivation; love, lust, recognition, survival, acceptance, power, and hate, and how the pursuit and fulfillment of these motivations can provide a sense of either meaning or emptiness. The Demons and Angels of Over the Broad Earth do not age and therefore have the potential to live forever, however, they can be killed. I did this so they could be comparable to humans. Death is always there lurking and yet we try to push that reality to the back of our minds by focusing on what we want. I also tried to explore what it means to be an individual within a collective. Over the Broad Earth contains a host of characters, some the reader will meet intimately, others briefly. In the same way, the main characters are surrounded by a multitude – they form strong bonds with some – they barely interact with others. Over the course of the story, the characters will influence and be influenced by those around them and are compelled to come to grips with how they intend to fit into the kaleidoscope of which they are a member.

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

I am currently working on And They Marched Up, Volume III of The Saga of Fallen Leaves. In this volume, I explore the stories of some supporting characters from Over the Broad Earth and introduce some new ones. Hopefully And They Marched Up will be available in January 2023.

Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Website