Death at Dusbar College: A Story of Antyfas follows a young 11-year-old boy that visits a magical college for the first time, there he tries to be the first to solve the Grad Magician’s riddle. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?

My nephew, the real life Cristiano, had a birthday coming up, and I was lacking in the present department. So, I wrote him his very own story.

Christiano wants to be the first to solve the great riddle, he ends up on a fantastic adventure. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?

I’m not sure you could say that there are “ideals” running through the book per say, but I do certainly hope my young readers will realize that if they shouldn’t be afraid to give new things a try and to believe in themselves when they know they’ve done the research or the reading. Many children don’t realize that sometimes they are smarter than the adults in the room, and I want to let my readers know that they should believe in themselves when they’ve done the work.

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

Fostering self-confidence is a very important theme in my book, in addition to the joy of learning. Cristiano is able to accomplish his goal by making use of knowledge he’s obtained previously and applying it to achieve success in a new context.

While there is magic and marvelous creatures, the most marvelous one of all is Cristiano, because he didn’t have to use any magic. He simply needed books and his brain.

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

The next book in the series, The Nasties of Nastgant Swamp, is a rather swashbuckling story that follows a little boy named Valentino. Here’s the blurb:

When little Valentiono accepts an invitation to a special party in the Nastgant Swamp, he’s shocked when he learns what the main course is going to be. Join Valentino on his fantastic adventure filled with trolls, gnomes, and danger!

It will be available October 2022.

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