The Owl-Headed Wand follows an orphan boy who is taken under the wing of a wand maker and ends up on the run from revolutionaries. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

Many years ago I envisioned a simple opening of a story where an orphan is caught stealing from a wizard, but the wizard sees greatness in the orphan and helps him. That was the original inspiration. I wrote a book called The Winter Wizard Chronicles where I first created the world of Yohan. In passing, the story mentions the Fire Elf Rebellion. The two books are almost entirely exclusive in their stories, only sharing the world. But, that mention gave me an idea of where this story would go.

James has endured a lot in life and finally starts to feel at home and safe only for things to fall apart again. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?

James was one of the most difficult characters I have written, because his struggles are so unique to a life that I haven’t experienced. I had to put myself in the shoes of a kid who has had so much wrong done to him by those who should love him, and then expose him to people who do love him and let him learn to accept that love and grow from it. Once he had the love, I took it away and let the character fight to preserve it in the face of insurmountable obstacles. For James, I wanted to also showcase the need for others. I wanted a story about a young hero who saves the day, but does so with the help and kindness of those around him. James isn’t alone, even when he feels very alone, I never let him truly be alone. Sometimes that means he has to seek the help of others, sometimes it is accepting their help when they see he needs it.

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

Love, trust, and hope. James sought the love of a parent and found it in Othano. He had to learn to trust that the love was genuine and that at no time would Othano toss him aside. Hope was a driving force behind James’s actions as he is forced to fight to retain the life he had come to love.

Is this the first book in the series? If so, when is the next book coming out and what can your fans expect in the next story?

I had originally intended this to be a standalone. However, the response has been great and I too felt a need to revisit old friends, so I wrote a sequel recently. It is in the first stages of completion, still needs a lot of editing and work, so I can’t give a firm date. I hope to have it ready to publish as early as Christmas 2023 or some time in 2024.

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