The Cycle of Eden: The Young Revolution follows a young hero in a land of darkness who is destined to restore light to his world. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

The concept of Light vs Dark typically revolves around Good vs. Evil. The Young Revolution sets this up to be the usual case, but there are aspects involved in the first chapters involving Seth’s mother and later on in the series that will make my readers question that norm. Maybe there is a place, a reason, for Darkness in the world? Maybe the Light is too good to be true? Lady Eve, Seth’s mother, representing the “Moon with a Dark side” has a lot of meaning readers will catch on to as the series progresses. This part in the setup was what I had planned for a while. The vagueness behind the essences of Light and Darkness match with the fact that Seth is still a growing hero who has much to learn. The readers will learn more about Eden at the same pace Seth and his companions do which leads to many twists and turns in the plot. 

Seth is filled with doubts about his abilities to carry on his mother’s legacy and save Eden from the darkness. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?

Throughout the series, I never wanted to portray Seth as the typical hero that simply saves the day because “that is his destiny/purpose.” Seth very much has to rely on others, even from the very beginning of the book. He may be the “main” protagonist, but that doesn’t mean he is better or more important than any of the other brave and talented souls he meets along his journey. He never could do this alone, and that is the point I make with his character. There is nothing wrong with getting help, because together, we as people can achieve anything no matter who we are.

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

There are many positive messages that relate to our own world that I hope my readers take away from The Cycle of Eden. In many ways, Eden is obviously a representation of our own Earth and the moral dilemmas we as humans put it through. A major lesson in The Young Revolution is “…the best way to find kindness is by sharing your own.” No matter how dark and lonely the world feels, kindness will always be the unifier, for we all seek it and deserve it. In general, the major message I discuss as the series goes on is the importance of history. As long as we learn from our past mistakes, the hope for changing for the betterment of the world will always exist. There are also some dark moments, but another relevant theme in The Young Revolution is finding the strength to survive. Any reason to keep getting up after we are hit down, big or small, is worth it. Self-Discovery and character growth are big components that were important to me as well, the ability to have relatability with the characters. Understanding why certain characters are the way they are and why they find a reason to change gives us perspective for people in our own world.

Where does the story go in the next book and where do you see it going in the future?

A fun fact is that the entire Cycle of Eden series is already written and completed, so its future is quite clear to me. The fast-paced action will always be a huge staple in the Cycle of Eden series; however, book #2 gives us a special focus on Internal Conflict whereas The Young Revolution was heavy on External Conflict. There will be a lot more emotional turmoil and desperation in Seth’s destiny. In The Young Revolution, we saw that the Neo God is physically and spiritually powerful in the ways of using Darkness. In Book #2, we will see a whole other side to his deviousness, the mental torture he can inflict on the heroes. I can assure that those who enjoyed The Young Revolution will love this next book, because we will be entering a sequel where trust is put on a wobbly pedestal ready to fall at any moment, and I am very excited for it to be published. 

There are a lot of vague hints I drop at the start of the series, especially in Book #1 and #2, that readers aren’t supposed to understand until they finish the series or read through it again. I love the moment in storytelling where I go back and notice/recognize an aspect I didn’t or couldn’t realize before. Those moments of “Ohhhh, that’s why this was written.” or “Ohhhh, the author was referencing this the entire time!” are both rewarding for the readers and the author. That’s what I’m hoping to give my readers in the future as this series goes on.

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