The Intrepid Three follows three teenagers, united by fate in a war-ravaged world, who must uncover their intertwined destinies and fight against an all-consuming darkness threatening their realms. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

We created the concept of The Intrepid Three during the beginning stages of the pandemic. We, like most people, found ourselves isolated and secluded at home. Along with the seriousness of COVID-19, we observed political division and social unrest like we had never seen before. This forced us to reflect on and analyze our society in a new way.

Through this new lens, we created the three worlds of Euporia, Aurelia, and Immerxia, each dominated by three different issues. Euporia is plagued by fear due to oppression. Aurelia is driven by complacency from material abundance. And, Immerxia struggles to discern truth owing to the inundation of information (particularly through social media). This book shows an exaggerated version of some of society’s pitfalls. Ultimately, we hope the themes of this book will resonate with readers and can initiate interesting conversations for a more just world.  

Dez, Walter, and Arabella are intriguing and well-developed characters. What were some driving ideals behind their character’s development?

This book is Christian allegory, so we tried to give our three protagonists qualities of Christ, albeit the characters are inherently imperfect. Particularly, each of the teens has a supernatural gift, reminiscent of Jesus’ miracles from the Bible, that they discover or have revealed throughout the book. Dez, Walter, and Arabella come from very different backgrounds and experiences, but their fantastical story arcs lead them to the same place, in front of the Author of the universe with a big decision.  

We chose adolescent protagonists because we hope younger generations can see the problems of our world clearer and work to alleviate the issues with fervor. Readers will notice the main cast of characters are quite diverse, so we hope people see themselves represented and understand they are an important part of humanity.  

What was the collaboration process like between the two of you?

We’ve been married over a decade, and this was the first time we attempted writing together. It took time learning each other’s writing processes (order of writing, pace of writing, etc.) and trying to integrate them. We wrote every word together, but we had to make determinations about every little practical detail, down to who typed. Once we figured out our integrated writing style, the process became smoother. The best experiences of writing this book together were the imaginative conversations that formed new worlds and unique characters.

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

Our next book will be the second installment of The Intrepid Three series. We are in the process of writing this story now. We look forward to sharing what happens next with Dez, Arabella, and Walter. We hope to publish the second volume in the next couple of years.  

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