“The Imposed Path” is an electrifying tale of a small-town girl, Emma, who, along with her allies, must transform from battling school bullies to saving Earth from a relentless cosmic threat while navigating love and loss. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

A: The primary focus of The Imposed Path, and the entire series is the physical and emotional impact of being a hero. I wanted it to have a realistic feel to a heroes journey. Most stories show the hero experiencing really traumatic incidents, but they are fine after, or have a brief emotional experience. I’m sorry but seeing dead people, almost dying repeatedly, having to take a life; those stick with people, and will change them. My characters experience a wide range of some really intense scenes, especially since they are young. I give them a couple nicer experiences where they save people in the beginning. But Chapter 9: Reality; that chapter sets the tone that this is not your typical superhero story. I love when stories of any kind touch on these subjects, and I wanted to make it the focus of my story. 

Your protagonist, Emma, goes through a massive transformation. Can you explain the inspiration behind her character development and the journey she undertakes? 

A: Emma, is a very unique girl; who has parts of me, my kids, and others all mixed in. I can’t say that there is any real single inspiration; she was the character I decided to tell the story through. I am very attached to her; and I find myself thinking about her character a lot, even when I am not actively writing. I do feel really bad for her also, because of the focus of the series; she endures so much. The Imposed Path is probably the easiest on her in the series. I tell my family and friends I am not nice to my characters; and Emma is at the center of it. I get emotional writing parts of her life. The moment you meet her she is burying her father. She moves to a small town, can’t enjoy her only hobby, and sticks out like a sore thumb. I give her Natalie, which is completely new to her. She never thought she would like a girl; but the way I wrote it, was the way she had envisioned finding love. But even that relationship brings her new kinds of hardships. Then they get their powers and find out they are supposed to save the world and universe. I have sat at my computer and thought, ‘Can I really do this to her?’ when I am writing a scene. She will carry these incidents with her throughout the series. Everything I put her and the others through have long lasting effects, that will pop up throughout the series. I know there are some sensitive subjects in this book, but they are not for shock and awe purposes; they all have a purpose and have an impact on my characters development. Emma is what I believe a real person would experience, if faced with everything thrown at her.  

The novel has a unique blend of personal struggle, alien invasion, and teenage romance. How did you balance these diverse elements to maintain the narrative’s pace and coherence? 

A: I think because of the focus of the book, these all blend together naturally. To show the impact of the alien invasions, superpowered enemies, the worst of human nature; the personal struggles prior/during/after are the focus. The romance piece is her greatest tool to deal with them, along with her family and friends. The action and drama sequences are awesome; but the real story is what happens around those sequences. The story puts six girls with powers on the front line of a cosmic war. All the Gem Keepers before them had died fighting this war. That is an unimaginable weight on their shoulders, and I try my best to have my readers feel it.

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

A: Currently I am getting the second book in the series, “Tribulations”, ready for release. It is with my editor, and the book cover is almost complete. Hopefully it will be published either September or October. The third book is drafted, and I am halfway done with the fourth.

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