Talisman: Gifts of the Shavtal follows a twelve-year-old girl who can see auras, and she learns how to manipulate them with the help of a talisman from a Fairy. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

Ever since I was twelve years old, I have wanted to believe in people having auras. Over the years, I would read about people having chakras and how it affects the human body and overall well-being. I thought, “Wouldn’t it be neat for humans to read such chakras by seeing different stripes of light that people exhume?” How cool would it be for a human girl from a precarious environment to be born with such an ability? I asked myself what she would do with it.

Gigi’s gift grows and changes and, in the process, starts to change her. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?

It’s already a tough life dealing with a stepfather with a drinking problem who takes his frustrations out on his family and living with a pregnant immigrant mother, in addition to dealing with children and teachers who find her different. I’ve had to deal with similar experiences. Having a good friend and adult support system helped me believe in myself.

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

Hope, perseverance, and the belief that good people still can and will help.

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

An unsuspecting GiGi has to travel to the Other World to find her best friend Danae, whom Rav abducted. GiGi discovers her powers can only do so much because there are creatures much more powerful than her, and one of them is her Sidhe Fae biological father.

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