Do You Believe in Monsters? follows a thirteen-year-old boy who discovers a magical world hidden in the forest, where he transforms into a powerful wizard, leading him to question what world he belongs in. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

The series is titled Dark Circles for a variety of reasons, some obvious and some more subtle. One of the obvious reasons is that in the fantasy world, it is dangerous for Charlie (the 13-year-old mentioned in your question) and his friends to succumb to sleep because the evil being who haunts the fantasy world attacks them in their dreams. Therefore, they are marked with dark circles under their eyes from going several days without sleep.

Charlie starts out as a timid boy, often bullied, who starts to gain some confidence after discovering his magical abilities. What trials did you feel were important to highlight the character’s development?

This question cuts to the core of Dark Circles. In the “real” world, Charlie is skinny and relatively weak and therefore has to rely on a healthy dose of pragmatism to survive. In the “fantasy” world, Charlie has been gifted extraordinary powers and therefore has to temper his pragmatism in order to truly believe that his new powers are real. Only then can he unleash their full potential. Seeing is believing.

In fantasy novels, it’s easy to get carried away with the magical powers characters have. How did you balance the use of supernatural powers?

Fantasy novelists balance this in several different ways: 1) The main characters’ powers emerge slowly, often taking half the series or more to master them. 2) The MCs’ powers emerge quickly, but the characters don’t trust them or understand how to wield them until deep into the series. 3) The MCs quickly master their powers but discover they are dwarfed by the powers wielded by the evil beings they are destined to encounter.

Many readers might disagree with me on this, but I’m not a big fan of number 1. As a reader, I find it frustrating. Therefore, my series is a combination of numbers 2 and 3.

Can you tell us more about what’s in store for Charlie Magus and the direction of the third book?

The quick answer is that you can find out for yourself because book 3 (Do You Believe in Miracles?) debuted April 21, 2024. 😀 But here is a breakdown of how the series unfolds:

Book 1 (Do You Believe in Magic?) focuses heavily on the real world, enhancing character development but also drawing a stark contrast between the real and fantasy worlds. This contrast is what motivates the characters and drives the narrative.
Book 2 (Do You Believe in Monsters?) is more action-packed and war-driven, especially in the last few chapters. As a reader, you will fly through the last 50 pages for sure.
Book 3 (Do You Believe in Miracles?) is the most introspective of the three and focuses on a long and arduous quest through plains, forests, and towering mountains. This sets up an epic climax filled with thrills and chills.

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