ShadowBane follows twins bound not only by blood but by their role as formidable demon hunters who each are taking on the role of demon hunting for different personal reasons. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

The original inspiration was a nightmare I had where Demons were attacking our home. It was really intense, really frightening. I woke up to my dog howling and growling at the door. I checked the whole place, thinking maybe someone had tried to break in, but everything was fine. When I came back to bed, my dog sat sideways on my chest, staring alertly at the door for about an hour. He’s never done that before or since.

It was really unsettling, and it had me wondering if there was any stock in the nothing that animals can sense otherworldly entities. I don’t believe in that stuff, but I thought it might make a cool story. So the original idea was “a guy and his dog hunting demons,” and that eventually transformed into “two twins and their pet tiger hunting demons in feudal Japan.”

Shura and Jin may be twins, but they have unique personalities. What character did you enjoy writing for? Was there one that was more challenging to write for?

I definitely enjoyed writing Jin more. I had a lot of fun with his and Wallace’s dynamic (once he stops being such a jerk), and I liked peeling back the layers of his surly personality over the course of the novel. I love anti-hero characters, and Jin was no exception. He’s got this weird honor code where he can do some terrible things in pursuit of his goals, but his goals are noble and he pursues them even at great personal risk. He’s weirdly selfless. I can’t help but root for the guy like that, hoping he can both achieve his goals and change for the better.

Shura was more difficult to write because I had to step further outside my own experiences. As someone who has spent her life being constantly overlooked, underestimated, and dictated to, she’s built up a lot of resentment for the very society she’s trying to rise up in. She’s cunning and ambitious, but she also is insecure about her place in the world and her ability to achieve her goals, all the while feeling this immense pressure due to her lineage. It’s a powerful mix of fears and driving factors, and it took me a while to distill it all into a clear, consistent worldview that also evolved throughout the narrative. It was a challenge, but I’m glad I took the time to work through it.

What kind of research did you do for this novel to ensure you captured the essence of the story’s theme?

So much research… I read two books about the cultural significance of the yokai (non-human beings in Japanese folklore) just to get a feel for it, then combed through a list of hundreds of yokai to find the ones I wanted to represent in the novel. I also had to do a ton of historical and mythological research, everything from creation myths to major wars to tiny details like the proper way to hand over a weapon, honorific usage, or the differences in men’s and women’s kimonos.

Then I worked with a translator to create all the names (places and people) and in-world terms. I followed real Japanese naming conventions for locations and any fictional terms have a real meaning in Japanese. For example, Shikōken, the bloodline from which Shura and Jin are descended, translates to “supreme sword.” It was a ton of work, and although I took some creative liberties when I felt it better served the story, I tried to faithfully portray the spirit of feudal Japan and pay due respect to a truly fascinating culture & period of history.

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

Well, I won’t want to spoil too much, but if ShadowBane is the story of Shura and Jin operating as a duo and being driven apart by their own choices, the sequel will explore how they function once they can’t rely on each other. You get a glimpse of that in ShadowBane, and it takes a heavy toll on both of them. Amidst a full-scale war, things get pretty dire, and then there’s that ominous prophecy hanging over their heads…

A Schism of Souls will be a trilogy, and I have the ending all planned out, even if the minor details haven’t worked themselves out yet. To say much about the third book would heavily spoil the second, so I’ll just say that Book 2 sees some major plot threads resolved. If you had a lot of questions in ShadowBane, the sequel will see them answered.

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One womb, one soul, two fates. One will rise. One will fall.

Shura and Jin are the last of a divine bloodline, operating at the bloodiest fringes of society where they wield might and magic against the demons they are sworn to destroy. For Shura, it’s the only way to restore honor to her lineage and claim her rightful place in the world. For Jin, it’s a matter of begrudging duty—and escaping the influence of the three kings vying for control of the continent.

In their pursuit of the sadistic cult behind the demons’ resurgence, the twins find themselves hunted by an ancient demon harboring a blood vendetta, and are forced to set aside past grudges and seek the kings’ alliance. When Shura discovers a chilling prophecy, she fears that even her newfound allies may not be enough to stem the rising tide of shadow.

Even the palest chance of victory will come at a brutal price. But the prophecy never foretold whose fate would settle the debt: Shura’s or her brother’s.