Starfall follows a bullied teen with fire-controlling powers who must decide whether to join a superpowered cult seeking vengeance or stand against it. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

I wish I could give something profound or interesting inspiration, but, truthfully, I wanted to write a superhero story. I’ve been a fan of the genre since I was a kid, but I wanted to get away from the, shall we say, ‘masked-costume’ standard. The original idea had Nathan fighting his own dark side, but I couldn’t make it work. As the theme of super-human abilities descending from the heaves and bestowing abilities onto people lends itself to some religious symbolism, the idea of the cult was born.

In a lot of contemporary coming-of-age fiction novels, authors often add their own life experiences to the story. Are there any bits of you in this story?

Nathan is definitely me, both good and bad. Most of the other characters aren’t based on specific people, they’re more like composites.

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

The main theme is being true to yourself, and not hiding who you really are to fit into a role society expects you to fill, or going along with someone who promises to take away your anger and pain by taking revenge against anyone you think deserves it. If you don’t agree with the crowd or you don’t like the way you feel in a certain crowd, then listen to your own conscious and be your own voice.

Is this the first book in the series? If so, when is the next book coming out, and what can your fans expect in the following story?

Yes, this is the first in a series and more Children of Starfall will be reveled as the story continues. The first chapter of the second volume can be found on my website for anyone interested. Unfortunately, I don’t have a time frame for volume 2, but hopefully there will be an update soon.

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