Spring Dragon follows a former assassin seeking redemption who goes on a quest that challenges his identity when his path collides with a dragon carrying the soul of his lost beloved. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

Though the events of book one (somewhat) dictated the direction book two would take, several options remained. 

Delving into the “minds” of the significant characters after the events of book one, Aldewin emerged as a character whose story was begging to be told.

The first line of the book, “Aldewin hadn’t slit a throat in two days,” just came to me. It hooked me and I wanted to know why Aldewin was killing people again!

To prepare for writing a novel, I “interview” the significant characters. Through this process, I learned that Aldewin was a man of faith. 

As a youth, pledged to an assassins and spy league known as Fen Menir, Aldewin was raised to worship a goddess known as Sicara, the “Dread Sister,” reaper of souls. He had been devout—until circumstances severed his relationship with Fen Menir.

Then, finding his way to Val’Enara Pillar, he pledged himself to Val’Enara and its Archon. At Val’Enara, Aldewin lived a monastic life studying the “Way of Water.” 

But the events of book one shattered Aldewin’s faith in the Pillar.

So here sits a guy in a bar, trying to drink away the sorrow of having lost someone he cared about deeply, and also having lost anything to believe in. He feels like a dog turd of a person. He not only broke his vows, but couldn’t prevent the terrible events at the end of book one. AND he has a lifetime of guilt for causing so much death.

And I wondered: What will get this guy to put the mug of ale down and get up off that stool?! 

So I guess you could say that the inspiration is the curiosity of trying to understand this character and seeing what will happen next!

I felt that there were a lot of great twists and turns throughout the novel. Did you plan this before writing the novel, or did the twists develop organically writing?

I do not plan my twists and turns before writing. They happen organically. 

My pre-writing planning revolves mainly around character development and creating powerful character arcs. I see where I want the character to “land,” but I don’t know how they’ll get there.

I had spent six months researching and developing the lore, etc. for the city-state of Partha. I had expected Aldewin to go there at the beginning of book two.

But, within the first day of writing, the story showed me that it was NOT going to take place in Partha! So, six months of world building out the door!

What scene in the book did you have the most fun writing?

I probably had the best time writing The Spring Dragon than any prior novel I’ve written (and it’s my eighth). Overall, I relaxed into this one more than most, and allowed the story to flow without as much judgement about it as I have in the past.

The last Aldewin chapter in the book is one that stands out as particularly enjoyable to write. At least it was after I got into the flow.

It’s the culminating scene, and very important to not only wrap up the arc for this book, but to set the stage for the next book as well.

And I didn’t want to f*** it up! It had rise to the occasion.

It took me about two days of working at it to finally get in the zone. Once I got into the zone, this scene flowed like the whisky I was sipping at the time! And in revision I barely changed a thing. I think it’s one of the best scenes I’ve ever penned.

What will the next book in that series be about, and when will it be published?

The next book in the series will be titled The Summer Dragon. You may see a pattern emerging…

The Spring Dragon, The Summer Dragon…

In The Spring Dragon, the element is Wood, and the themes revolve around redemption and rebirth/regeneration.

Book three, The Summer Dragon, will involve the Fire element. When we consider the fire element, we think of heat and conflict. The dual themes of conflict and passion will predominate.

In books one and two, I’ve set the stage for readers to understand that there are larger geo-political conflicts looming in this world. And readers now see that dragons and humans have a longstanding beef with each other. 

The Summer Dragon will delve more directly into the conflicts among the powerful city-states of Bardivia, Partha, and Qülla, as well as conflict within the dragon culture, AND the uptick in confrontations between humans and dragons.

Phew! It’s going to be a tense one!

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