A Fistful of Feathers follows a 13-year-old boy with a strange lump on his neck who realizes he is in danger from the doctors at the clinic and makes an escape from there while forming new friendships. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

With great innovation comes the threat of misuse. The original inspiration for the story came from an image and a scientific breakthrough that first appeared in the press in 1997. It featured a mouse with an ear-shaped cartilage growth on its back, which was both weird and unsettling – yet the potential for growing human organs was becoming a reality. The image stayed with me over the years, but it was only when I watched the original Jurassic Park film with my teenage son that the basis of the story began to form…

There was a lot of time spent crafting the character traits in this novel. What was the most important factor for you to get right in your characters?

I wanted the characters to feel real, not superhuman. There might be extraordinary things happening to Jo, but underneath the physical changes was a normal teenage boy, who was desperate to be normal, to be accepted. It was as important to keep the reaction of his friends as natural as possible – although I’m still wondering how I’d react if a friend suddenly sprouted wings!

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

The key themes at the heart of the book are simple – Friendship, facing up to change and fear.

When will book two be available? Can you give us an idea of where that book will take readers?

Books two and three in the series are already available. Book two, Flight and Fight, and book three, Freedom Rising, follow Jo and his friends as he struggles to deal with the incredible changes to his body and his life…

Author Links: Flight and Fight | Freedom Rising | GoodReads | Facebook | Website