In Daughter of the Void, a young woman must learn to navigate her own magical abilities in a world divided by war and forgotten secrets. Where did the idea for this book come from? 

As odd as it might sound, the concept for Daughter of the Void came from science and not fantasy. I have a secret love of astronomy and theoretical physics, and I’ve always been fascinated by the concepts of dark matter and antimatter. I wanted to create a magic system that captured the mystery of our world’s unseen particles in a unique framework. In Daughter of the Void, you get to experience magic as a substance only visible to those with a gift for it, and you get to witness antimagic in the form of Raelyn’s power. While my magic system doesn’t follow the same rules as dark matter and antimatter, those concepts were my inspiration.

Who was the inspiration for Raelyn’s traits and dialogue? 

I put a little bit of myself into all my characters, and Raelyn got more of me than I care to admit. Her quiet, contemplative approach to life mirrors my own. Neither of us is going to be the belle of the ball or the social butterfly. I also gave her my love of nature and solitude, and her little bit of sass is mine, too. As for her stubbornness, kindness, and commitment to seeing the best in people—those were traits of my grandmother, to whom the book is dedicated.

How did you balance magic and its use throughout the story to keep it believable?

This was an important sticking point for me. I think it’s easy for magic to become overpowered in any world. When a magic system doesn’t have regulation, it makes readers wonder why the characters aren’t just blasting their way to the end goal. To keep Daughter of the Void’s magic system realistic, I limited who could use it and made it extremely time-consuming and difficult to master. Only the most talented and dedicated mages could become truly powerful, and even then, they could only specialize in one or two types of magic due to its complexity. Of course, the ultimate balancing agents are wardens, such as Raelyn.

Can we get a peek inside the next book in this trilogy? Where will it take readers? 

I would love to share a sneak peek! I am so excited for book two; it has been so fun to write. In this next installment, you’re going to spend time on The Grey Isle, where you’ll get to know the Holy Knights, Saints, and another “special” cat named Alphesior. Now that the world knows Raelyn is a warden, her assumed destiny starts to look more and more inescapable, and she accepts an offer of formal training as forces around the world seek to claim her power. In the mix, we’ve got smugglers, traitors, magic battles, a murder mystery, a conspiracy, necromancy, essence magic, and Laris doing his best to protect Raelyn despite some big roadblocks. Be prepared for an unexpected alliance at the end of it all.

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