Finders follows a group of university students on an archaeological dig in Cornwall who uncover an ornate, gem-encrusted Celtic relic filled with ancient mystery. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

I’ve often felt there’s something magical hiding just out of reach in the British landscape. I like walking to hillforts, standing stones, burial mounds, and the like. And I’m interested in reading about archaeological discoveries, watching videos about digs, and listening to history podcasts. All that came together in the opening of Finders.

Capturing the personalities of college students while keeping the story focused and moving forward can be a challenging task. What character did you enjoy writing for? Was there one that was more challenging to write for?

I especially enjoyed writing as Ozzie, mostly because of his wry sense of humour about the world and himself. I got stuck some way through the first draft when my bare, vague plot plan didn’t work, but Ozzie kept making me want to discover what happened next.

It was hard to express the main antagonist’s narcissistic megalomania and at the same-time make him seem like a real person rather than a moustache-twirling, melodramatic villain.

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

The fascination of exploration and discovery, particularly the discovery of what lies beyond the material realm; and, tied in with that, shifts in awareness. At least I think those are themes. To be honest, I never thought about the book’s themes until my developmental editor asked me what the central theme was . . .

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

Mercie, Ozzie and Petroc journey through what Petroc calls “a more subtle level” of existence, where the relationship between mind and matter is different, as is the relationship between one mind and another. After confronting two of their enemies there, the three return to the dig. Now seeing the “normal” world in a new light, they confront the third of their enemies in a way they did not anticipate.

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