The Shattered Ones follows a group of individuals living on a sunless Earth, thanks to pollution, who have been given the coordinates of a mysterious relic that will save the world if they can avoid capture. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

I wrote this novel during a time when climate change seemed to be everywhere. It was on the news, the talk shows, and online. So, I started thinking about worst case scenarios. Also, it was important to the story that this be a man-made disaster. It wasn’t something that was done to humans. It was something that humans did to themselves.

Was it important for you to deliver a moral to readers, or was it circumstantial to deliver an effective novel?

It was important to me to say all of the things I needed to say with this novel. As an artist, I can’t bring myself to do anything without a compelling reason. Besides, the novel wouldn’t have been effective otherwise. If you can give your readers something more than just what’s on the surface, you’ve done your job as a writer and an artist.

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

The meaning behind all human suffering was an important theme for the book. After all, if you can find meaning in that, you can find meaning in anything. Sacrifice, redemption, and hope were also present throughout. Hope was the most important one to me. I believe in the absence of hope, everything else is rendered meaningless.

Will this novel be the start of a series or are you working on a different story?

 I just finished a different story. It allowed me to spend time in a different world with a different cast of characters, which was good. It made me miss Ace. I always envisioned The Shattered Ones as a trilogy, and I have now begun working on the second book.

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