Vanguardian: Book I follows an exiled mother and her son, who develops supernatural powers that draw the attention of those in power, sparking political upheaval. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

Admittedly, the setup, particularly with there being two parts in the 326-page book, might come off as a bit unorthodox for some sci-fi romance readers. That divide comes from what first inspired the story, colliding with my desire to add more to it. The initial spark was the opening scene of a soldier capturing a refugee. At the time, I was big on romance books, especially historical romance, and the scenario was somewhat dark fantasy. I was in my 20s (~2013)—my mind was in the gutter half of the day. I understand that these days, a fantasy like this has to be executed delicately, so over the years before publishing the book, I reworked it and toned it down. And although the opening scene was a dark fantasy scenario, it is also something you’d never want to actually have happen to you, because reality is always different than fantasy. Still, I included reality—such as certain consequences Nasrin, the refugee, could face—in the fantasy to create depth and give me more to play with for the rest of the book.

As for the political elements, I hate romance stories with fake conflicts, so after completing my first chapter, I grew bored of the idea of a narrative focused on just two people. I also knew I wasn’t going to write a play-by-play of a spicy scene, which is a payoff romance readers expect. So, I threw in political and religious questions that I’m interested in. The social elements, like the racism levied on Nasrin, came from things I’ve experienced, observed, or read about. Overall, the politics and religion in the story aid in touching on the bigger picture of the series. Once we step outside of Book One, there will be different systems to compare it to. And the questions readers can ask are: Which system is actually good? Which system is bad? Can there be something in between? Can we escape the bad? Is the bad necessary? Ultimately, why are things the way they are?

While writing this story, I decided to pull the story, which was supposed to be purely a love story, into my astral warrior series—a series I started taking a hack at around 2010. Lucian is key to tying Book One to the rest of the series. Also, throwing a kid into the mix of a historical romance story is uncommon, particularly a kid who can steal the show/narrative on his own. I found that adding a young child to the plot was a good way to add a different dynamic to the romantic element and branch off into something else; hence, the two parts of the book. The romance served as the setup to legacy.

Finally, music inspired parts of the story:

Vermilion Pt 2 by Slipknot – Nasrin/Fabien – I used the lyrics in this song to get a male perspective of how Fabien might feel about Nasrin during kidnapping and wooing/trapping Nasrin – a man obsessed/possessed kind of scenario. After reading the book, Readers find out why his feelings are so strong.
Key Lyrics:

“She is [ . . . ]

The unrequited dream

A song that no one sings

The unattainable

She’s a myth that I have to believe in

All I need to make it real is one more reason

I don’t know what to do

I don’t know what to do

When she makes me sad [ . . . ]

She isn’t real

I can’t make her real”

Down with the Sickness by Disturbed – Inspiration for Lucian and his urges.

Key Lyrics:

“The world is a scary place now that you’ve woken up the demon in me.”

10,000 Days (Wings Pt. 2) by Tool – Inspiration for my overall astral warrior series, particularly End of One, which has been sitting on my hard drives since 2010. That story requires me to be a more experienced author to sufficiently complete. But elements of the song also directly inspired how I have others view Lucian within Book One.

Key Lyrics:

“You’re the only one who can hold your head up high
Shake your fist at the gates saying
‘I have come home now
Fetch me the Spirit, the Son, and the Father
Tell them their pillar of faith has ascended
It’s time now [ . . . ]
You were the light and the way they’ll only read about [ . . . ]

You’re going home”

Monde feels structured around hierarchy and perception. How do reputation and social control function as forces in the story?

Like any other society. Like America now. Optics and narratives matter. From my self-education on the great houses of the titled class in Europe, I learned a lot about how servants spread gossip about the goings-on in private estates. Hence, practices such as staff turning to face the wall or standing in corners when the masters of an estate and their guests came nearby. They were to be invisible, never to interact unless called on. But, I also learned about countless inappropriate relationships between masters of homes and staff, such as in stories like Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded by Samuel Richardson, even recently in the series Downton Abbey. So, I could not help but play with those old realities. My focus in my stories is on gritty realities. Those things that truly happen behind doors, not just how things appear. I did not choose to start my series with historical fiction to focus on the revered, pretty customs, gestures, and dress. The historical dramas and history that always hold my attention are those stories that go behind the veil, exposing human flaws and struggles. Although a lot of historical romance glamorizes the past, particularly the Victorian, Regency, and Edwardian eras, those periods were as corrupt, if not more corrupt, than now, despite the elaborate outward displays of civility. One only needs to read The Rag Nymph to get one slice of the corrupt pie of the past.

The book gradually reveals its speculative scope. Why choose a slow unveiling instead of immediate explanation, and what themes are you exploring through Lucian’s abilities and origins?

For pacing, I took a lot of inspiration from the TV series The Outer Limits, and how that show lulls people into ignoring odd clues as to something not being quite right, and I also wanted to make the oddity that was Lucian and the lights seem believable for the 18th-century French-adjacent period and location through long-term exposure to those elements. Making the lights a cyclical, almost common occurrence made the sci-fi element feel like it could happen in any time period. In modeling after the staging and pacing in Outer Limits, in which every episode ends with a moral about humanity or something in the universe, I slowed down the story and trickled in sci-fi elements. Also, similar to The Outer Limits, I blew what is odd wide open into what became obvious for the audience. The goal is for the reader to say, “That makes sense,” when they close the book.

Lastly, regarding pace, I probably have read too many pre-20th-century books and have grown accustomed to slower pacing as a reader. Going forward, I plan to pick up the pacing in my writing.

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

This series focuses on individual warriors of different ranks in a vast system of what is essentially part of the universe’s immune system. The concept of the universe having an immune system is indirectly inspired by an Outer Limits episode. So, keeping with that concept, I planned to introduce each warrior in a separate book, then move on to them working together in battle. However, plans often change once you get started on things, so based on reader feedback, the next book will focus on what happens to Lucian after Book One. Then, I plan to publish the 2010 manuscript I referenced above, which is the true Book One of the series, but it will likely be Book Three. Readers might be delighted to know why I spent so much time on Nasrin and Fabien in Book One . . .

Author Links: GoodReads | TikTok | X (Twitter) | Facebook | Website | Amazon