The Debt follows an 18-year-old martial artist who is blamed for the death of his best friend and sent to prison, where he develops a dangerous friendship that tests the boundaries between gratitude, loyalty, and moral responsibility. What was the inspiration for your novel?

There were various inspirations I drew from while writing The Debt. A few of my favorite authors are David Morrell and J. Michael Straczynski, who have a way of telling stories I could connect with and draw meaning from. Well-told fiction can offer experiences never possible in the real world by appealing to our imagination, our intellect, and our own sense of humanity. While there are plenty of capable writers who are best fit to tell their stories, no one envisioned the same story in my head so it was up to me to see it through and offer it to the readers.

Michael begins the novel with a very different future ahead of him. What interested you about exploring how one event could alter both the direction of his life and his understanding of himself?

I’ve been through experiences that had me question my own life’s path, including if I wanted to be a villain or a good man of my own choosing. In the course of most people’s lives, profound experiences can challenge their views on how not only how the real world actually works, but who they are in themselves. Doing the right thing, especially when consequences could be involved, is often easier said than done. These trials life puts us through matter; a lot.

The Debt can be a dark story, but it also has moments of comedy, reflection, and moments of (I’m trying not to sound corny here!) a light shining through the darkness. A full length novel was a chance at presenting a fictional case of what can bring out what’s inside of us when pushed to the limit, yet what can also guide it back to it’s natural, authentic state.

The idea of “debt” takes on several meanings throughout the novel. How did that concept shape the story as you developed it?

Yes Michael felt a debt of gratitude and protection toward Ijal, but equally as important his father Jeff introduced him to ideas around karmic debt. There’s several ways I could break down the theme of debts, but it ultimately comes down to how complex and full of gray areas any given motive or action can come from. There are external, visible debts such as supporting Ijal after their release, but there’s also invisible ones that steer him to what leads him toward or away from his own conscience, his relationship to society, or how to integrate his once positive intentions into the hostile world he found himself entangled in. While there are no direct references in the book, it eventually eludes to a saying around “first establish in being, then perform in action.” There’s disharmony between Michael’s actions and his being, but late into the story things start to shift….

Do you see The Debt as the beginning of a larger story, or did you conceive Michael’s journey primarily as a standalone novel?

The Debt has always been a standalone story.

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