The Old Road follows a young man from Appalachian coal country who discovers an underground world of fantastical creatures and ancient civilizations after wandering into an abandoned mine. Where did the idea behind this novel come from?

I’d been turning over the idea for this story for a long time. At first, it was going to be about Dwarves breaking through our dimension into a coal mine during the great coal boom of the 20th century… hard times, script, company stores, lots of Appalachian grit. Later, I briefly considered making it something more modern, maybe even a litRPG with an Appalachian twist. But once I actually started writing, Pete appeared and took over. His voice, background, way of seeing the world… It all came through so strongly that the story shifted around him. I had the good sense to stand back, keep my mouth shut, and follow him where he wanted to go.

Pete begins uncertain about his future and carrying regrets from his past. What aspects of his personal journey were most important for you to explore?

I wanted to explore what happens to someone who grows up feeling beaten down, forgotten, and overlooked. Someone who’s been told time and time again that his future is already decided, that he doesn’t really have one. But pressure can create diamonds, and I was interested in how the right challenge and the right circumstances could reveal something extraordinary in a person who never believed he had much to offer.

Pete’s hard upbringing didn’t just give him scars. It gave him an iron will, a stubborn streak a mile wide, and a deep sense of loyalty and grace that he doesn’t even recognize in himself. Of course, with Pete being as hard‑headed as he is, getting him to see any of that is a job and a half. He can be his own worst enemy. His journey is really about discovering that the things he thought made him small – his regrets, his rough edges, his past… are the same things that make him capable of surviving and growing in the Below. I wanted to show how someone like Pete can rise when he finally finds himself in a place that demands everything he’s got.

How did you approach creating a fantasy world that feels large and mysterious while revealing it gradually through Pete’s discoveries?

I approached the world the same way Pete does, one step at a time. I wrote the book using a discovery‑writing technique, staying tight in his point of view so the reader only sees what he sees, when he sees it. I spent a lot of time walking and thinking about where the story currently was and what might be waiting just out of view, keeping my ideas intentionally vague so the world could unfold naturally instead of being forced into a rigid outline.

I didn’t want to paint myself into any corners, so I let the Below stay mysterious until Pete got close enough for it to come into focus. As he pushed deeper, the world expanded. My job was simply to stay inside his skin, keep the train on the tracks, and let the discoveries happen at his pace… not mine.

What can readers expect from Pete and the world of the Below as the story continues?

The Old Road is just the beginning. The Below expands a great deal in the next installment… The Goblin Capitol, Scout Academy, and the wider borders of the world all come into play. Readers can expect rising political tension, deeper mysteries surrounding the Power, shifting alliances, and a world that grows more volatile and dangerous the further it opens. Every faction in the Below has its own ambitions, history, and secrets. As the story continues, those forces collide in ways that reveal just how deep and far‑reaching the roots of this world truly are.
As for Pete… you’ll have to read to find out!

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