As The World Burns follows a 15-year-old boy who is confined seventy-five miles underground after a catastrophic experiment links his body to the planet’s destruction. What inspired you to write a science fiction thriller around a teenager whose very existence threatens the survival of Earth?

As with most of my novels, I’m inspired by a title that I see – or a wordplay on a familiar line – and then I get inspiration visually for a cover.  I know I’m a bit of an anomaly in that regard (book cover first) but I’m very visually inspired, so I design an alluring cover and title first, and then that greatly motivates me to sculpt an alluring story to match it.  I let the visuals tell me what the story is about.  And then, in true pantser fashion, I plunge in having no idea where I’m going to go with it other than a basic premise.  I let the chips fall where they may, let the characters bumble around and knock their heads against walls, and then finally, before I know it, I’m typing the words “The End.”  And oh what an adventure it always is. 🙂

How did you develop Cooper’s personality, particularly his combination of sarcasm, intelligence, vulnerability, and longing for a normal teenage life?

I think I wanted someone who was worthy of rising above the doldrums of a life lived in captivity.  His existence transcends his fate.  I myself am fascinated with words, though I’m no verbal raconteur (OK, based on that, maybe I am, ha!) but I wanted a good dose of smarts, cynicism, optimism, frustration, longing, and growth.  I don’t know anybody who embodies that better than someone going through one of the most vulnerable stages of their life, the teenage years.

How does the conflict between Cooper and Xandrius reflect the challenges of communication, trust, and protection within ordinary parent-child relationships?

I’m very fond of father-son relationships (I have two boys, 10 and 7) and I really enjoy exploring that dynamic.  They aren’t altogether different, but their sameness sort of repels them at times, and they have to work through that.  Xandrius carries guilt; Cooper carries angst.  Xandrius carries a huge burden as the President of the United Countries of America amidst a global crisis, and he knows, deep down in his core, that deep down in the core of the Earth sits his son, whose predicament is Xandrius’ own fault.  There’s tremendous guilt there.  And there are demands and expectations placed upon him by the entire planet once they find out that his own son is tied to the Earth’s fate.  He has to reconcile balancing their needs with his son’s.  In the end, I think I wanted him to really rise to the challenge, shoulder the blame, and sacrifice himself (spoiler, sort of) in order to ensure that his son’s name could be cleared. Sort of making himself the bigger target.  That reveals to Cooper his father’s incredible love and honor.

What do you hope readers, particularly those who enjoy Christian speculative fiction, take away from the novel?

A father’s relationship with his son is tremendously powerful. It’s either polarizing, or affirming beyond belief.  Also, the notion that grief and regret can be swallowed up in redemption.  In a way, As The World Burns mirrors the greatest story ever told: a father sacrificing his son so that humanity could survive.  I desperately wanted that parallel to be evident in my novel, because it’s the most beautiful story ever told as well.

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