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A Clean Slate
A Mother’s Promise follows a fed-up thirteen-year-old boy who runs away after his mom’s partner starts drinking again, and witnesses a brutal attack on a helpless stranger, where he steps in to help. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I always wanted to write a story that combined both magical, fantastical elements with real-life, everyday occurrences that a lot of families experience around Christmas. I wanted to show the harsh truth that leaving a volatile relationship like that is extremely difficult for some people, but with enough courage, it can be done.
Grace and Dylan are both looking for a Christmas miracle and find it in different ways. What were some of the emotional and moral guidelines you followed when developing your characters?
Throughout my life, I grew up knowing friends who are in the same position as Grace and Dylan. There are female friends of mine who wanted to remain loyal to a very flawed partner who, only when circumstances become dire, they see as very selfish. I wanted to keep the story grounded within reason and make the fantastical scenes feel a bit more real.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Hmm…that’s a tough one to answer because there were a lot. I guess if I were to narrow it down, the main themes were: the courage to do what’s right and knowing when to leave a bad situation. So courage, forgiveness, and redemption. Forgiveness is very important around Christmas time because nobody knows how much time we have left on Earth. So the one question I always ask is: do you want to leave here bearing a grudge and have others hating you? Or do you want to leave here with a clean slate and a clear conscience?
What is the next book that you are working on, and when can your fans expect it to be out?
The next book I’m getting ready is the final, action-packed book in the YA horror series, The Hopps Town Quadrilogy. That will be released in April 2026. Then I’m finishing, When Worlds Collide, the third book in my YA epic fantasy series, The Zargothian Saga. There are a number of screenplay scripts I’m working on, as well as making AI movies. So 2026 will be pretty busy, but I’m very grateful to be able to do all these wonderful things.
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Dylan Sanchez used to love Christmas. But for the last three years, the holidays have been anything but festive. Like clockwork, Greg – his mother’s partner – gets intoxicated and spirals from awkward jokes to tense, needling arguments that drain the joy from the season. Every year, his mother says it’ll be different. Every year it isn’t. When Greg slips back into old habits just days before yet another Christmas, Dylan can’t take it anymore. He grabs his coat and walks out, leaving behind the wreckage of promises too thin to stand on.
But when he witnesses a brutal attack on a helpless stranger out in the dark streets, his split-second choice to intervene sets off a chain of events unlike anything he could have imagined — something that’s nothing short of a Christmas miracle.
Sometimes, a thirteen-year-old boy’s fierce heart is exactly what the world needs to remember the true meaning of Christmas.
LITERARY TITAN 