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A Goblin’s Mind the bizarre, the enchanted, and the profoundly unwell—with tea, therapy, and an ironclad refusal to get emotionally involved. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Long short story short, I entered a 3 day novel writing contest, and being a psychology major and fantasy lover, I began to string together some ideas. It was truly my love for the “didn’t see it coming” books and movies that seeded the arc for this one.
I find the world you created in this novel brimming with possibilities. Where did the inspiration for the setting come from, and how did it change as you were writing?
I have a world where all my fantasy stories exist: The Corwyn Chronicles. It’s been my secret hideaway since I was a teenager. With many short stories, novelettes, and the upcoming first book of a four book series coming out this year, the world (and my writing) has grown exponentially.
What are some things that you find interesting about the human condition that you think make for great fiction?
Everything about the human condition makes for great fiction. Ideas can come from anything. The well I tapped for this book runs deep: human flaws and our need to label them. Dr. Harlow can, at times, represent the judge, forgetting that even therapists have their flaws. No one is “better” than the next person; we all just have floating opinions we treat as fact.
What is the next book that you’re working on, and when can your fans expect it out?
A Prologue of Deception is book 1 of 4 in the Talisman Series, set in the same universe as A Goblin’s Mind. It’s scheduled for release by Golden Storyline Books before the end of 2025.
Two stand-alone books are in submissions: a YA paranormal story set in the real world and a hybrid poetry/fantasy collection containing many of my award-winning and published works. Another full-length Corwyn Chronicles novel is being written, expanding the world even further.
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Doctor Harlow is methodical. Composed. A trusted mind in a kingdom full of unstable ones. On a remote island far from the crown, Harlow treats the bizarre, the enchanted, and the profoundly unwell—with tea, therapy, and an ironclad refusal to get emotionally involved.
But when a quiet goblin arrives—haunted by invisible friends and stories that don’t quite add up—something begins to crack.
At first, the sessions seem harmless. Eccentric, even amusing. Then people begin to vanish. Details shift. Memories blur. And the threads that hold reality together begin to fray like cheap spell work.
As the island slips further out of sync, Harlow must confront a terrifying possibility: the patients aren’t the ones unravelling.
A Goblin’s Mind
A Goblin’s Mind follows Doctor Harlow, a sharp-witted therapist living in a secluded forest who treats the most peculiar of clients. Through his sessions with a compulsive half-unicorn hoarder, an arrogant wizard, a lonely young goblin, and even royalty, Harlow navigates strange personalities, tangled problems, and his own isolation. Each chapter plays out like a self-contained therapy vignette, yet threads of mystery and personal reflection run underneath, hinting at Harlow’s own unfinished business and the curious island he inhabits. The tone swings between deadpan humor, gentle empathy, and surreal fantasy, making the reader feel both entertained and unsettled.
I enjoyed the way the writing marries dry wit with moments of quiet melancholy. Dresner has a gift for making absurd scenarios feel grounded. A unicorn discussing her belt-buckle attachment issues becomes, in his hands, both hilarious and strangely poignant. The banter between characters is crisp and revealing, with dialogue that often says as much in what is left unsaid as in what is spoken. At times, I laughed at Harlow’s sardonic observations. Other moments caught me off guard with their tenderness. There’s a rhythm to the prose that makes the conversations feel alive, and yet the pacing never lingers too long in one mood before shifting to another.
I also found myself appreciating the undercurrent of loneliness that runs through the book. Harlow may be the one guiding others, but Dresner never lets us forget he is just as mortal as his patients, grappling with uncertainty and longing. The island itself feels like a character, its stillness and strange boundaries adding to the sense that everyone here is a little trapped, including the good doctor. Some of the surreal touches, like the recurring dream imagery and the letter that keeps reappearing, worked beautifully to keep me curious, though a few left me wishing for more payoff. The blend of slice-of-life pacing with the quirks of high fantasy felt fresh.
I’d recommend A Goblin’s Mind to readers who enjoy character-driven fantasy with a strong conversational voice. If you like your worlds a bit odd, your humor a bit dry, and your moments of heart snuck in between the jokes, this is worth picking up. For anyone who enjoys the idea of a therapist’s couch deep in an enchanted forest, Dresner delivers something charming, sly, and quietly moving.
Pages: 176 | ISBN : 1989482082
LITERARY TITAN 