Blog Archives
Inspired by a Dream
Harbinger follows a princess whose prophetic nightmares lead her to make a forbidden connection with an imperial rook. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
It all started with a dream I had when I was 17. I knew that I didn’t have the writing experience or life experience to do the story justice, so I sat on the idea until I was 25. When I did sit down to write, I thought that, since this was inspired by a dream, having my MFC’s conflict start in dreams seemed appropriate. Sadly, her dreams were not as enjoyable as mine.
Were you able to relate to your characters while writing them?
I did! We have all had moments of fear that we have to overcome, and I personally believe all fear is a benchmark. Something to tell us what we need to overcome. Be it to improve a skill or recover from a trauma that we experienced, that is stopping us from moving forward. Keira doesn’t have the tools to combat her fears, but she has the determination to find them. I also resonated with the imperial family; they reminded me of how my own family rallies around each other when we are in need. Their love for one another is a mirror of the love I have for my family. Then there is Cyrus’s commitment to finding the truth, which made me determined that he would get his answers because I needed them too!
How did you come up with the idea for the antagonist in this story, and how did it change as you wrote?
In the beginning, I had several possible villain choices, but it wasn’t until I wrote the Club Deviant scene that V appeared. As I wrote him, I was appalled by how callous and depraved he was but had to admit he was the perfect villain. His evolution from cunning strategist to obsessed deviate is a direct response to how many blood bonds he has had. With each bond, his need to have sex grows, and his obsession with Keira becomes twisted, as do his goals.
Can you give us a glimpse inside Book 2 of this series? Where will it take readers?
Lines will be crossed. Revelations will blow up preconceived notions of facts. And my 4 little female moiohs (children) will be hard at work influencing everyone. A little more will be revealed about the enemies from the stars, and everything will be decided by a desperate gamble. There will be some answers, but not all. The real revelations happen in book 3 (yes, it’s written).
Author Links: GoodReads | Amazon
The return of a particular imperial rook changes the tone of her dreams, providing her with much needed relief. But this too is perplexing, for he is a rook and she an elite. The law strictly forbids a union between the two.
Yet four little female moiohs scheme to bring them together, providing the path to secure their future, a future threatened by traitors who would use the princess as a way to steal her father’s throne.
Just Myself and Pen and Paper
Ten Years of Bliss, Poems is a collection of over 300 poems spanning a decade, highlighting topics ranging from spirituality to love and grief, and from the mystical to the mundane.
Were there any poets or other writers who influenced your work on this collection?
I always write alone. Just myself and pen and paper and a whole lot of meditation in between. I’d say that sense of peace was the inspiration. I think it’s a gift that’s more of a reflection of the world around me. I prefer to maintain objectivity rather than seek.
I think I’ve read three poets in my life. Poe, when I was 11 years old, Yeats, I read once, and before I ever picked up a pen to write I found Virgil’s work at the library and I fell in love with Virgil. I spent the summer with a latin dictionary to decipher some of it. I don’t compare my work with his, who could? But wow, it made an impression.
How do you approach writing about deeply personal or emotional topics?
I don’t approach writing with that sense of direction. If someone can glean something from my work that they can reflect on then that’s great. Hopefully it has meaning for them. I try to write positive poetry, with spiritual meaning embedded in every corner of understanding. It may be floral, it might go deep but it’s never really dark and is always spiritual or about the human experience.
There are two kinds of artists, and poetry is a form of art. There are poets who emote, and ones who have something else to say or express themselves differently. There is a perception that poets are all emotion and I don’t think that’s always the case. To me, emotion is baggage. Passion is love, is a better feeling and I’d rather spend time expressing that.
What is one thing you hope readers take away from your collection?
I would hope that they see an evolution within the themes. The point and the growth. That there is enlightenment for the reader. I want someone to feel good, or to feel better after reading it. To know that’s it’s an act of love.
Thank you so much for the opportunity to discuss my work. I appreciate that so much.
Author Website
Never Believe a Lie Twice
Kathleen Troy’s Never Believe A Lie Twice follows the rough-and-tumble journey of Sage Christopher, a sharp-witted thirteen-year-old suddenly orphaned and thrust from a seedy life in Las Vegas into a sleepy Connecticut town with relatives he’s never met. Sage’s dad, Marty, a grifter with a knack for making terrible choices, dies in a drunk driving accident, leaving behind a duffel bag full of mysterious clues tied to a decades-old disappearance. As Sage tries to dodge the foster system, he gets shipped off to Evansville where he finds new family, old secrets, and the creeping sense that someone dangerous may still be watching. What unfolds is part mystery, part coming-of-age, all heart.
I went into this book expecting a fairly straightforward YA mystery, but Troy surprised me. Her writing is snappy and clean, with a rhythm that grabs you right from the first jail cell scene. Sage’s voice is pitch-perfect, equal parts street-smart and vulnerable. There’s a thread of dry humor running through the entire book that kept me chuckling even when things got dark. The pacing never lagged, and the scenes often flipped with just the right mix of tension and heart. Troy doesn’t dumb things down for young readers either; she lets Sage wrestle with real danger, real grief, and real moral dilemmas. That kind of honesty, especially from a young protagonist, was refreshing.
What I loved most, though, was the way Troy builds her characters. Sage isn’t just another scrappy orphan hero; he’s damaged, sometimes too clever for his own good, and constantly teetering between trust and survival. The supporting cast, especially Pops and Gram, are warm without being sappy. I found myself rooting for Sage to get his happy ending, but I also wanted him to stay a little rogue-ish. There were a few plot turns that felt slightly convenient, but I forgave them because the heart of the story was so strong.
Never Believe A Lie Twice is the kind of book that sneaks up on you. It has guts, charm, and a whole lot of soul. I’d recommend it to readers twelve and up who love mysteries with a bit of grit and a lot of warmth. Fans of Louis Sachar or Kate DiCamillo will feel right at home here. And honestly, adults could do worse than spending an evening with Sage Christopher. I did, and I loved every minute of it.
Pages: 288 | ASIN : B09RQS93KQ
Energy Vampire
Bloodbound: Reverberations follows vampire-investigator as he races against time, monsters, and his own demons to save his partner in a world split between harsh realities and the haunting beauty of the Other Realm. What inspired the dynamic between Hunter, Kai, and Gibson?
Hunter and Kai are based on the relationship I share with my husband, Tyler. I would say there are aspects of our personalities, history, and experiences woven into their dynamic, just in different proportions than mine and Tyler’s. Gibson, on the other hand, has no real basis on anyone I’ve known personally. I feel he has no filter – like Sophia Petrillo of The Golden Girls – but for many centuries he lacked a moral barometer which allowed him to get away with literal murder in the past.
The Order feels both mythic and bureaucratically terrifying. Was it based on any real-world systems or structures?
I see most bureaucracies as a hellscape – too many cooks not only spoiling the broth but offering their own opinions as to how it got that way. The chain of communication and command always breaks down and never fails to cause chaos. No better way to demonstrate that, I felt, than at an underground organization whose sole mission is to prevent chaos!
How did you develop the concept of a “siphonic” vampire, and what does that metaphor mean to you?
I based the idea on the concept of an ‘energy vampire,’ which traditionally just means someone who wishes to be the center of attention. From that, I developed a demon that feeds off what you’d call “palpable energy,” or the moods created in tense and emotionally-charged situations. Add in the traditional concept of a vampire feeding off a life force, and voila – a demon (or demon-vampire hybrid) that can sustain itself on other people’s anger, fear, and other negative emotions.
If Bloodbound were adapted into a movie, who would you cast as Hunter, Kai, and Gibson?
I’d love Joe Alwyn as Hunter—he already has the sandy hair and that quiet intensity. Darren Barnet would nail Kai’s self-assured warmth, and Ludi Lin brings the long black hair and enigmatic edge Gibson needs.
Author Links: GoodReads | X (Twitter) | Bluesky } Website | Amazon
When vampire agent Kai Taylor is framed for a brutal murder, the secretive organization known as The Order activates its last resort: Safe Harbor, a deadly countdown that gives his allies six months to prove his innocence. As the clock runs down, a tangled investigation unfolds – one that stretches across dimensions, unearths buried betrayals, and reveals a conspiracy deeper than anyone imagined.
Meanwhile, Hunter Reeves – a vampire-demon hybrid still learning to control his volatile powers – must confront both external enemies and the darkness within. Alongside Kai and their partner Gibson, he navigates love, guilt, and a siphonic hunger that threatens to consume him.
But a forgotten past haunts them all. In a parallel narrative, we return to Kai’s earliest mission, where another frame-up nearly destroyed him – and where the seeds of a much larger war were first sown.
Reverberations is the fifth installment in the genre-defying Bloodbound series – a bold, queer, supernatural thriller blending espionage, horror, and romance. The past is bleeding into the present.
Grounded in Hope
Angelica follows a young girl who discovers she’s gifted by God to enter dreams, battle fear, and bring light to the lost with the help of heavenly allies and unshakable faith. What inspired you to combine dream journeys with Christian symbolism and spiritual armor?
I’ve always been fascinated by dreams—how they can feel so real, symbolic, and even spiritual. As a person of faith, I believe God can speak to us through dreams, especially when we’re young and open-hearted. I wanted to create a story that showed children their fears are not the end of the story, but an invitation to rise in courage. The spiritual armor from Ephesians 6 became the perfect foundation—each piece carries meaning and power, and I wanted kids to see that faith is both imaginative and real. Combining dream journeys with Christian truth allowed me to explore big themes like identity, fear, and calling in a way that feels magical but grounded in hope.
How did you approach writing about fear in a way that would feel both honest and comforting to children?
I’ve worked with many children over the years—some of whom are dealing with very real fears: nightmares, family struggles, feeling different or left out. I didn’t want to minimize those feelings. Instead, I wrote Angelica as a mirror for kids to see their own emotions—especially fear—and realize that even in the middle of fear, they are not alone. Angelica learns that bravery isn’t the absence of fear; it’s showing up anyway with faith. By giving fear a shape, a voice, and then surrounding Angelica with divine support, I hoped to show kids that fear can be faced and defeated—not through force, but through light, truth, and love.
Todd the squirrel and the Eagle Fort are so unique. How did you come up with these dream-world companions?
Todd the squirrel actually came to me in a moment of prayer—I pictured this fast-talking, witty little creature who balances Angelica’s seriousness with joy and humor. He represents the voice that reminds us to laugh and trust, even in dark places. The Eagle Fort was inspired by Isaiah 40:31—“They will rise on wings like eagles.” I imagined a soaring place of refuge where warriors gather and children are trained in truth. I wanted every companion and setting in Angelica’s world to reflect part of God’s nature—His protection, joy, wisdom, and strength—while still being imaginative and memorable for young readers.
When and where will this book be available?
Angelica: Enter into the Dream will be available in the month of August 2025, in both print and digital formats through Amazon and select bookstores.
LITERARY TITAN 