Dream Knights: The Network follows a young boy and girl in a world where adults have lost the ability to dream and the pair seek answers to the problem in their dreams. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

Burnout in the United States, such as the Great Resignation, inspired me to suggest a world where adults no longer dream. In the novel, excessive stress and worry make dreaming impossible for adults. Yet, thanks to heroic children, there is hope to bring dreams back.

In reality, there is hope to reduce burnout too. Teleworking and flexible schedules are already gaining popularity. We can go even further.

When compared to the United States, Finland’s students show greater academic success while spending less time in the classroom. They even have summer breaks that are 10 to 11 weeks long. We can learn from this type of success not only for our children but also for our workforce. We all have limits.

Grant and Zahra are intriguing characters that were fun to follow. What were some driving ideals behind your characters’ development?

I wanted Grant and Zahra to be great role models and add cultural and gender diversity to the novel.

To be inclusive, I requested that my cover artist present my characters as silhouettes. Originally, the characters were also written in a nondescript manner. I later changed that, as to be more intentional with diversity, and modeled Zahra after a friend whose family emigrated from Bangladesh.

What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?

Different people have different skills, and they are all valuable. When working together, people can accomplish great things.

Also, building relationships and simplifying life can lead to a more fulfilling life than one filled with possessions and stress.

What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?

Dream Knights: The Gate, which picks up a couple of weeks after the first book, was just released on December 21, 2022. The third book, still in its early stages, will take place three to five years after the first two books. However, I have also started a historical fiction book for adults. It’s about a budding romance in 16th century Sweden during the rebellion against Danish rule. Although I’m still deciding which book to write first, I’m hoping to publish one in 2023.

Author Links: GoodReads | Website