Escape from Ancient Snackland follows Obesseus and his companions through snack-built kingdoms and troublesome magic, where clashing personalities complicate danger and friendship inspires cooperation. How did you develop Snackland’s food-based landscapes?

Obesseus’s hunger is a huge part of his personality, so I never wanted caring about his friends to suddenly make that disappear. He can be distracted by food, impulsive, and completely convinced that eating will solve a problem. But his companions matter to him. The balance comes from giving him moments where his choices show that, even when his first instinct is to think about his stomach. He doesn’t always get it right, which creates both humor and room for growth. To me, friendship means learning to consider other people while still being yourself, even if being yourself involves constantly asking for more nuggets.

How did you balance Obesseus’s constant hunger with his concern for his companions, particularly when those priorities come into conflict?

I wanted Snackland to feel like a world where imagination could run wild with something familiar: food. Once you have soda oceans, water rivers, and food-based continents, there are endless possibilities for adventures and disasters. A place that sounds delicious might also be dangerous, especially with Obesseus around. For Escape from Ancient Snackland, taking that world into a prehistoric setting gave me room to make it stranger and more unpredictable. The landscapes are part of the fun, but they also create problems the characters have to work together to overcome.

How does Conflicted Tomato’s uncertainty about where he belongs deepen the book’s exploration of individuality within this unruly group?

Conflicted Tomato takes that familiar fruit-or-vegetable debate and gives it a personal side: Where do I fit in? That’s something readers can relate to, even in a world this ridiculous. He’s surrounded by strong personalities, and uncertainty can make it difficult to feel confident about what he brings to the group. But he doesn’t need to have every question about himself answered to matter. I like the idea that you can still contribute, build friendships, and find acceptance while figuring yourself out. With this group, everyone has quirks. Belonging doesn’t require them all to become alike.

What scene was the most fun for you to write?

My favorite scene to write was the Molly mushroom loud mail scene. When I was writing it, I pictured someone shouting their emails across the room instead of typing them.

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