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A Gray Cat Showed Up One Saturday
The Great Contagion follows an ancient, sharp-witted cat with a human soul who helps a man confront a deadly sickness sweeping the land. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The idea for The Great Contagion came to me when I was working on Cat Sidhe, another novel in The Merliss Tales series. Cat Sidhe takes place about fifty years after the events in The Great Contagion. I mentioned that the results of a great plague were still visible at the time of Cat Sidhe. After calling attention to this plague numerous times, I decided that I needed to find out what had happened. The result of that exploration was The Great Contagion.
More interesting is the idea for Merliss herself who is based on a real feline. A very thin, sickly, gray cat showed up on our driveway one Saturday and tried to get into our breezeway. We gave it some food and then took it to an emergency vet. The cat had no microchip and was not terminally ill. She was suffering from a respiratory infection, an eye infection, malnutrition, and thousands of fleas. In other words, she needed antibiotics and TLC. A few hundred dollars later, we left the vet with a new cat named Smokey, who was the sweetest lap kitty you can imagine. We never knew how old Smokey was, possibly pushing twenty. She spent her last two and a half years being spoiled by us. Thanks to Smokey, I felt inspired with the idea for an ancient gray cat in a fantasy setting.
What drew you to writing a fantasy centered on healing rather than conquest or warfare?
Many fantasy stories centered on conquest and warfare focus on protagonists occupying the upper strata of society. If you want your characters to directly influence events and you’re dealing with politics and warfare, the characters will need to be in positions of power. I wanted to write stories about characters outside the circles of political and military power and show them dealing with events outside their control, struggling to have an impact on their environment. The healing arts are one area in which a relatively low-status character can impact many others, including high-status characters. Healers also travel through villages and the countryside as part of their work.
How do you build tension in a story that unfolds at a measured pace?
The Great Contagion is composed of numerous subplots that interact and conflict. Some of the subplots center on conflicts and problems related to the people. Others revolve around Merliss, the old gods, and other magical creatures. There is also a subplot involving Merliss and the local cat population. All the subplots are tied together by the contagion, and Merliss is a witness to all the events described. I build tension by staggering high points from the various subplots and planting seeds to set the stage for later scenes of intense action. The level of action increases throughout the book.
What is the next book you are working on, and when will it be available?
The next book in The Merliss Tales series is The Forging of Merliss. The origin tale, this novel is set thousands of years in the past and will tell how Merliss’s spirit came to occupy the body of a cat. I hope to release this book by spring 2027.
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Merliss is no ordinary cat. She’s a young girl’s spirit trapped in a cat’s body. While the magic that banished her has snatched away her ability to speak to humans, it has given her a life spanning millennia. For centuries she has lived with the cunning folk, assisting their efforts to heal the sick and ward off malevolent creatures. Now a bleeding sickness has thrown the medieval community into chaos.
The cunning man Hailaird and his apprentice Fendrel are in danger from the disease. The life Merliss has worked so long to build is in jeopardy. Before she entered the cat, she had trained to be a shaman. Do her centuries of experience hold a secret to a cure? But disease isn’t her only nemesis.
A pair of malevolent creatures have crossed the moor into the forest, threatening more havoc. With disease and monsters ravaging the land, Merliss is hard-pressed to survive. It couldn’t be worse, until a mob looking for a scapegoat turns its wrath on Merliss. Tooth and claw and magic may not be enough.
Hidden Meanings
Into the Fire follows a princess imprisoned for her rare gift of controlling Fire and Water Einn, whose escape sparks a journey of self-discovery. What draws you to the fantasy genre?
Fantasy is not bound by reality. It’s a creative way to use words teaching morality: Good versus evil. Spiritual lessons disguised in magic systems. Symbols that represent so much more. Hidden meanings.
Huldar has a rich mythic atmosphere. What were your influences when creating the setting?
The Bible. Iceland folklore Hidden People: Huldufólk. Stuðlagil Canyon, located in East Iceland. Admiral Richard E. Byrd the hollow earth map.
The novel often suggests that resentment is easier than hope. Why did that idea resonate with you?
It’s easier to hate. To hold on to resentment. Real strength is found in change. Ascending upward away from hatred. Leading to hope and to the last book of the series End of Joro.
Can you give us a glimpse inside the second book in The Huldar Chronicles? Where will it take readers?
The prequel. To the beginning, to pain. Out of the Water. Svaryur and Drifa’s story. What led to all the chaos of Into the Fire. Pain influenced purpose.
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Will they ever find peace?
Will they be able to overcome the curse of human nature?
Each Perilous and Magical Adventure
Hallows Realm follows a young girl and her companions into a mysterious, shadow-filled realm after they uncover an urgent message begging them to save its author and avert disaster. What is the most rewarding aspect of writing a series?
The most rewarding aspect of writing a series is hearing first-hand from readers how they feel a connection with a certain hero, or villain, and how excited they are to read more about their favorite characters in the next book in the series. Many readers have commented on the realistic sibling relationships and friendships, and how these relationship dynamics resonate with them. Keeping the series going allows me to expand not only the storyline, but also on a character’s growth over time and through each perilous and magical adventure.
What was your favorite magical location or creature to invent?
My favorite creature hands-down is teenage Theo aka Theo the Lion; Roe, Ori, and Tora’s older and oftentimes overbearing brother who can magic himself into a huge, powerful lion. Theo the Lion is fearless and occasionally reckless, but a hero all the same, with all the courage of a lion and the big heart of an older brother. He is a Tamer who can control the animals with his powers. He is unselfish, protective, clever, and one of my favorite characters to write about whether he is Theo the Lion, or just plain Theo.
Many characters struggle with feeling inadequate or powerless. Why did you want to explore those emotions?
Feeling inadequate or powerless is a universally understood emotion, whether you are a young child, a teenager, or an adult. These emotions can sometimes separate us from having close relationships with others. The flip side of this is what I like to explore in all my books; how these feelings can bring us together and make us stronger. It’s within these struggles that courage, trust, and relying on friends and family really takes center stage. Overcoming our insecurities and struggles is part of being alive, and this is the sweet spot where hope shines the brightest and seemingly impossible battles are won.
What continues to inspire you to expand the world of Drifters Realm?
The flawed yet curiously relatable teenage characters and the endless possibilities for adventure, mischief, teenage angst, and a bit of magic are what’s driving me to expand the world of Drifters Realm. It’s also extremely motivating when a fan reaches out to me to find out when the next book will be released. It’s a thrill and a blessing for someone like me who loves telling stories.
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As the deadly Storm Catcher Curse spreads, teenagers across the realm are transformed into spectral Outsiders and towering, sentient trees. With enchanted paintings revealing events in real time, the siblings journey through the murky Elsewhere Dismal, the tangled Entangled Forest, and the web-choked Wailing Ruins to uncover the truth—and stop Councilman Jinn, who manipulates the true Storm Catcher, his daughter Ryah.
When Ori is bitten by a cursed spider and begins to change, saving the realm becomes heartbreakingly personal. The triplets must embrace their destinies as the Vanquisher, the Restorer, and the Bold—and discover that courage, hope, and family are the most powerful magic of all.
HalLows Realm, book four of the Drifters Realm fantasy adventure series, continues the tale of survival, friendship, and family.
Legends Unearthed: The Hunt for Yamashita’s Gold
Legends Unearthed is a middle-grade action adventure that combines historical fiction, mystery, and a contemporary treasure hunt. Sam, Riley, Ava, and Jonah arrive in the Philippines on a family vacation with an inherited wartime notebook, then follow its clues from Pangasinan’s Hundred Islands to Baguio’s abandoned Diplomat Hotel. The prologue establishes the mystery with the line, “And deep beneath the seminary, in cold tunnels lined with stone, the treasure waited,” before the main story turns that wartime secret into a fast, accessible quest.
The novel’s strongest feature is its ensemble chemistry. Sam’s historical curiosity, Riley’s practical courage, Ava’s technical inventiveness, and Jonah’s comic anxiety give each scene a distinct rhythm. Their banter keeps cave traps, boat chases, pirates, and nighttime exploration lively while preserving the story’s suspense. The parallel plot involving their parents’ secret treasure hunt is especially effective because it mirrors the children’s schemes and broadens the family humor. Filipino foods, vehicles, landscapes, and family terms are woven into the action, giving the setting an active role in the adventure.
Beyond the action, the book develops a thoughtful idea about ownership and history. When the group finally finds the hoard, the objects are presented as looted cultural property, and the discovery becomes a test of judgment. Captain Yamamoto’s letter states, “Treasure does not make a person rich. It only shows them what they already were.” That line gives the climax moral weight and connects Sam’s family inheritance, Victor Serrano’s obsession, and the children’s decision to report the site. The ethical turn suits younger readers because it emerges naturally from the characters’ choices.
Author Sutton Lewis writes in short chapters with punchy titles, quick scene changes, and a steady balance of danger and comedy. The illustrations reinforce the cinematic mood and help establish the major locations and action sequences. The final chapters provide emotional closure while opening the series toward another mystery, so the ending feels complete and forward-looking. As a whole, the book is an energetic, culturally grounded adventure with a clear moral center, well suited to readers who enjoy puzzles, teamwork, historical legends, humor, and suspense.
Pages: 148 | ASIN: 196228901X
The Throne of Deep Roots: Book 2 of The Command of the Worldhold Series
The Throne of Deep Roots, the second book in Morven T. H. Borthwick’s The Command of the Worldhold series, is a sweeping work of dark epic fantasy built around ancient powers, political betrayal, war, and the consequences of choices made under pressure. The story begins in the shadow of a supernatural disaster, when the Black Sea rose as though answering an unseen will. From there, the novel follows several connected conflicts involving Eron, Belor, Seth, Elia, and the rulers of Dovaryel and Yorthmere. At the center of everything is The Command, a tiny stone with the power to make the sea obey, whose awakening attracts forces far older and more dangerous than the people carrying it fully understand.
One of the book’s strongest qualities is the depth of its world. Dovaryel, Dravarûyn, the Kor lands, and the southern mountains each have their own histories, customs, political tensions, and supernatural traditions. Borthwick doesn’t treat the setting as decoration. The world’s old wars and buried grudges actively shape what the characters believe and how they respond to one another. Titles such as Boundhand, Rootmaker, Vowblade, and Orathë also carry real social and spiritual weight. This gives the story the feeling of a history that began long before the first page. The formal, almost legendary prose suits that approach, especially in scenes involving prophecy, ritual, and ancient beings.
The characters are most compelling when they’re forced to decide what responsibility means. Belor’s Binding Art makes him powerful, but his real strength comes from his understanding that guilt can extend beyond the person who performs an act. His warning that “The blood of the fallen does not name the hand alone, but the will that sent it” captures one of the novel’s central concerns. Commands, bargains, and political decisions leave marks on everyone involved. Seth’s escape from execution, her discovery that she’s carrying Sathor’s son, and her refusal to return to the people who condemned her give her storyline a sharp emotional edge. Elia’s struggle to lead while dealing with fear, pride, and the limits of her gift makes her feel human even when the events around her reach a mythic scale.
The novel’s pacing is deliberate and immersive. Conversations, councils, journeys, and preparations for war receive nearly as much attention as battles, allowing tension to build gradually across the book. When violence arrives, particularly around the Field of Dravarûyn, it feels like the result of decisions that have been accumulating for hundreds of pages. The large cast and extensive terminology ask the reader to pay close attention, but the appendix provides useful support for navigating the Worldhold. The descriptions are often rich and solemn, creating an atmosphere in which forests, rain, stone chambers, and mountain caves seem to remember the events that happened within them.
By the end, The Throne of Deep Roots has expanded from a struggle among rulers into a confrontation with powers that reach back into the foundations of the world. Eron’s bond with The Command, the pursuit of the Thavurwyns, and the revelations beside the Deep Mirror all point toward a threat larger than the characters first imagined. Belor’s observation that “The ancient powers, once awakened, are not easily returned to sleep” works as both a warning and a summary of the book’s direction. This is a substantial, lore-heavy fantasy novel for readers who enjoy layered histories, morally complicated alliances, supernatural dread, and stories in which every victory creates a new burden. Its ending closes the immediate journey while leaving a chilling question hanging over the series: whether Vaelthar’s prison is beginning to fail.
Pages: 402 | ASIN: B0H45RJZR7
The Galaxy of Kon-Ki: Waking on Earth
Colin Nimer’s The Galaxy of Kon-Ki: Waking on Earth is an energetic science-fantasy adventure that blends martial arts, alien civilizations, supernatural abilities, military training, and body-horror creatures into one large-scale story. The novel begins with a dangerous Devi hunt before shifting its attention to Eiki Akihiro, a talented young martial artist whose recurring dreams and unusual powers connect him to a much bigger universe. Once Eiki is recruited aboard the Lóuchuán, the book expands into a team-based adventure filled with training, rivalries, hidden agendas, and increasingly dangerous missions. It’s a big book with a big imagination, and it clearly wants readers to settle into its world for the long haul.
Eiki’s journey gives the story its emotional center. He’s skilled and determined, but he’s also impatient, insecure, and intensely focused on proving himself. His relationship with Katsu, his godfather and martial arts teacher, brings warmth to the early chapters and gives real weight to the choices Eiki makes later. David, Sìrù, Màn-Ruì, Taye, and the rest of the crew add different personalities and pressures, so the story often feels like an ensemble drama. The characters argue, tease each other, make painful mistakes, and carry personal struggles into combat. That emotional messiness makes the crew feel alive, especially when loyalty and ambition start pulling them in different directions.
The novel’s closest popular comparison may be Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson books. Both stories take a young person with unexplained abilities, reveal a hidden world operating alongside ordinary life, and surround the hero with mentors, rivals, monsters, and a larger destiny. Nimer’s approach has more of a martial arts and military flavor, though, with detailed combat systems, formal ranks, training exercises, and a large multicultural cast. Kon-Ki itself works as both a source of power and a reflection of identity, which gives the action a personal dimension. The fight scenes are highly choreographed and often inventive, although the level of physical detail can slow the pace when several battles arrive close together.
What stayed with me most was the book’s interest in growth through discipline. Characters don’t simply unlock power and become unstoppable. They train, fail, lose control, hurt people, and face the consequences. The story also leaves plenty of mysteries open, particularly around Eiki’s lineage, David’s changing abilities, the Devi-A, and the larger forces moving behind Kuno’s mission. That makes Waking on Earth feel like the opening movement of a much broader saga. Readers who enjoy expansive worldbuilding, martial arts action, alien cultures, complicated friendships, and stories that spend time explaining how their powers work will find a lot to dig into here.
Pages: 400
God Gave Us the Gift of Imagination
How the Winterlilies Grow follows a young woman desperate to save her mother, who sets out on a journey for a healing flower, meeting with tests of courage and spiritual challenges along the way. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
My desire is to return morality and Truth back into storytelling. I love fantastical media and learning more about theology. Specifically, I am obsessed with the movie about Rapunzel. Adventure, comedic quips, warmth, seeking belonging alongside beauty, the imagery of a magical healing flower. In this world, the flower isn’t magical, but rather a representation of elemental things created by God like medicine. God heals and doesn’t heal for reasons unknown, but they are reasons that are just. In this book, I wanted to showcase healing with medicine, healing by the creator, a time that the creator doesn’t heal, and how we can strive in the waiting. I wrote this book during a time of my own sickness, and I didn’t know if God would heal me. It was a time when I clung to my faith as my body whittled away, and I could no longer eat food. I wanted to write a story where the reader can find value in most lines whether they relate to Aradella’s pain or Lykke’s clumsy joy or Giselle’s sickness, daydream about visiting Thiddlestacks and Frosty Halo, find resilience like the Hunyljavekians, enjoy the many creatures, and learn about a creator who some claim to be absent, but is actively providing. I wrote this book for fantasy lovers, those grieving or dealing with church hurt, for those questioning God. Ultimately, this story was written intentionally with an engaging storyline and I am eager for people to read it.
The novel features dwarves, goblins, sirens, enchanted weapons, and hidden gardens alongside spiritual lessons. How did you balance classic fantasy elements with the book’s faith-centered message?
This is a fantastic question and one that I thought a lot about. God has given us the gift of imagination because he is an imaginative God, so both imagination and creation are a reflection of Him. These are fun elements to use, and we forget a fruit of the spirit is joy, so it is alright to bring joy to others and play and entertain. That being said, In literature, I am wary of the normalization that magic is a good tool and a way to solve problems. I tried to be intentional that magic and enchantment was used by those who do not know the creator while those who are followers of the creator relied on gifts of the creator like imagination, engineering, peace, prayer, teamwork, and intelligence. Fantasy is the vehicle to spread the gospel and talk about God. How the Winterlilies Grow is the perfect book for Christian parents to use as a tool to have faith-filled discussions with their kids who are in 8th grade and up.
Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and IngramSpark in print and e-book formats starting Oct 6, 2026.
The story visits a wide variety of places and introduces many different creatures and cultures. Which part of the world was your favorite to create, and why?
My favorite town is Hunyljavek – home of the dwarves. It is a place that once was riddled with hardship and pain, but instead of staying in their suffering, they turned their eyes and hearts towards “the creator” and made new traditions that were joyful. When you go there, you can see hints of the brokenness (not many women or children), but it has been redeemed. On a more stylistic note, I appreciate viking culture and I tried to incorporate small elements from them into Hunyljavekian society from their grooming to their armor. The aesthetic of the town and the food they eat is partly inspired by Icelandic culture which is a beautiful culture. From an aesthetic standpoint, I would live in Frosty Halo ~ the sledding, bakeries, angels, choir concerts, lights, community ~ it is a porcelain Christmas village come to life.
Without revealing spoilers, was there a character who surprised you during the writing process by taking the story in an unexpected direction?
There is a character in the book who I wrote to be the comedic relief or at times the moral guide. In a way, this character reminds me a bit of my father- the way he is able to bring joy into hard situations, yet in this book, an event occurs where he faces loss after having already gone through loss. I think his identity shift is a powerful one because as followers, sometimes we believe we have to force ourselves to be happy through pain because the Bible tells us to have a joy beyond circumstances. In fact, in a separate book I am writing, this character holds joy through trauma for the sake of others. His shift shows that it is alright to mourn, grieve, cry, and to be completely shaken by events that take place. It reminded me of Noami in the book of Ruth where her name meant pleasant and the grief made her “bitter” aka Mara. Jesus wept and grieved Lazarus even though He knew he would be resurrected. This character has been holding on to this grief for so long that this shift was inevitable. It is alright to experience it. Just remember that no one can take away Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross from you as you go through those highs and lows.
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HOW THE WINTERLILIES GROW is an award-winning tale of adventure and rekindled faith. Aradella will encounter pirates, dwarves, goblins, elves, reindeer, wyverns, a kitten, and dragons who will either help her or stand in her way. A Love Knudsen wrote this book as a balance between faith and fantasy with the hope to give glory to God.
What If You Could Start Over?
One Chance follows a middle-aged man haunted by the consequences of his own choices who is offered an unexpected way out through a doorway leading him into a world of giants, witches, and enchanted objects. Where did the idea for this novel come from?
I think it started with the idea that if I could live my life over again, would I do anything differently? I think most people have that thought from time to time, and the main character exemplifies an extreme of that. It’s not just that he would change one thing or another, but that he would change the person he was. From there, the book explores ideas around why people make the decisions they make and ultimately become who they are as people. Finally, can we change and start over, or are we trapped by our place and circumstances? The challenges and obstacles he faces in the story, although pure fantasy, in many ways can be related to the challenges we face in everyday life.
Why did you choose a middle-aged protagonist instead of the younger heroes often found in portal fantasy?
One of the main issues for the character was a life filled with regrets. He had regrets about decisions he had made, possible life paths that he had not taken, and even regrets around the very person he had become. Those character issues fit much better with an older character with a lifetime of mistakes rather than someone younger. As he goes through the portal, he becomes young again, a change that is far better appreciated for an older character. I think the theme of starting over and becoming someone new wouldn’t have made as much sense with a young protagonist.
How long did it take to build the world of Wisteria before you began drafting the novel?
I actually started by developing the characters in the story and an overall theme. After that, I developed the general storyline and the first couple of chapters. The bulk of the world-building happened as I was writing the story. I wrote the storyline I had outlined and essentially built the world around it as I wrote. So I really didn’t start building the world until after I began drafting the novel.
What do you hope readers discover about themselves while following Chance’s journey?
In the story, Chance faces a lot of obstacles to becoming the person he wanted to be. Of course, the outward things included traps, monsters, and villains threatening him, but the greater obstacles came from within himself. He faced selfish temptations, old habits, personal vanity, and good old-fashioned fear. I hope readers would recognize that those same challenges exist in our own world, in different forms, but the greater barriers to growth and success are the ones we create ourselves. He’s only truly able to acknowledge those personal challenges and move forward when he fully lays down his own desires in order to become the person his friends needed him to be.
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What he finds there is a world in crisis, with danger around every corner. He meets two friends who each have a unique power, and together they’re given a quest to save everyone from impending destruction. They will have to overcome monsters and villains as they are pursued by a legendary bounty hunter. Can Charlie and his friends overcome dragons, giants, and magic spells to save mankind? Can he overcome old habits and become the person that he’s always aspired to be?
