The Light of Faded Stars follows a retired detective on his deathbed who is reflecting on his final, unsolved case—the brutal murder of a young woman. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

The setup for The Light of Faded Stars emerged from a blend of literary influences, personal observations, and a deep sense of duty to honor my friends’ experiences. Stylistically, I was heavily inspired by the works of American writers like Cormac McCarthy, William Faulkner, Jack Kerouac, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, John Fante, J.D. Salinger, and Jack London. Their mastery of raw, evocative prose and their ability to portray the complexities of the human spirit left a lasting impression on me and shaped the tone and style of my novel.

The idea for a crime story took root as I explored Saint John, often called Fog City. Its streets, steeped in a haunting mix of faded grandeur and lost promises, struck me as the perfect setting for a noir narrative. Despite its challenges, Saint John is a city on the cusp of renewal, and that tension between its past and its potential added depth to the story’s backdrop. In this place, shadows conceal untold stories, yet hope flickers on the horizon.

I also wanted to weave in a backstory about Afghanistan as a tribute to my friends who served there. While I served in the military, I didn’t deploy to Afghanistan, but I witnessed its profound impact on those who did. Including this element felt like a duty to honor their sacrifices and to explore how such experiences ripple through lives and communities. Together, these threads—the literary influences, the atmospheric setting of Saint John, and the Afghanistan backstory—formed the foundation for a tale of mystery, reflection, and remembrance.

What are some things that you find interesting about the human condition that you think make for great fiction?

The human condition offers endless inspiration for fiction, particularly in its messiness and contradictions. One aspect I find compelling is how people wrestle with their pasts—how regret and unresolved questions can linger like ghosts. In The Light of Faded Stars, the retired detective, facing his final days, is consumed by his last case with Marcel, his partner: the brutal murder of a young woman with such promise. This allowed me to explore the human yearning for closure and the burden of carrying unfinished business to the grave, and to tie it all together with the unfulfilled promise of the city.

Another fascinating element is the tension between memory and truth. As the detective revisits his life, he grapples with his recollections of the case, questioning what’s real and what’s colored by his biases. This mirrors a universal struggle—how we reshape our stories over time, often blurring the line between fact and perception, and how many things fall in the cracks of unremembered time. I think it ties well with the life of small-town folks. There are whispers and stories about everyone, and people’s reputations become more real than the real person sometimes. I wanted my narrator to be from a village like mine, where memory and truth can be two separate things.

Finally, the enduring impact of trauma captivates me. Whether it’s the detective’s decades-long career in law enforcement or the Afghanistan backstory reflecting my friends’ service, trauma shapes people in profound, often invisible ways. It influences their choices, relationships, and sense of self, making it a powerful lens for fiction that resonates with readers on a visceral level. And I wanted to explore the gritty outlook of hard-boiled characters in a philosophical and poetic way, which the reviewer noted and truly appreciated.

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

In The Light of Faded Stars, I wanted to explore themes that reflect the weight of a life fully lived. Regret stands at the forefront. The detective’s curse is that he meets the body before the person and only uncovers the humanity of his victim as he goes along. Basically, he is always too late, and that has to affect his psyche and outlook.

Another key theme is the passage of time. On his deathbed, the detective feels time slipping away, heightening his urgency to make sense of his past. Time is a palpable force in the story, underscoring how fleeting opportunities for resolution can be. Aging is a universal reality, and by exploring that subtheme, I wanted to offer an answer as to the best way to approach it. In my book, I did not shy away from darker themes, since literary fiction is not just there to entertain but also to help us confront real problems.

The search for closure ties closely to this. The case is an open wound—not just for the detective but for everyone touched by the crime. It extends itself like dominoes in multiple directions and affects various characters. I wanted to explore how people chase that elusive sense of completion and what happens when it remains out of reach. In real life, a detective investigation does not necessarily meet a resolution for all its threads. I read and researched about the experiences of real detectives to help me integrate a sense of realism into my investigation narrative.

Lastly, the impact of trauma runs through the narrative. From the detective’s years confronting violence to the Afghanistan backstory, the story examines how such experiences leave lasting marks. These themes—regret, time, closure, and trauma—intertwine to create a portrait of a man seeking meaning at the end of his journey. It makes it an existential novel at the core, but, as the reviewer mentioned, there is some humour, entertainment, and poetry to keep the reader positive and engaged.

What is the next book that you are working on and when can your fans expect it to be out?

My next project is a collection of short stories about the people of Saint John. It will be a fresque of the colorful people of the Maritimes—a vibrant tapestry of characters who embody the region’s spirit, struggles, and resilience. I’ve already written many short stories for this collection and aim to publish it in 2025 or early 2026. One is currently competing in a literary competition in New Brunswick, which is an exciting step forward. I’ll keep my readers updated on progress through my social media, and I’m eager to share these tales with them!

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