Heartsmith follows a sixteen-year-old orphan who, after an unfortunate encounter, is given a second chance at life with a new heart and a mission to salvage and repair fractured souls. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

I have been a fan of the Steampunk genre ever since I watched Disney’s Treasure Planet and Atlantis as a kid. Eight years ago, when I first conceived the initial idea for this story, I had no semblance of a plot, only a writing prompt from my writer’s group at the time: Tell a story where your character makes a sacrificial decision that has life-changing repercussions. That was it.

From that, I wrote the intro (first 5 pages) to Heartsmith, of a young orphan named Aaren Lockett who wanted a fresh start in an industrial metropolis. Of course, then I threw a wrench in his plans. (And you’ll have to read the story to find out what that is!) The idea of Aaren becoming a “Heartsmith” was there at the beginning, as I loved the thought of a boy going from tinkering on machines, to tinkering on people’s hearts and healing their “inner” wounds. It’s a deep, personal theme to me, and one I wanted to be the beating heart of this story.

I find the world you created in this novel brimming with possibilities. Where did the inspiration for the setting come from and how did it change as you were writing?

I’m a big fan of Charles Dickens’ stories, especially his more gothic works like Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol, and Great Expectations. These stories served as inspiration for the initial setting and topics explored in Heartsmith. So I knew going into this story that I wanted there to be a clear steampunk atmosphere with plenty of nods to a Dickens-esque era—to the clothing, social structure between the elite Hochs living in their skytowers juxtaposed against the denizens in the lower, and sometimes seedier parts of the metropolis. And also in Dickens’ fashion, I wanted the names of my characters to have a certain flair that, in many respects, mirrored their personality; I especially did this with the runaways Aaren encounters in the Basin Slumyard.

I would say about a few chapters into the story that I didn’t have a clear sense of what the overall conflict would be in Heartsmith. So I set the story aside for a while. And then, after brainstorming ideas with my sister, we landed on a very Frankenstein-esque mystery. That opened up the story in a whole new direction, and I ran with it!

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

Self-sacrifice and selflessness are major themes I explore in depth in Heartsmith. I want Aaren’s compassion and Aida’s selflessness to inspire young adult readers never to look away from the misery and pain of others. We all carry wounds. Which brings me to another critical theme in Heartsmith: healing deep-rooted heart wounds. So many youngsters today are lonely, alienated, bullied, abandoned, and struggle with deep, emotional wounds. I hope that Aaren’s story in Heartsmith resonates with young readers who are searching for significance, belonging, and value. Even though Aaren Lockett has had a rough upbringing, he desires to pursue a life with meaning and purpose. He wants to help others, for he has experienced the power of a transformed heart. Our past wounds/trauma don’t have to define us. Like Aaren, we can face that pain, come to a place of acceptance, and have our fresh start.

When will book two be available? Can you give us an idea of where that book will take readers?

I am halfway done drafting the sequel to Heartsmith. I have a working title at this point too, and I hope to finish drafting it by the end of the year. In the sequel, readers can expect more adventure thrills, including a skyskiff race! There will be more mystery and suspense, scientific experimentation, sleuthing Basin Slumyard, and a new POV character has been added too. I will also dig deeper into Aaren’s mysterious origins and explore more of his Heartsmith abilities; so readers can expect some big surprises as well. A release date is yet to be determined for the sequel, but hopefully early 2026.

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Aaren wants a fresh start. What he gets is a new heart.

Sixteen-year-old orphan Aaren Lockett leaves his rural hometown and ventures to the metropolis of Rexanberg to start his life afresh as a Tinker. But upon his arrival, he finds trouble when he interferes in a Hoch territory feud, and his life is thrown into immediate peril. When the dust settles, Aaren is no longer who he was before nor is he alone. Given a second chance at life, Aaren embarks on a new mission-tinkering with hearts. Little does he know that his quest to salvage and repair fractured souls will lead him to investigate a dark, chilling conspiracy. Residing within Rexanberg’s glittering skyscrapers, someone is performing his own experiment: stitching life into the lifeless. To get to the bottom of this dark mystery, Aaren teams up with intrepid journalist Sasha Loren, who loves all things macabre. Together, they chase down clues as they delve into Rexanberg’s seedy underbelly.

Can Aaren and Sasha unravel the mystery surrounding this grisly case? Or will they end up a mad scientist’s lab rat-or worse-one of the reanimated dead? HEARTSMITH is an exciting romp through an industrial fantasy landscape filled with staple steampunk innovations and a dash of gothic horror. It will keep readers enthralled and guessing throughout its hair-raising twists and turns.