Till I Bleed No More follows the relentless journey of two marooned sailors battling against fate, surviving a formidable pirate hunter showdown, and embarking on an 18th-century adventure filled with retribution, survival, and the vivid essence of piracy. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story? 

The inspiration originally came from a young girl, she remembered that I dressed up as a pirate captain for Halloween, and after that, an idea began to form on how I could turn that look into a character. I also remembered a boy that wanted to join my crew on that day, and so I created a companion for this character and gradually, it evolved from there. Based on the look of my pirate at the time, I wanted to create a more aggressive set up for my story, and I wanted to focus on a younger and less experienced pirate; instead of a captain or a close to their prime seamen.

The characters Casper and Fletch are both resilient and captivating. Can you share any real-life influences or historical figures that helped shape these characters?

There are no historical figures that helped shape Casper and Fletch, however some real-life influences did play a part. When I got the idea for this story I was in a dark place in my life, and while I was planning it and even writing some of it I could still recall how I felt in what I would call my one bad year. Casper and Fletch were thrusted into a situation which evoked similar but less extreme feelings to what I was experiencing. Anger, sorrow, and isolation; all of these amongst other feelings were shared by me and my creations.

The vivid descriptions in the novel create an immersive experience for the reader. What techniques or strategies did you employ to paint such vibrant scenes, and how did you ensure that each narrative beat resonated with readers?

Honestly I wasn’t thinking about the readers much while I was writing this, all I wanted to do was honour my vision, my creative vision. This experience was always gonna be about me first and everyone else second, I wanted to do this on my own terms, and I felt that I had to do this because it couldn’t stay inside of me. My main focus was to just try and show Casper’s perspective and see how people reacted to it. I wanted them to feel what he felt, and I wanted them to question but also understand why he acts the way he does. All of the narrative just revolves around what would you do if you were Casper?

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

I’m at a crossroads as to what or whether I’ll write another book. I’m not the kind of person who can just jump straight into another one, I need some time away first and then I’ll see how I feel. I have three ideas at the moment however, one is a dark fantasy novel about sisterhood, another is a medieval retelling of Ashor the Immortal, and the third is a sequel to Till I Bleed No More. I can’t tell you when they’ll be available. 

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