Balance of Light follows a teenager and his companions as they travel through wormholes to the ancient civilization of Atlantis, where they attempt to unlock the secrets of a long-lost civilization and prevent another catastrophic planetary reset. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

Ultimately, The Book of Light (Balance of Light being the second part), started life quite simply as a gathering of some of my favourite things: the ocean, surfing, sharks (and anything else in the ocean that can eat you or at the very least ruin your day!), Atlantis, ancient mysteries, and catastrophic planetary events from our past. It was then just a case of taking all of those ingredients and putting them in the story pot! But, as it happens, I found that a lot of these things fitted together quite well. Most of the great cities of the past grew up near water, probably for trade and things like that, and I think that if Atlantis ever did exist, it too would have been near water/the coast. This would certainly explain how so many ancient mythical places have disappeared because of the amount that the sea has risen since the last ice age (at least 400 feet), so any coastal settlements would have long since sunk beneath water, silt, mud, and sand. It also struck me that, because of this, if there were some amazing lost maritime culture, they would have likely had mastery over the sea. And in my mind, unlike our culture today, which has been focused on the evolution of technology over thousands of years, Atlantis was a culture that had put similar time and effort into more of a spiritual evolution. It was then a short leap of imagination to envisage that surfboards that can travel across the ocean through ancient wormholes would be the pinnacle of oceanic travel in a society like this! This was also helped by some of the many flood myths in different cultures around the world that often agree about some huge flood that wiped out much of civilisation, and that afterwards the survivors were visited by an advanced group that re-taught them civilisation and that these people (particularly in South American and Central American myths) often travelled on boats with no sails that seemed to move by themselves – which totally sounds like super-powered surfboards to me! And then of course there are the more spiritual elements of the story, based around having a greater connection to the earth and nature, and anyone who has ever sat on a surfboard on a glassy day will know where this fits in! So, that was how the basic setup came about, I then just needed a couple of protagonists to throw into the action…

What character did you enjoy writing for?

Was there one that was more challenging to write for? My two main protagonists, Zeb and Kaia, are both enjoyable to write for as in many ways they complement each other. Zeb is basically the one who has grown up in the UK surfing mediocre (and cold!) waves and dreaming of more exotic places, and being a bit unsure of himself (slightly autobiographical here!), whereas Kaia grew up in Hawaii, and is a confident and accomplished surfer with a strong connection to the environment. However, while Kaia is more fiery and headstrong, Zeb is more chilled, introspective, and has a greater inner balance. Ironically, it is this inner balance that means he is the one who ends up being able to control the ancient surfboard, despite Kaia seemingly having a more confident exterior and being more of a go-getter, as well as having a greater degree of surfing experience. In many ways, I think this is like life, where there are two ways you can get through it. The strong, powerful way or in a more giving and adaptable way (call it Ying and Yang). I think both ways have strengths and weaknesses, and both represent different energies, and so for Zeb and Kaia, who are not just working together towards a common goal but are also navigating a romantic relationship, this makes for some good tensions within their relationship, but also differences in how they face the many trials and tribulations that they do.

I felt that the action scenes were expertly crafted. I find that this is an area that can be overdone in novels. How did you approach this subject to make sure it flowed evenly?

I think with action scenes, this probably comes from two elements. Firstly, I’ve always enjoyed travel, adventure, and a bit of thrill seeking. Have I swam with sharks? Yes. Have I been attacked/eaten by a shark? Thankfully not yet! But, it means if I’m writing about a scene like that, I have enough first-hand experience to be able to draw on, and this makes it easier to imagine what a character is feeling during a situation like this. I suppose, in acting terms, this would be classed as literary method acting. I heard a story once where a famous actor was immersing himself in a frozen river to help get into character. And one of his co-stars, who was looking on bemused, said, “You should try acting, old boy!” And while I find some actual experience certainly helps, I think the second element that complements the first is then having the imagination to add the extra toppings to a scene that you may not have experienced first-hand. Where does this come from? For me, I get a lot of inspiration from both books and movies. If you asked me to pick one or the other, I (perhaps shockingly!) would be hard pressed to say – I like both mediums in different ways and I think they can complement each other. Ultimately, I just like a good story that grips me, moves me, and makes me think and feel. In my opinion, both of these formats help you see a scene better in your head, which makes action scenes, for example, easier to write. And for me, it is a bit of a test, where you write a scene and then read through it to check that there is enough description and information to make the scene work. This is where you can really dig into how a character is feeling and reacting. Then, in my final read through of a scene, I like to imagine it as a movie scene because this often helps you to see what it looks like and how it flows and generally whether it works or not. With action in particular, if you can’t see the scene clearly playing out like a movie in your head, then (in my humble opinion!) it needs more work.

What will the next book in that series be about, and when will it be published?

The third book in the series is called Storm of Light and should be out by the end of 2025. It follows on from the events of the second book, but ratchets things up a few levels, as is hopefully suggested by the title! I can’t give too many things away at this point, but if you enjoyed the first two books, the third is going even bigger, and I can’t wait to share it with readers!

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