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A Magical and Vast Universe
Beast of Phe’lak follows a woman trapped on an alien planet, under the control of a powerful beast who spots a delegation on the beach that triggers century-old memories, and a chance to regain her freedom. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The inspiration began in Queen of Highwings, the first book in my Chronicles of Phe’lak Trilogy—of which Beast is the third book. Phe’laki General George muses about the beast with regard to the palace’s understructure, which once served as another dragon’s lair. He thinks that the underpass was sealed to prevent attracting the Beast of Phe’lak to such a luxurious dwelling because, unlike the original resident, the Dragon of Yand, the beast is not benevolent. I received many questions, including: ‘What happened to the beast?’ and ‘Is it related to the beloved Yandar dragon?’ The character Hele’ne lived in my head for a long time. I always knew who she was and how she ended up on the alien planet. I naturally wove her in.
Hele’ne is a fascinating character. What scene was the most interesting to write for that character?
I must say, I love all her scenes. My top favorites include her introduction scene, her interaction with the beast and then with Wolfpack at the beginning of the story. I also love her exchanges with Rel and Drace, as well as her final scene in the last chapter. This last scene is very powerful.
For readers who have not yet read the rest of the Worldmaker® series, what do you want them to know about the world you have created?
It is a magical and vast universe, spanning galaxies and constellations. Each new world—whether a star system, planet, or moon—comes to life in vivid detail. The people who populate these worlds, whether they are queens and kings, scientists, military archers, or regular people, are just as authentic and lifelike. There are four humanoid species introduced so far: the empathic, winged Yandar; their slightly smaller telepathic cousins, the non-winged Yendai; the benevolent, non-meta giants known as the Phe’laki; and the malevolent K’tul. The main characters are complex and richly developed, and their extensive dialogues throughout the stories enhances the immersive quality. The illustrations are glorious. If you purchase the PDF, please read in full-screen, two-page format to get the full benefit of the artwork.
The primary genre is Sci-Fi/Fantasy, but with elements of the paranormal, a touch of horror, and unconventional romance, always with a hint of humor. LGBTQ+ and polyamorous marriages are part of the norm alongside exclusive and binary ones.
The storylines follow the saga of Worldmaker Yanara’s family, whose children have evocative names: Snowfox, Hawklord, Asimia, Dragonlord, Wolfpack, Sunstorm. Can you guess the kings among them? The Worldmaker and Dragoon? The Pathfinder?
Where does the story go in the next book, and where do you see it going in the future?
I received requests to write more about the Dragon of Yand and his wife, Yira, and also of Drace and his husband, Rel. I can’t stop writing about these two. I could serialize their adventures. However, I meant to write the third trilogy in my series, the one that brings the war to the K’tul homeworld. We’ll see. For the next couple of months, I’ll be taking a breather and focusing on earning a few accolades for Beast to adorn its cover, just like my other books. It has already received a few awards, the most prominent among them being the No. 1 Book/Manuscript on Coverfly’s Red List this month (out of 57,000 scripts).
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Beast of Phe’lak
This book throws you headfirst into a world of magic, pain, and tangled emotions. Hele’ne has spent centuries trapped on an alien planet, isolated and broken, under the control of a powerful beast who both saved her life and stole her freedom. When a group of new arrivals shows up on the beach near her prison, something stirs—faint memories, a flicker of purpose, a chance at freedom. What follows is a story that twists through identity, power, and survival, where every choice carries a cost, and every shadow hides something sharp.
What I loved most was how deeply personal it all felt. Beneath the dragons and battles and cosmic stakes, this is a story about trauma, real, raw, and relentless. Hele’ne’s connection to the beast is terrifying in how familiar it feels. It’s a portrait of control disguised as care, and it chilled me. And yet, there are soft moments too, brief flickers of tenderness, humor, even love, that make the heavy parts hit even harder. Elia dives into the darker emotions, showing what it means to fight for your own mind, your own body, your own name.
The writing is lush and dreamlike. The lore runs deep, the world is massive, and if you haven’t read the other books, you’ll probably spend a few pages catching up. But there’s something wild and beautiful about that, too. It feels alive. The characters are vivid, passionate, and impossible to ignore. Some are haunted, some are healing, all are trying to hold onto something in the chaos.
In the end, Beast of Phe’lak is for readers who want their fantasy to cut deep. It’s messy and magical, yes, but it’s also full of heart. It’s for anyone who’s ever felt lost, controlled, or broken and dared to imagine something more. If you want to be shaken, moved, and maybe even changed a little, give this one a shot.
Pages: 309 | ASIN : B0F7FD49NL
The Devil Is In The Details
Enigma Jewels follows a relentless pursuit across the Caribbean as a cyber-sleuthing team races to stop a shadowy criminal mastermind exploiting sunken treasure, cryptocurrency, and cartel chaos. What inspired you to set Enigma Jewels in the Caribbean, and how did the location shape the story’s tone and pacing?
Three years ago, we were instructors on an Authors at Sea seminar in the Caribbean. The challenge was given to us as “Can you write a story set in the Caribbean?” Rox and Charles sketched out some thoughts, which quickly became an outline, but with one problem: the story was too large for just one book. Being the ever-inventive writer that she is, Rox stated, “We make this a trilogy”. Charles had trouble grasping the obvious, so she postulated even further. Each book will have an evil half-brother from the same criminal dynasty as the central character, who needs to be taken down. The Enigma Heirs have to get the goods on the ecological gangster Philip Pliant in Enigma Tracer. Then the second criminal, Mateo Hernandez, must be toppled from his perch in Enigma Forced, to halt his fentanyl and human trafficking business. This sets the stage for the Heirs, Gracie and JJ, to focus on the slipperiest criminal brother, Julian Lafluer. Julian has his criminal business hiding in plain sight in the Caribbean. The reason? That’s where he can hunt for precious stones lost over the centuries to hurricanes, high seas piracy, and just plain bad luck. You can hunt for lost coins with a metal detector, but how do you hunt for precious stones lost 300-400 years ago?
Julian Lafluer remains an elusive figure. Was that a deliberate choice to heighten suspense, or will we learn more about him in future books?
(spoiler alert!) Apologies, but we can’t answer that question and still keep the ending a secret. But we can tell you this, Julian has made it through two previous books due to his superior skill and cunning, so why can’t he make it out again?
How did you research the technical aspects of crypto laundering and harbor operations to make them feel authentic but accessible?
Breakfield and Burkey are technologists by trade. In the technical world, the devil is in the details. Details are what we focus on to help tell accurate and compelling stories. The bad actors from the Darknet are getting brought to justice more frequently these days, and we study their modus operandi and the take-down methods the authorities use to bag them. Our research serves as the background thinking to justify the R-Group’s tactics in their attack. The technical details and harbor situations must be accurate so the reader can follow the story without doubts about authenticity. The fictional writing rule is: Fictional stories have to make sense.
The banter and emotional depth among the Enigma Heirs really stood out. How do you approach writing such dynamic, believable team chemistry?
We spend a great deal of time on our books to ensure the story flows correctly, the characters are believable and multi-dimensional, and the character dialogue is authentic. We leverage our patent-pending technology, which we call ‘Literary ping-pong’, to bat the characters, dialogue, and story back and forth to achieve a high degree of polish to the novel we are working on. After we are satisfied, our first-line editor will address any imperfections, followed by our genre editor, who will use her fillet knife to cast out the literary demons that constantly intrude.
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However, Julian’s obsession with acquiring precious jewels may have led him to a new venture: harvesting gems from sunken ships in the Caribbean. Treasure hunting is a cutthroat business where no one can be trusted, and Gracie and JJ find themselves facing their most formidable adversary yet. Julian, the cleverest of the trio, is always one step ahead, and as they delve deeper into his operations, they uncover a complex web of money laundering and secrets.
As they race against time to solve the puzzle and bring Julian to justice, Gracie and JJ must confront their pasts and the shadows that haunt them. With treacherous hazards at every turn, their pursuit of justice becomes a test of courage and resolve as they navigate the murky waters of deceit and peril.
Enigma Jewels is a gripping techno-thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. Award-winning authors Breakfield and Burkey weave a suspenseful narrative that will leave readers enthralled from the first page to the last. The Da Vinci Code and National Treasure fans will love this fast-paced and action-packed novel.
The Future of Human
KRIS PR: Deus Ex Homine follows a genetically bred Cop who stumbles across a mysterious girl in danger, and everything he thought he knew about himself and his life starts to change.What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I spent almost two decades as a police officer, and the majority of that was on the frontline in uniform. It was often the most mundane cases that you had to be careful of, because anything that seemed too simple – was often too simple. In this case, a young ‘Missing from Home’ as we would call them, begins the unravelling of a national conspiracy. I may be taking my experience and extrapolating a little… But the potential for this to happen is real, especially with cases of Eastern European human trafficking on the rise in the UK, even today.
The gene editing actually came from when I attended a TED Conference in Banff to be trained in how to organize them. One of the speakers gave a talk on how CRISPR was the future of human genome editing, and that was it, the idea that led to the story was born.
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 actually policed about 30 minutes travel away from Manchester and visit regularly. I love the city, so that became the setting. PK Dick is one of my favorite authors, and I also love the Blade Runner films/book, so they definitely shaped the worldbuilding. The tech plague and the cyberware kind of grew as the story did; Cyberpunk 2077 (the game and comics) definitely helped there. I am writing a free prequel on Substack about the plague and the early years of the UK Edits here Substack Home – Gareth’s Substack It’s free to sign up so if you love the book, go and jump in.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
The biggest theme revolves around Kris, someone who has grown up being indoctrinated in a neo-religious setting based on the teachings of Nietzsche. It also explores transhumanism – what makes us human – and how to navigate being born with attributes that 99.9% of the world do not have. It’s a kind of complicated coming of age story for the post-modern man, who is torn between competing obligations, and trying to figure out who he is. The women in the story take center stage for the next book, where Aimee comes into her own and Selena continues her quest to control their lives.
Where does the story go in the next book, and where do you see it going in the future?
The next book is almost done so it will be coming soon! It explores Mori’s arc and Aimee and Peeler’s next steps. Kris is loosening from his Temple teachings and quite frankly, he’s a scary character to write. Canen is threaded throughout, and I know from the early feedback that readers love him – do not worry – he plays a large role in the forthcoming books… I can’t say too much without giving away the plot, so I’m going to stop there 😄
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He was raised inside the doctrine: purity above all, strength through obedience, growth through pain. A Temple-bred Edit-Cop with sacred genetics and state sanction, Kris was born to enforce control, not question it. But when a black ops pursuit breaks protocol and a young girl named Aimee is dumped at his feet – bleeding, tagged, and hunted – his usual operating system fractures.
And so does his place in the world.
Now stripped of career and faith, Kris is a liability. A rogue Űber with experimental tech he never asked for that he can’t give back. His mentors have disowned him. His body is no longer fully his. And Aimee? She’s more than a victim. She’s something else entirely – Corp-grown, lab-hardened, and just beginning to understand the extent of what they did to her.
He is caught in the maelstrom now.
Between the Temple and the Corp, between doctrine and deviance.
Between who he was bred to be – and what he might become if he keeps protecting her.
For fans of Altered Carbon, Blade Runner 2049, and Ghost in the Shell – stories where the future is grim and unforgiving.KRIS.PR is a dark cyberpunk descent through a city of artificial gods, broken children, and surgically imposed futures. It’s a story where purity is a weapon, faith is engineered, and the Corp machines that build you will tear you apart the second you start asking why.
The Temple had Kris’s soul, the Corp took his career, what’s left is unregistered, unsanctioned, and learning how to fight back.
Family and the Bonds of Friendship
The Forsaken Planet follows an ordinary young man from suburban New England whose world is shattered when alien ships invade Earth, leading him to enlist in a different alien army to learn how to protect those he loves. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I had many inspirations. It really evolved from my love of epic fantasy and anything space-related, and wanting more books that blend the two. I started this story over twenty years ago while in my teens. I had read Ender’s Game only a couple of years before, and that was a major inspiration, especially towards the combat simulations in this book. Wheel of Time was another one. Its themes of the ordinary, innocent farm boys and girls becoming heroes, as well as its lore and the connection to the ancient past that the struggle during that series is linked to, that all rubbed off onto my own work. Lastly, the mini-series Band of Brothers is a big one. That is my favorite show of all time and it directly influenced many of my war-training scenes.
A lot of time was spent crafting the character traits in this novel. What was the most important factor for you to get right in your characters?
The most important thing was to make them all diverse and different enough from one another. It is a grand story I have in store, one that only grows as the series expands. I needed to ensure that I laid a solid foundation for each character, as many of them have their own POVs and larger parts to play in this conflict as the series progresses. I think the roots I laid here will help them better stand on their own down the road, when it’s their time to shine.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
It was critical for me to express the importance of family and the bonds of friendship. My story centers around these ideas and eventually asks some hard-hitting questions regarding them. We all want to protect those we love. But what if by doing that, we are putting others in harm’s way? That is a central theme as the series progresses, and it was the main focus of this installment to fully mold that bond, loyalty, and love between not just the core group of characters but those they meet along the way.
Is this the first book in the series? If so, when is the next book coming out, and what can your fans expect in the next story?
This is the first book in the series, and book two (The Son of the Prophets) is already out. There is also a novella linked to the series (A Princess of Oldir), which can be read for free by anyone who signs up for my Readers List (newsletter) on my website. And book three (The Dark Element) actually comes out this month on May 20th, 2025.
Readers can expect a lot of the same. A story centered around Colt and Company and their loyalty towards one another, one with the intense combat sequences you grew to know in TFP, along with the mysteries of the past and prophets ever-growing. However, it all expands tenfold more than it did in book one, with the addition of many new POVs in books two and three, as well as events taking these characters away from one another, across the stars to multiple other planets, and to war.
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-The Power of the Stars-
“With it, we are capable of greatness or are a weapon that will only bring suffering to the universe.”
When mysterious aircraft wreak havoc across Earth’s skies, it is revealed that there are clusters of other planets where humankind resides, distant worlds where the people wield the power of the stars themselves. It is an energy force that can bring about miracles or, as the alien fleet’s ruthless leader displays, unleash horrors beyond imagination.
After experiencing a loss during the onslaught, Colton Samson, an ordinary college student, vows to protect his loved ones at any cost. But to learn the power to do so, he must enlist into the Army of the Universal Throne—a second alien force with its own agenda.
With the revelation of a secret prophecy foretelling humanity’s demise and Colton’s improbable role in preventing it, he embarks alongside a diverse group of friends to the Throne’s capital, the planet of Vintara. There he faces prejudice from supposed allies, lifelike combat simulations that test him to his core, and the looming threat of a universal war. Only by embracing his true potential can Colton hope to secure the safety he seeks, in a universe that views him as nothing more than Forsaken.
The End: Omicron
Aaron Ryan’s The End: Omicron is a breathless and gut-wrenching continuation of a harrowing dystopian saga. Picking up in a devastated future where a tyrannical leader named Nero hunts down Christians marked by a branded scar, the story follows young Sage Maddox and a ragtag group of survivors struggling against a monstrous regime of mechanoids and propaganda. Meanwhile, former High Vassal Maximillian—reborn as Darius Antone Forrester—defects and seeks redemption, setting the stage for spiritual warfare, betrayal, personal transformation, and rebellion. The world is brutal, the stakes are high, and the faith of every character is tested in fire.
Reading this book was like being pulled behind a speeding train. The pacing is relentless, the emotion runs raw, and the characters are utterly drenched in pain, doubt, and hope. Ryan’s writing is often visceral and unfiltered—sometimes jarringly so—but it’s always from the gut. You feel Sage’s grief claw at your chest. You feel Maximillian’s shame and longing for a second chance. It’s not polished in a traditional literary sense, but that’s exactly what makes it powerful. It’s not trying to be subtle or slick—it’s just honest. And in that honesty, it punches hard. Some of the dialogue feels intentionally unrefined, like real people speaking in the worst moments of their lives. I respected that.
On the flip side, the writing leans heavily into its message. Ryan is unapologetically Christian in theme and tone—this is not a book that hides its worldview. That might throw off some readers looking for a more ambiguous or secular apocalypse. But if you go in knowing that, it delivers with sincerity. I found myself torn between frustration and admiration at times—the moral dilemmas, the extreme stakes, the black-and-white battle between faith and evil. It’s not subtle storytelling, but it is bold. And sometimes bold is exactly what a story needs to break through the noise.
If you’re a fan of Christian dystopian fiction, if you like stories about persecution, faith, rebellion, and endurance under fire, this one’s for you. I’d recommend it for readers who want more soul in their sci-fi, and more fire in their faith. If I had to put The End: Omicron on a shelf with other books, it would sit somewhere between the Left Behind series and The Hunger Games, with a dash of 1984 and This Present Darkness. It’s got that same blend of high-stakes rebellion, faith under fire, and a world cracking under tyranny.
Pages: 263 | ASIN : B0F6VWDM2H
What Role Would You Play
The Fire Within follows a teen outcast learning to use his unique sensory gift as he navigates life in a post-apocalyptic desert compound. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I’ve always been fascinated by characters who have to overcome a disability or a weakness. Finn’s inability to call on the nova-field makes him a danger to himself and everyone around him in a very dangerous post-apocalyptic world. His disability makes him an outcast. It also forces him to become more in tune with the world than those who practice novamancy. How we turn perceived weakness into strength makes life interesting.
I grew up without a TV, so I read pretty much every sci-fi and fantasy book printed in the 80s and 90s. Stories like Mad Max, the Hunger Games, LOTR, the Divergent series, even 1984, are so fun because they let us imagine a world not too far from our own where everything goes to hell. What role would you play in that new society when the niceties of modern life vanish? This is a question my friend group has been asking for years and was a big part of the inspiration for The Fire Within.
What is it that draws you to the science fiction genre?
Anything is possible. I like to blend sci-fi and fantasy because magic and science of a distant future are essentially interchangeable. I got a degree in physics eons ago and I fell in love with how strange the fundamental rules of existence are, especially when delving into the very small (quantum physics) or the very fast (relativity). The fact that hardened scientists have their assumptions regularly challenged by the mysteries of the real world is incredibly hopeful. We still know so little about how the universe works, which means anything is possible.
What were some of the emotional and moral guidelines you followed when developing your characters?
One of the things I love about young adult stories is the simplicity of the fight between good and evil. In the literature I grew up with, evil was typically one-dimensional. Bad guy=pure evil. YA stories have evolved quite a bit since then as our readers have realized there is nothing more boring than a one-dimensional character. The only guideline I set was to make the characters feel real, relatable. No one is good at everything, we all make mistakes, and bad things happen to everyone. How we respond to those challenges shapes us as people. I have these conversations with my daughters on a near daily basis. For some, these challenges make us hardened and bitter. Others rise above and never lose sight of that childish wonder and hope. I try to show a bit of both in my characters.
Character building reminds me of the old Cherokee story of two wolves: A Grandfather is teaching his young grandson. “It is as if there are two wolves inside me; one wolf is good and does no harm. He lives in harmony with all around him and does not take offence when no offence was intended. He will only fight when it is right to do so, and in the right way. But the other wolf, is full of anger. The littlest thing will set him into a fit of temper.” “He fights everyone, all the time, for no reason. He cannot think because his anger and hate are so great. It is helpless anger, because his anger will change nothing. Sometimes it is hard to live with these two wolves inside me, because both of the wolves try to dominate my spirit.” The boy looked into his Grandfather’s eyes and asked, “Which wolf will win, Grandfather?” The Grandfather smiled and said, “The one I feed.”
As a writer, I get to feed both wolves hearty meals, which is what makes writing so much fun.
Can you give us a glimpse inside the second book in The Ashen Legacy series? Where will it take readers?
Absolutely! Ashara is a divided world—aboveground, a searing desert battered by nova storms and scorched by the terrifying Ignavari; underground, sprawling caverns house the magical Dusker kingdoms, ruled by a feudal society that thrives beneath the frozen glaciers. We spent the majority of the first book aboveground. The second book dives deep into the Dusker kingdoms where Finn will face a new set of challenges, where the threats aren’t as obvious as a giant fire monster trying to melt his face. It doesn’t make the threats any less dangerous however. Finn will need to fall back on his perception and his friends if he is going to survive the political backbiting, the magical monsters, the mystery of the waxers, and make some progress on how to fight the Ignavari.
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Ashara is a divided world—aboveground, a searing desert battered by nova storms and scorched by the terrifying Ignavari; underground, sprawling caverns house the magical Dusker kingdoms, ruled by a feudal society that thrives beneath the frozen glaciers. Finn is unable to manipulate the Grounder energy known as novamancy, but his peculiar ability to sense power sets him apart.
Forced to survive in the underground tunnels between worlds, Finn joins a drillship crew who battle fearsome goblins to rescue a member of a Dusker royal family, and uncover horrifying truths behind the fire-wielding Igni. As Finn hones his skills, he discovers a terrifying secret—a shadow from his past has become a waxer, a being of molten flesh twisted by dark power, and he’s leading an army against everything Finn once called home.
With war looming and his past haunting him, Finn must embrace the fire within or risk being consumed by it. Survival isn’t enough—he must forge his path and fight for those who still believe in him.
Perfect for fans of Red Rising and The Hunger Games, The Fire Within is a pulse-pounding tale of survival, destiny, and the power to shape one’s own fate.
LITERARY TITAN 