Broken Sky follows a Savior destined to battle monsters who seeks out the Sorcerer behind them and battles to end the destruction once and for all. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

It all stems from a small hobby of mine as a child, namely reading CYOA (Choose Your Own Adventure) stories, I often participated in choosing “powers,” “locations,” and other parts of the setting, and would sometimes daydream in my head about how the story would form from the choices made. Once I started writing (this is my 7th book) and became more experienced, I added my spin on it, added the concept of a grudge that surpassed time, space, and multiple lifetimes, and came up with Broken Sky. With the various worlds, “powers,” and “settings,” I felt like it would be best to start with the staples of the fantasy genre: a warrior, a savior, an evil sorcerer trying to take over the world, and magical armies, and to build from there.

In fantasy novels, it’s easy to get carried away with the magical powers characters have. How did you balance the use of supernatural powers?

I focused on showing power that was necessary to get the point across; I made a concerted effort to show character and personality and to move events along while also following the logic of nature’s elements.

What was the chosen theme of the novel, or did it develop organically as you were writing?

Generally, when I write, I start with an idea, then I flesh out the plot, the settings, the characters, the big events, and the personalities. I rarely define the theme during the outlining phase, and 9 times out of 10, it develops organically as I look to fill in the blanks and establish the fine details. Broken Sky is no different. I did not originally plan for a theme that can be summarized as “there are certain actions one can’t come back from,” also known as the ‘point of no return.’

What is the next book you are working on, and when will it be published?

My next book (book number 8) is Black Glove: a new take on the vigilante/superhero theme, one with superpowered gangs and high-level technology, but also one with potent messages and social commentary sown deep into the plot. Black Glove is scheduled to be published in Winter 2023.

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