Blog Archives
A Tale of Good vs. Evil
Six Moons, Seven Gods follows a guild of skilled thieves who plot to overthrow the kingdoms of Baelon but, after hitting a roadblock reach out to the League of Assassins for help. What was your inspiration for the wild journey you take readers on in this novel?
I wanted to do something that reflected the complexities of life; i.e., “nothing’s as simple as it seems,” “few things are black and white,” etc. Because real life is often complicated and messy, and despite outward appearances, few things stand alone.
What was the inspiration for the relationship that develops between the characters?
That is a difficult question to answer, given that there are so many different relationships in Six Moons, Seven Gods. I wanted to show how relationships can endure despite the passage of time and separation by long distance (e.g., the two kings), how strong bonds are not restricted to “the good guys”, and the lengths to which people will go to assist those with whom they have bonded.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
This is very much a tale of good vs. evil, and right vs. wrong, but the book also explores how vague those concepts are, and how differently we all define them.
When will book two be available? Can you give us an idea of where that book will take readers?
A rough outline of book two is complete and firmly rooted in my head. I have just begun to put paper to pen, however. It will likely be another year or two in the making, depending on how much time I devote to marketing book one.
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The long fingers of the Guild reach everywhere, and one overly ambitious thief is all it takes to spark a chain of events that will haunt the world of Baelon for many years to come.
Six Moons, Seven Gods is book one in The Legends of Baelon.
Light Outside of the Darkness
The Neighbors follows a maternity nurse working nights who, after being disturbed by her new neighbors, asks them to keep it down and finds herself drawn to them. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Zoe, a maternity nurse, was a side character in All I See Are Dark Clouds that I thought was appropriate to give her her own story. I worked alongside some nurses who were just kindhearted and passionate with the work they do so The Neighbors was a way for me to give back to them and other nurses I met along the way. Although I don’t personally know a maternity nurse, I tried my best to capture a day to day life and the type of personality nurses generally have with a little fantasy twist.
What are some things that you find interesting about vampires that you think make for great fiction?
The vampires I write about are just lost souls that are trying to find their light outside of the darkness. Symbolic and a representation of the dark side of humankind.
What were some ideas that were important for you to personify in your characters?
When I started writing The Neighbors, it started out as a way for me to take a strong female character to the next level in the second-person narrative. It was vital Zoe was a maternity nurse since she was a side character that tied-in with All I See Are Dark Clouds. I let Zoe take the lead and incorporated stigmas that an actual maternity nurse may go through, like people assuming they get to play with babies all day. Little did I know the depth of her character and why she pursued a career as a maternity nurse to begin with until it all became full circle.
What is the next book you are working on, and when will it be available?
The next two books in The Dark series, The Darkened Enchantment and Infinity Tales (A Dark short tie-in) can be anticipated sometime in 2024.
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Roles of Greater Responsibility
Dane Thorburn and the Stanthorpe Rebellion follows Dane and Princess Vanessa as they investigate who the unknown raiders are that are striking out across their land. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
As this is the fourth installment in the series, I wanted to progress the evolution of Dane, Vanessa, and others. Having dealt with mystical creatures in the previous book, I wanted this one to focus more on dealing with people, and to show how Dane and Vanessa would deal with a major tragedy that thrusts them into roles of greater responsibility, at a time when they’re not expecting it. In terms of the story arc of the entire series, it was also important to show Raegan recovering from his injuries and how Dane deals with the realisation that Raegan is still alive.
Is there anything about Dane that came from yourself or your life experiences?
Like everyone, I have had times when things haven’t turned out as I wanted and have had to adjust and adapt to that, and sometimes my initial reaction isn’t the right one. I’m also a determined person, like Dane. One thing I did put in directly from my own life was the scar on his chin, which happens in the first and third books – I split my chin open twice when I was a young boy.
How did you come up with the idea for the antagonist in this story, and how did it change as you wrote?
Right from the beginning I wanted a powerful and evil wizard as the main villain. The real change that occurred as I’ve written the books is when Dane unwittingly almost kills him in Dane Thorburn and the City of Lost Souls (Book 2) when Raegan is disguised as a wolf. This created a whole new development for both Dane, dealing with the uncertainty and guilt that he nearly killed him (and would have killed him had he known Raegan was the wolf), and Raegan’s disappearance and loss of almost all of his power and how the journey he takes while he recovers.
I hope the series continues in other books. If so, where will the story take readers?
There will be more books. With Raegan’s recovery, he is now ready to return and unleash himself on the land once more, and knowing it was Dane who almost killed him, he has a special hatred for Dane that will be explored in future books.
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But when it appears everything is returning to normal once more, a series of attacks by a group of unknown raiders strikes fear across the Stanthorpe region and beyond.
Who are they – and where did they come from?
Are they connected to Candahorn and the rebel forces – or is exiled wizard Raegan, despite his mysterious disappearance, somehow behind it?
Dane is trying to piece everything together alongside Vanessa, Will, and Lord Frederick, when a tragedy of epic proportions changes the land forever, thrusting Vanessa into a role she’s not ready for, where she has to make a fateful decision.
Can they find out who is behind the attacks and save the lives of many, or will they be too late?
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