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Our Intricate Whole
A Maiden’s Wish: A Novella follows two sisters who are offered a glimpse of a better life from a powerful shaman. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Initially, I aimed to tell a much shorter morality tale about two friends: a vain and misguided young woman and her humbler companion who are both offered a wish-making proposition by a supernatural entity. The entity promises fame and fortune to the one but warns that this fate will be achingly empty. In contrast, to the other woman, it promises an eternally rewarding life laden with hardships and heavy burdens. “You will not see the fruits of your efforts in this lifetime,” the entity tells the humble woman who desires to use her talents for humanity’s goodwill. “But they will echo across eternity.”
This concept, set in modern times, was eventually abandoned in favor of A Maiden’s Wish, which plays to some of the same narrative beats but has a much richer journey, more ideas, and (in my opinion) a superior ending.
Bayelle and Evora experience a vast range of emotions as they come to realize the cost of the choices they make. Are there any emotions or memories from your own life that you put into your characters’ lives?
Bayelle and Evora represent the internal struggles I’ve contended with as a young woman, especially in the flippant, sometimes predatory internet sphere. Evora is the identity I chose, along my social media path, to reject: male manipulation, self-objectification, and abuse of beauty for “likes” and flattery. Conversely, Bayelle embodies my frustrations and deepest longings as a woman and, indeed, a human being: the desire to love, be loved, and impress an eternal impact upon the world through my creative skills.
Bayelle encounters opposition from worldly wickedness, oppressive opinions, and erroneous religious teachings along her journey, representative of our culture’s current divisions in the realms of feminism, “red pill” society, and the Christian church. As I have come to triumph over the flaws and failings in each of these groups, I developed the satisfaction I have been privileged to bestow upon Bayelle at the peak of her struggle.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Mankind has a warped view of what constitutes a fulfilling life, and it also holds a warped perception of women. As a race, we’re made for so much more than the glazed-eyed, hazy-minded daily grind. You can own as much “stuff” as you like; the stuff won’t fit into the hole in your heart. It can’t plug up and force away the sadness we sometimes feel or keep joy locked inside. Beauty, in its physical form, will erase its bloom from every face that weathers enough time and exposure to this world. The good news? That’s okay.
Appearances are one small and impermanent part of our intricate whole, and beauty that penetrates no deeper than one’s moisturizer cannot affect a grander purpose. A Maiden’s Wish asks our divisive culture to be realistic and seek deeper things than what is readily seen. Women are beautiful, and our femininity distinguishes us from men, but visuals don’t make or break us, just as they don’t make a book interesting beyond a fleeting glance. Women are not toys, commodities, objects (whether exploited by self or others), or beings of inferior purpose and intellect, all tailored for the same purpose—we are equals under God and accountable to none but Him.
Will there be a follow-up novel to this story? If so, what aspects of the story will the next book cover?
The power of this story, for me, is its brevity and finality; I do not anticipate a sequel or spin-off, but I’m sure it will have “spiritual successors” of a sort. The book’s themes, gentle magical varnish, and the nature of the characters within made for a wonderfully appealing writing process that might be cathartic to explore in a different, unrelated world and plot.
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The human heart harbors many desires—some fulfilled, others forgone. But young Bayelle and her sister have a guaranteed chance at a better life in the form of a powerful shaman who can grant them each one wish. When dreams and reality clash and the dust of their decisions settles, Bayelle and Evora discover what is truly worth wishing for… and the consequences of entrusting one’s future to the forces of magic.
A coming-of-age and morality tale.
Magical Fantasy Was Born
Do You Believe in Magic? follows a bullied 13-year-old boy who discovers a magical waterfall and embarks on an epic adventure as a wizard. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I grew up on the shores of western Florida and spent much of my childhood swimming in shark-infested waters long before the movie Jaws put a scare into everyone. At the time, I was too skinny to attract a shark’s attention. About ten other boys my age lived on my same street, and we hung out morning, noon, and night playing the usual sports that young boys love — football, baseball, “kill the carrier,” etc. — but as a group, we also played fantastical games that contained magic, monsters, and superheroes. It was in this setting that my imagination as a writer of magical fantasy was born and nurtured.
I moved from Florida to Upstate South Carolina about twenty years ago and drove from Tampa-St. Pete to the Clemson area on Interstate 75 many times. It’s about a 10-hour drive, which is quite wearisome. And the traffic around Atlanta can be horrendous. I’ve always found the rest stops to be a bit spooky, especially at night. My MC Charlie Magus also found them to be spooky. If you read Do You Believe in Magic?, you’ll get the picture.
The world you created in this novel is brimming with possibilities. Where did the inspiration for the setting come from, and how did it change as you wrote?
My first home in SC was on forty wooded acres that included a creek that wound through a forest to a waterfall. It wasn’t as magnificent as described in the book 😀, but it did serve as the inspiration for the story.
Plus, I am the author of The Death Wizard Chronicles, a six-book epic fantasy for mature audiences. I did a ton of hands-on research and world-building for that series, which came in handy for this one.
Finally, I am at home in the mountains. It’s where I now live, and I do long hikes at least three days per week. Characters in fantasy novels tend to wander around a lot in the wilderness, so I feel comfortable writing about natural surroundings.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
I have written Dark Circles with young teens in mind. I tell potential readers that it is appropriate for 13 and older, though readers as young as 10 and as old as 80 have enjoyed it. When I say appropriate, I mean that there are no sex scenes and only very limited profanity. But like most epic fantasies, the series has its violent moments — sort of like the later Harry Potter books.
But just because a series is appropriate for young teens doesn’t mean that it has to be sophomoric. To the contrary, Dark Circles is a sophisticated work with a lot going on between the lines in terms of themes, allegorical elements, symbolism, foreshadowing, literary tropes, etc. My newsletter (Jim Melvin’s Realms of Fantasy) goes into extensive depth about this.
Some of the themes in my series are obvious: bullying, good vs. evil, coming of age, heroism. But in the end, the most important theme of all is the idea that only the best among us are willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good — the literary equivalent of a soldier throwing himself on a hand grenade.
All this said, if you only read books for pure pleasure and don’t really care about the literary stuff, my series still fits the bill. It’s a lot of fun!
When will book two be available? Can you give us an idea of where that book will take readers?
Book Two (Do You Believe in Monsters?) debuted in late October 2023. Your excellent review of Book One mentioned that the early portions of Do You Believe in Magic? contain some deliberately slow pacing, and that was well said. In contrast, the pacing of Book Two is deliberately faster. To describe the second book as action-packed would be accurate, IMO.
The third book of the trilogy (Do You Believe in Miracles?) will debut on April 22, 2024. This concludes the series.
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Book 1: Do You Believe in Magic? (May 25, 2023)
Book 2: Do You Believe in Monsters? (Oct. 30, 2023)
Book 3: Do You Believe in Miracles? (April 2024)
Book 1 synopsis: After discovering a magical waterfall deep in the forest, a boy and his dog embark on an epic adventure in a fantastical world filled with monsters and magic. In the real world, Charlie is a 13-year-old nerd picked on by bullies. But in the fantasy world, he becomes a wizard wielding formidable powers. Standing in his way is a vile monster bent on destruction. Only those with a hero’s heart will have the courage to stand at Charlie’s side when the war begins.
History and Folklore
In The Captain of the Black Swan, a young orphan scrambles to prevent humans from discovering his magical treetop community as he comes face-to-face with an age-old legend following a devastating storm. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Diana: David and I are lucky enough to live in Dawlish, the small seaside town where The Captain of the Black Swan is set. The main railway line from London runs through the town and hugs the coast for several miles on either side.
The coastline is stunningly beautiful around Dawlish with high red cliffs edging the sea and local legends tell of elves and pixies who live among the wooded valleys and hidden coves.
One night, in February 2014, a vicious storm raged, bringing down trees and powerlines and tearing the roofs from buildings.
The next morning, David and I walked through the town and were shocked to see an enormous crater had appeared beneath the railway lines. Vast amount of rock had been pulverised and washed away.
By then, the sea had calmed and it seemed incredible that so much damage could have been done in a few hours when the railway had endured innumerable storms since it was built one hundred and sixty years earlier.
It took nearly a decade of work to stabilise the track. Sometimes, when David and I watched the engineers, we wondered if the storm alone could really have been the cause of so much devastation.
That was when we first thought about the Dittos and imagined how they may have been responsible for what happened without humans ever realising.
Which character in the novel do you feel you relate to more and why?
David: Burt, the owner of the recycling factory, has always been a favourite of mine. He is a bit of a hoarder, like me, and he spends a lot of time in his workshop making things out of other people’s rubbish. Again, like me.
When we started writing the story, it seemed Burt was so obsessed with running the factory, he didn’t care about Tom at all. But as we learned more about the characters, we realised Burt has many hidden qualities. Beneath his gruff exterior, he has a kind heart and there are reasons why he behaves the way he does.
It’s always good when characters develop as you write about them. It’s one of the things I like most about writing. Sometimes they surprise you!
I find that, while writing, you sometimes ask questions and have the characters answer them. Do you find that to be true? What questions did you ask yourself while writing this story?
Diana: I love questions! When I was at school one of my teachers told me it was impossible to get the right answers until we learned how to ask the right questions. I didn’t understand what he meant at the time, but I do now.
We certainly asked lots of questions while we were planning the story. The obvious question, was how the Dittos could have caused the damage to the railway line, but the more interesting question was why.
In the end, it was the characters of the individual Dittos that gave us our answers. The selfish characters, who only consider themselves, are the ones who cause the most damage. The kind-hearted Dittos, who value their community and the natural world, are the ones who keep asking questions until they discover the answers they need.
Can you give fans a peek into where Book 2 will take their favorite characters?
The Devil’s Footprints is the second book in The Dittos of Dawlish series. It takes the reader back in time to the 1860s when the railway line was first built through Dawlish by the great engineer, Isambard Brunel.
Only one character from the first book was alive then, and readers may find it hard to recognise him at first, as he is just a young boy when the story begins.
However, there are many new Dittos to meet, and even a few elves, who think themselves very superior because their wings allow them to fly wherever they choose.
Combining history and folklore, The Devil’s Footprints explores the importance of friends, family and honesty. With plenty of twists and unexpected echoes from the first book in the series, it explains how the Granite Gobblers first escaped from the dark regions far below the earth.
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When Tom, an orphan Ditto, shelters from a fierce storm in a rabbit burrow, he emerges to find Dawlish has been wrecked. Many Ditto houses have been blown down from the trees and their owners race to salvage their homes before they are discovered by humans.
Hearing the storm has also washed away the railway line, Tom hurries to view the damage. Swooping low on his flying scooter, he spots a huge crater below the twisted rails with strange tracks leading away from it. Could the old legends be true? Has the storm released monsters from below the earth? Or are other forces at work?
Calling on his friends, Tom sets out to find the truth before humans discover what has happened and the very existence of Dittos and other magical creatures is put at risk.
The Captain of the Black Swan is the first in the Dittos of Dawlish trilogy. Its lovable characters, engaging storylines and magical world will captivate young readers.
Order a copy today and explore a new world of magic.
Compelling Adventure
Mirror Tree follows four siblings who uncover family secrets as they fight to decipher an ancient prophecy that predicts a devastating war. Where did the idea for this second book in the series come from?
Mirror Tree is a natural progression of the story that began in Drifters Realm that finds the four siblings fighting against time and their Uncle Zane and his Guardians to save their world from destruction. The ideas for Mirror Tree came from a few different places. First and foremost, I wanted to continue and expand upon the compelling adventure by raising the stakes and keeping readers intrigued by the plot twists and turns.
Secondly, the storyline required the characters to evolve from where we left them in the first book, which opened the door for all sorts of mischief from every angle. Finally, there are countless books I’ve read throughout my life that left me wanting to explore themes and ideas that would fit well within the world I’ve created.
Do you have a favorite character in this series? Is there one that is especially fun to write for?
This is a difficult question to answer because I truly enjoy writing the scenes and dialogue between Ori and Tora, and Ori and Hao. That being said, Seth is my favorite character for a few reasons; mainly because he is misunderstood and quite possibly more powerful than the four siblings realize up to this point. In some ways, Seth is the most vulnerable underneath his standoffish exterior, and at the same time, the most willing to risk it all because of his friendship with Roe. Seth is a bit of an enigma—he doesn’t seem to bond with anyone other than Roe, and yet at the same time, he cares deeply as a Navigator about what happens in Drifters Realm.
What were some books or movies that you think were your main sources of inspiration for your writing?
I’ve always been a huge fan of books over movies. When it comes to books, authors like J.K. Rowling, Suzanne Collins, Victoria Aveyard, Luanne G. Smith, and C.S. Lewis have inspired me. Another huge source of inspiration comes from growing up in a neighborhood full of kids who played outdoors endlessly creating our own adventures. My trips to Disneyland have also inspired me. All these things together are the driving force behind my inspiration to world-build Drifters Realm and create the Shadow Stone, Mirror Tree, and Ghost of Ruin, as well as expand upon the Desolation Mountains, Sleeping Giants, Impossible Lake, and other places found throughout Mirror Tree.
Can you give fans a peek inside Book 3 in the Drifters Realm series?
In glimpsing ahead to Book 3, the peril intensifies as the siblings struggle to stop Zane’s plans while solving the rest of the prophecy. To do this, the siblings must cross the Unchartered Territory, discover what is poisoning the benevolent Guardians, uncover who is betraying them, and find the mysterious Blue Wall. The siblings must trust each other to save their world against all odds and to protect Hallows Realm, UnKnown Realm, and TimeLess Realm from their same fate.
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In Mirror Tree, book two of the Drifters Realm fantasy adventure series, twelve-year-old triplets Ori, Roe, and Tora, along with their older brother Theo, must trust their unpredictable magic and each other. Together, they attempt to stop the Guardians, whose supernatural powers are controlled by their uncle, First City Leader Zane. He is determined to steal Ori’s Sorcerer Obligation and impose his oppressive rule beyond their realm.
As peril intensifies, the lines between right and wrong blur and the siblings fight to stay one step ahead of danger. They traverse through forests, deserts, caves, and swamps with the assistance of Ori and Roe’s ancient rings, their friends, and the outcast teenagers known as the Menace. In Mirror Tree, AnneMarie Mazotti Gouveia continues the compelling story of survival and the power of friendship and family.
LITERARY TITAN 