Blog Archives
Seeing Is Believing
Do You Believe in Monsters? follows a thirteen-year-old boy who discovers a magical world hidden in the forest, where he transforms into a powerful wizard, leading him to question what world he belongs in. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The series is titled Dark Circles for a variety of reasons, some obvious and some more subtle. One of the obvious reasons is that in the fantasy world, it is dangerous for Charlie (the 13-year-old mentioned in your question) and his friends to succumb to sleep because the evil being who haunts the fantasy world attacks them in their dreams. Therefore, they are marked with dark circles under their eyes from going several days without sleep.
Charlie starts out as a timid boy, often bullied, who starts to gain some confidence after discovering his magical abilities. What trials did you feel were important to highlight the character’s development?
This question cuts to the core of Dark Circles. In the “real” world, Charlie is skinny and relatively weak and therefore has to rely on a healthy dose of pragmatism to survive. In the “fantasy” world, Charlie has been gifted extraordinary powers and therefore has to temper his pragmatism in order to truly believe that his new powers are real. Only then can he unleash their full potential. Seeing is believing.
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?
Fantasy novelists balance this in several different ways: 1) The main characters’ powers emerge slowly, often taking half the series or more to master them. 2) The MCs’ powers emerge quickly, but the characters don’t trust them or understand how to wield them until deep into the series. 3) The MCs quickly master their powers but discover they are dwarfed by the powers wielded by the evil beings they are destined to encounter.
Many readers might disagree with me on this, but I’m not a big fan of number 1. As a reader, I find it frustrating. Therefore, my series is a combination of numbers 2 and 3.
Can you tell us more about what’s in store for Charlie Magus and the direction of the third book?
The quick answer is that you can find out for yourself because book 3 (Do You Believe in Miracles?) debuted April 21, 2024. 😀 But here is a breakdown of how the series unfolds:
Book 1 (Do You Believe in Magic?) focuses heavily on the real world, enhancing character development but also drawing a stark contrast between the real and fantasy worlds. This contrast is what motivates the characters and drives the narrative.
Book 2 (Do You Believe in Monsters?) is more action-packed and war-driven, especially in the last few chapters. As a reader, you will fly through the last 50 pages for sure.
Book 3 (Do You Believe in Miracles?) is the most introspective of the three and focuses on a long and arduous quest through plains, forests, and towering mountains. This sets up an epic climax filled with thrills and chills.
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Portals and Alternate Universes
The Portal to Aardon follows a sixteen-year-old boy navigating life in high school who discovers his ability to wield fire magic and that he comes from a different realm. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The inspiration for this story stemmed from several different sources. One of those being my love for portals and alternate universes as a kid, and the other being the fantasy stories, TV shows, and movies I grew up reading and watching. Stories like Avatar: The Last Airbender, Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, and Once Upon a Time were huge influences on the inception of The Portal to Aardon and in general my love of writing fantasy.
In a lot of contemporary coming-of-age fiction novels, authors often add their own life experiences to the story. Are there any bits of you in this story?
There are definitely bits of my personal life in this story. For starters, Marko has a lot in common with myself when I was in high school–introverted, not a lot of self-confidence, not the coolest guy, but he makes it by with his perseverance and his dynamic group of friends. His best friend, Brock, also shares some similarities with a childhood best friend I had who was older than me, more confident, and more physically inclined. It’s natural to project your experiences and relationships into your writing as an author, and that’s certainly the case with The Portal to Aardon (though I’ll keep some of those examples a secret).
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Some themes I wanted to explore in my book were the complications of growing older and navigating high school, as well as the complications of certain family dynamics. It’s pretty universally agreed that high school is a tough time in your life, going through puberty and experiencing tons of changes, figuring out who you are as a person and what you want to do with your life, dating. So I’ve always been drawn to those types of stories where you see a young individual juggling the struggles of high school, and on top of that, they have some other magical threat looming over them to deal with as well. I also wanted to showcase different family dynamics and how those can have an impact on young kids. For example, Marko grows up without his father, but he has an overly caring mother who does everything she can to fill that void. His friend Isabelle’s parents are in the midst of a divorce, while his friend Brock’s mother remarried after losing her husband. Then you have the villain, Mortis (incoming spoilers) who is father to twin characters, Sara and Damien. Damien was raised by Mortis in a very abusive environment, which made him act and do things he deeply regretted, while Sara was raised in a loving home with her mother. That dynamic between Damien and Mortis and Damien realizing he didn’t need his father’s approval to be who he truly wanted to be is a theme and subplot that will carry into the rest of the series of The Aardon Chronicles.
Will there be a follow-up novel to this story? If so, what aspects of the story will the next book cover?
Yes! Book 2, The Ashes of Ignis, is currently in the works and should be releasing in the next few months of 2024. I’m very excited to share this sequel with the world and expand more on the realm of Aardon and all these characters I’ve grown to love. Book 1 ended on a bit of a cliffhanger as all the characters entered the portal from Earth back to their home realm, so Book 2 will be continuing their stories in this brand-new world as they encounter new characters, new magic, and prepare to finish the war with Mortis once and for all. I’ll leave the rest as a surprise…
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Nothing is as it seems and all of a sudden, finding a date to the Homecoming dance doesn’t seem so important anymore.
Torn away from his mundane everyday life, Marko is thrown into the world of magic, mythical creatures, and ancient wars – all leading to the portal only he has the power to open.
Between fighting an evil warlock and desperately trying to harness his newly found powers, Marko has more than his work cut out for him.
Will he be able to rise to the challenge and save the people of Aardon?
A Little History And Girl Power
The Four follows a group of teenage girls with unique talents in New Orleans who learn to rely on one another for friendship and acceptance while facing a dark fairy. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The book came about in an unusual way. I wrote an adult commercial fiction book & was in the midst of querying. One evening I received an email from an agent I had been corresponding with and I excitedly opened the email to find a plethora of praise surrounded by a “but at 137K words I will have to pass but will be cheering you from the sidelines.” So, I was disappointed since I had put a lot of hope into this agent. I decided it might just be that I had never written a novel before & it didn’t matter what I wrote. So, I sat down and wrote a query letter for a YA novel, since most of the agents I had queried were interested in YA, for a book that didn’t exist. The next morning, I received a request for the first 25 pages, and The Four was born.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Once I began in earnest, it was very important that I convey acceptance. I had four very different girls who were alone with their secret, and I loved the idea of showing the awkwardness of beginning a new school, the challenge of high school, and being different but throughout all of that finding your squad. The very important relationship of a girl’s first real friendships.
Each of the girls in this story has different powers. 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 wanted the story to be grounded. There are so many books where the powers and supernatural become the focal point of the story. I wanted the friendships to be the center and I really wanted New Orleans to be almost a character in itself. I also tried to toss in a little history and girl power along the way. An example of that would be Joyce, a young survivor of the Titanic, who is the spokesperson for the hundreds of souls buried in her crypt.
Will this novel be the start of a series, or are you working on a different story?
The original book The Circlet is in edit, and I have begun a new project that blends Gaiman, Baum & The Legend of King Arthur in the environs of Savannah. With that said, when you purchase a copy of The Four from me there is a bookmark & sticker hidden inside the pages. The card asks the reader to tell me who of The Four they most related to. It’s been really lovely. I received one response who told me she was allergic to everything, but since it didn’t bother Mallory, my hemoglobin-intolerant vampire, it wouldn’t bother her anymore either. Along with lovely messages, I have been getting requests for sophomore year. I was told recently that I need the write the girls through college. So, the little unlikely book might have started something I never intended. I think the girls of The Four would like that.
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As they journey through freshman year of high school they face the trials and tribulations which come with discovering and embracing their differences. Together they will battle the dark fairy world to save a friend in the magical city of New Orleans. Along the way, they encounter a collection of creatures, both magical and mortal, under the rising full moon.
The Four is a tale of friendship, acceptance, and self-discovery, infused with the whimsy of Tim Burton and the magic found only in New Orleans. This is a story of finding the courage to be yourself and embrace your unique talents, no matter how different or unusual they may seem.
LITERARY TITAN 