(the) Elegy is a collection of poetry that explores the darker emotions of humanity and push the reader to explore emotions that are uncomfortable. What was the inspiration for this collection of poems?

It certainly does, but there is a deep background to ‘the Elegy’ that may go some way to explaining the book’s content.

I had a close friend who was suddenly and unexpectedly diagnosed with a grade four brain tumour, a fatal diagnosis. That was a real shock to me, and led me to explore feelings of grief, impending death, life and the value we place on life, as well as some of the mundane things we get sucked into by media and advertising etc that, in reality, are just froth and bubbles when faced with certain life altering situations. But ‘the Elegy’ isn’t always pitch black, there are some lighter shades of grey in there too.

What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?

Within the scenario outlined above, it was really important to me to drill down and question what are the things we truly value in our lives, what would we miss the most when the end time comes. As well as questioning the meaning of things we encounter in everyday life. For example, marketing and adverting, how the message is presented and delivered, societal values and concerns, how we can sometimes be led to certain things unknowingly and without realising what is actually happening. I think you touched on that in your review to be fair.

What were some goals you set for yourself as a writer in this collection?

Like the prior two books in this trilogy, “Noir (or When the Night Comes) and “Natyre Boy”, this book also consists of four sections.

I wanted to try to encourage folks to think about things, as the back cover poem states ‘Elegy or legacy, you decide,’ meaning you decide how you want your life to turn out.

Each section confronts different scenarios, some more challenging than others, with the final section, somewhat more of a resurrection, and making clear there is always hope.

What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?

Solo project wise, and with the trilogy now complete, I’m returning to much happier joyful themes with a second volume of love poetry, ‘More Twelve Red Roses in Verse’ slated for release in January 2023. Other solo projects to follow. And I am also highly excited to continue my collaborations with awesome author/ poet Julie Kusma, who herself has a solo project ‘We Three’ slated for spring publication.

Collaboration wise we release The Enchanted Winter Faerie Realm in February 2023, a follow-up to last year’s successful The Enchanted Faerie Realms and around another twenty books are slated throughout the year, from alphabet concept books, keepsake, educational and inspirational books and much more besides. It is a hugely exciting time for us and we look forward to continuing our secondary schools talks on creative writing.

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