Blog Archives
Amazing Archer and Warrior
The Secret Rise follows a woman, her family, and allies as they face betrayal, curses, prophecy, and the unrelenting pressure of survival, all while a mysterious guiding presence known as the Lady shadows her path. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Our inspiration has been ongoing … often starting with a “What if …” as the two of us starting a writing session together. The original story that began in The Secret Journey (published in 2023 was the seeding. Did we know that Nichol would become a Lady Baron or have three children, and become the amazing archer and warrior? No. It all germinated as we worked forward.
How has character development for the main characters changed for you through the series?
Nichol’s kindness and caring for others were always there. Once she escaped the ruthlessness of her mother in book 1, The Secret Journey, all our “what ifs …” were all over the place. We always remained open for something else to drop in—but with the promise that her wisdom would be shared; the justice was important; and that protecting her family and friends would be upfront.
I felt that there were a lot of great twists and turns throughout the novel. Did you plan this before writing the novel, or did the twists develop organically while writing?
Great question. We know some of the twists and turns … but also know as we write, variables will drop in. Now, we are working on book 4 The Secret Awakening. We storyboarded the major conflicts we saw coming … a huge variable is that the kids become young adults and take the lead. We knew how we would end the series … and we are marching forward to it.
Can you tell us more about what’s in store for Nichol and the direction of The Secret Awakening?
Ahhh …A huge twist is coming for Lucette and Aiden. As well as the quest for knowledge that Athena seeks with words. Lucette is truly her mother Nichol in many ways … the other two … oh my!
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Will Others Seek to Destroy Her?
Nichol’s story was introduced in Book 1, The Secret Journey when her beloved papa is murdered by her mother in the year 1000 AD. The darkening cloud spiraling around her made her the next target.
Fleeing Marseilles, she develops new powers, a vision of the future, and trusts the Lady’s voice. For those around her, a new world unfolds and carries them forward.
Overflowing with scandal, tragedy, and triumph, Book 3, The Secret Rise carries Nichol’s strengths to a higher level. Again, she must outsmart and out maneuver those connected with the church. Now the mother of three, her children begin to display powers she doesn’t possess and Shadow brings wolf pups to the mix.Will Nichol continue to be hunted by Fredrik, her evil half-brother?
Does Duke Richard have hidden motives in seeking Nichol’s advice?
Can the village of Harmonie become the model for hamlets within the Kingdom of Normandy?
Do Nichol’s children have the skills that she has, or do they have new ones?
Will the Kingdom of Normandy accept her family and their rising status?
Authors Judith Briles and Brian Barnes weave book series for readers to open and fall into. It’s historical fiction that unravels the 11th century. Out of the darkness comes the empowerment of Nichol, creating a sanctuary and a revelation of what women with vision can achieve with their knowledge and skills.
The Secret Rise is Book 3 of the Harmonie Books series. Get Book 1, The Secret Journey and Book 2 The Secret Hamlet. Book 4, The Secret Awakening will be published in 2026.
Authenticity and Spirituality
Grand Illusion follows a gifted Balinese fabric artist who meets a wealthy heir from the Emirates, who introduces her to a world of opulence and power, far from her roots and heritage. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The setup began at the ending of Moroccan Sunset. Zayn Al Farooq was introduced as the youngest of Elena’s older brothers. We saw that he was into the privileges his family’s wealth provided. Yet he was fascinated by Mara’s ethereal beauty and creative talent.
When I began Mara’s book, I felt like I knew her character by now and could envision her unease in falling into Zayn’s lifestyle. Her cultural beginning was always about authenticity and spirituality. The cultural and religious barriers soon followed, making Zayn and Mara’s romantic connection next to impossible.
The entrance of Wayan, with a similar background, brought home the importance of her roots.
It seemed like you took your time in building the characters and the story to great emotional effect. How did you manage the pacing of the story while keeping readers engaged?
To allow Grand Illusion to be read as a standalone, I had to walk a balance between readers who knew the characters intimately and those who were first being introduced. That required just enough backstory for new readers to catch up.
Basically, I had to focus on speeding up the less important moments between the characters, yet slowing down the primary moments. A good example is with Annie and Mara on the sailing yacht. Throughout the series, readers learned how much Annie loved that moment when the sail is hoisted. I have written it multiple times, so it was easy for me to speed through it. However, in this case, my editor, who had not read the other books, told me to write it like it was the first time, but now seeing it through Mara’s eyes. It completely changed the scene.
Now that you have finished your Annie’s Journey series, have you discovered anything about yourself while researching and writing these women’s stories?
I have a wide circle of friends, many of whom have faced serious stumbling blocks in their lives. The same applies to me. Personally, I believe in the ‘angels among us’ theory. In my writing, there is always someone who comes along to impart wisdom or insight. It can come from typical sources like a relative or close friend. But sometimes it is from a stranger, like the little old woman in the Bali market who cryptically told Annie, “The time to be happy is now.” Or it could be a stone like the one Annie gave to Sarah before her first art exhibition, or the blue diamond ring that Ramone gave Annie.
I finish each of these books with a sense of hope and anticipation about the future. Hopefully, readers experience that as well.
What is the next book you are working on, and when can fans expect it to be released?
Grand Illusion is being referred to as the 5th and final book in the Annie’s Journey series. Currently, I am taking 2 months as an author-in-residence in Blueridge, GA, to find inspiration for a new series. Although there is much to draw from here, I have to admit there are two characters from the series who keep whispering in my ear that their story hasn’t been told. Would it be so horrible if there were a sixth book???
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The 5th and final book in the ANNIE’S JOURNEY series, Grand Illusion: Lesson of a Balinese Lotus, finds young Balinese fabric designer, Mara, at the pinnacle of the fashion world! Her success is bolstered by the charming and enigmatic Zayn, an Arab financier whose influence opens doors to a world of opulence and power. Yet, behind the glittering façade, Mara’s identity is lost in a labyrinth of illusions.
One fateful night, Mara meets Wayan, a fellow Balinese soul and costume designer to the legendary opera diva, Antonella Rossi. Both Wayan and Antonella are entangled in their own webs of deception, struggling to maintain authenticity amidst the pressures of fame and fortune.
As Mara and Wayan’s paths intertwine, the echoes of their homeland call them back to Bali, where the roots of their heritage await to ground them once more. But even if the wisdom and symbolism of their ancestors offer clarity, can they find the courage to redefine their paths?
Moral Compromise
Rhino follows a research scientist who discovers her father has terminal cancer and is entangled with poachers and smugglers, leaving her in a race against time to find a way out for him and a cure. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The inspiration for the setup came from wanting to explore the collision of two very different worlds: the clinical, evidence-based world of modern medicine and the desperate, high-stakes world of the international wildlife trade. I was fascinated by the question of what could push a fundamentally good, logical person to cross a line they never thought they would.
I made Linh a research scientist for a specific reason. Her entire life is governed by data, ethics, and reason. By putting her in a situation where science and medicine seem to be failing the person she loves most—her father, an oncologist, which adds a layer of tragic irony—her foundation is shattered. This is what opens the door for a desperate, irrational choice.
The rhino horn itself is a powerful symbol. It represents this clash between ancient belief and modern conservation, between a daughter’s desperate hope and a global ecological crisis. It’s not just a simple illegal act; it’s a moral labyrinth. For Linh to even consider it, she has to betray her own scientific principles and become entangled with the very darkness that characters like Inspector Le and Nguyen Vu are fighting.
So, the setup—the scientist, the dying oncologist father, and the criminal underworld—was designed to create the ultimate moral pressure cooker. It’s a story born from the question: How far does love compel us to go, and can we find our way back once we’ve
crossed into the dark?
Linh is a woman with strength and determination. What do you think makes her a valuable and worthy heroine?
Thank you, I’m glad her strength and determination come through. For me, what makes Linh a valuable and worthy heroine isn’t that she’s perfect or always makes the right choice, but precisely because she doesn’t.
Her heroism is rooted in something incredibly human and relatable: the fierce, unconditional love for a parent. She isn’t a trained operative or a hardened detective; she’s a scientist thrown into a world she doesn’t understand, armed only with her intelligence and a desperate need to save her father. Her initial strength isn’t about physical power, but about her refusal to accept defeat, even when all logical paths are closed to her. But what truly makes her worthy, in my eyes, is her fallibility. She makes terrible, morally compromising decisions. She lies, she steals, and she gets involved with a ruthless criminal. This is where her real journey begins. A perfect heroine doesn’t have to grow. Linh is forced to confront the darkest parts of herself and the devastating consequences of her choices.
Her true strength isn’t just the determination to save her father at any cost, but the courage to face what she has done and actively work toward redemption. By the end of the novel, when she joins Nguyen Vu’s conservation efforts, she isn’t just running from her past; she’s trying to build a better future, both for herself and for the cause she once harmed.
So, Linh is a heroine for our complex times. She’s not an idealized figure on a pedestal. She’s a real person who gets lost in the dark and has to fight her way back to the light. Her worthiness comes from that struggle—from her capacity for both terrible mistakes
and profound redemption.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
That’s a great question, as the themes were really the foundation of the story. There were a few that were very important for me to explore.
First and foremost is the theme of moral compromise born from desperation. I wanted to put a good person, Linh, in an impossible situation. She’s a scientist, someone who believes in logic and ethics, but she’s faced with the absolute, emotional terror of losing her father. The central question I wanted to explore was: How far will love push you past your own moral boundaries? It’s about that slippery slope—how one desperate decision can lead you into a world of darkness you never imagined.
Building on that, another crucial theme is systemic corruption. The antagonist isn’t just the ruthless gangster, Khanh Pham. He’s a symptom of a much larger disease. The corruption infects the hospital through Dr. Duc, it threatens law enforcement, and as we eventually learn with Wong Min, it reaches the highest levels of international power. It was important for me to show that this kind of evil isn’t just the work of a few bad men; it’s a network that thrives in the shadows of our institutions, making it incredibly difficult for individuals like Inspector Le and Nguyen Vu to fight.
Finally, despite all the darkness, a key theme is the possibility of redemption. Linh’s journey doesn’t end when the main conflict is resolved. She has to live with her choices. Her decision to join the conservation efforts is her way of atoning, of trying to heal some of the damage she contributed to. It suggests that even when we make terrible mistakes, the path forward isn’t about erasing the past, but about using our experiences to build a better future. It’s a difficult and painful hope, but it’s hope nonetheless.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when can your fans expect it to be out?
I’m so glad you asked! It’s an incredibly exciting time, and I have a lot of new stories I can’t wait to share with readers across different age groups.
For my younger readers, I’m thrilled to announce that my publisher, Fabled and Bound, is releasing my new Zoo Collection. The first book, Bat Rocket Boogie, which is for ages 6-8, will be out in the very near future. And that’s just the beginning! We’re expanding that universe with two spin-off series starring more anthropomorphic animals. The first is Forest Friends Mysteries for ages 6-9, which we hope to release around September or October of this year. Following that will be Myths & Legends, a historical fiction
series for kids 8 and up.
And for my adult readers, I’m so excited to be working on a historical fiction novel, tentatively titled The Women of Ravensbrück. It’s set to be published in the UK by Legend Press in the spring of 2026, so there is definitely a lot coming down the pipe!
People sometimes ask how I’m able to work on so many different projects. As many of my readers know, I’m a retired ICU RN, and I live with PTSD from my time on the front lines. For me, writing every day isn’t just a job; it’s a form of therapy. It’s been profoundly healing and has become a vital part of my life. It allows me to build new worlds and channel my experiences into stories, and I’m so grateful to be able to share them.
So, all these stories are brought to you by a very busy, very proud, and very left-handed Canadian!”
Author Links: GoodReads | X (Twitter) | Facebook | Website | Amazon
Her search ensnares her in a bloody web of poachers, smugglers, and killers who traffic in extinction. As bodies pile up and evidence vanishes, a relentless inspector and a passionate conservationist close in from opposite sides.
Stalked by shadowy figures and haunted by impossible choices, Linh discovers a terrifying truth: saving her father may cost her soul—or both their lives.
In this high-stakes game where everyone is both hunter and hunted, survival demands crossing lines that can never be uncrossed.
Ritual, Horror, and Grief
In the Mountain’s Shadow follows an old woman who ventures into the unforgiving wilderness, where she navigates starvation, isolation, trauma, and violence, encountering both animalistic kindness in a wolf and horrifying brutality in other humans. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The inspiration for In the Mountain’s Shadow came from many places. I was influenced by Japanese tales of ubasute, in which the elderly were allegedly left to die in the mountains; a haunting mythos that speaks to how societies often discard those they no longer find useful.
Most importantly, though, Park’s story is rooted, for me, in the image of the old witch in the woods – not as a villain, but as someone forged by abandonment, survival, and memory.
This blend of ritual, horror, and grief felt like something that needed to be written.
What are some things that you find interesting about the human condition that you think make for great fiction?
Humans are endlessly fascinating…because of our capacity for reason, belief, and perseverance; because of how often those things contradict each other. We can convince ourselves of almost anything, sometimes to survive, sometimes to justify, sometimes just because we need meaning.
But what I find most remarkable is our need to tell stories. Sometimes we do it to connect, sometimes to escape, and sometimes for no real reason at all…the endlessly complex impulse to create. That instinct, that emotional transmission through narrative, is what makes fiction so powerful. The written word allows us to explore what it means to be alive in a way that’s both intimate and limitless.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
I was drawn to the absence of older women as central figures in fiction—especially as active agents of violence, resilience, or transformation. I wanted to explore the idea of the “female monster” and how societal neglect often shapes that archetype.
What is the next story that you’re writing, and when will it be published?
I’ve got two in the works right now, and I’m hoping to publish sometime next year. One is a story about invading aliens and the way we experience otherness—how we react to what doesn’t belong, and what that says about us. The other is a story that explores the dangers of falling in love when identity, memory, and desire are unstable.
I tend to write more than one at a time, it helps give me a much-needed break from some of the darker material I tend to gravitate toward; it also allows me the freedom to break through genre and write whatever I feel like, whether that’s sci-fi, horror, or something quieter.
My other two published works include Razorblade, a dystopian western about the consequences of taking what doesn’t belong to you, and Fragmentations, a short story collection that plays with form and iterates on the puzzle of the human condition.
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Light and Dark Shades
After the Before follows a pair of scavengers navigating the ruins of a collapsed world who uncover a mysterious box, only to wind up on an adventure filled with religious fanatics, deadly mechanical beings called A-Eye, and a stark landscape marked by craters and threats. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The original title of AFTER THE BEFORE was “Plassik,” the material from which the sealed, found box is made. The scenario of finding the box created the landscape, the characters that people it, and the story’s chain of events. I liked having a mystery from the get-go, a mystery that’s not solved until the very end of the book. Imagining what a world would be like 300 years after an apocalyptic event was challenging. Even the language was changed. All the imagining was fun!
Your story has some very interesting characters that have their character flaws but are still likable. How do you go about creating characters for your story?
Character flaws are what create interesting characters. A character would need to be a complete psychopath not to have some likeable trait. Backstories or lack thereof provide enough information for a reader to like even a creep like the religious fanatic.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
At heart, AFTER THE BEFORE is about four women, from young to old, who live their lives in this forlorn landscape. They each want something different: one wants closure, one wants purpose, another needs freedom, and another wants love. Love is really at the core of everything in the story. Together, these women explore loss, longing, loyalty, desire, and grief. It’s a broad palette with light and dark shades that offer great avenues for emotional exploration.
Is this the first book in the series? If so, when is the next book coming out, and what can your fans expect in the next story?
Yes, this is the first book in the AFTER series. AFTER THE BEFORE took three years to finish. I hope to have book two, IN THE AFTER, out much sooner! Some of the characters from AFTER THE BEFORE will be returning.
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Three hundred years after the fall of civilization, scavengers Sophie and Markus uncover a sealed, translucent box buried deep in the ruins of The Before. What’s inside might hold answers to the apocalyptic origins of The After and a path to a safer future—if it can be opened.
Hoping for help, they set out for the faraway City where a reclusive historian may have the knowledge they need. The trek takes them across the cratered plain, bombed almost into oblivion, and infested with unstoppable humanoid machines hungry for human flesh.
When a religious fanatic derails their mission, Sophie and the box disappear. Markus enlists unexpected allies to help find her, pushing into the heart of his worst fears and opening bitter wounds and testing loyalties.
What’s in the box may lead to a better future—but it just might cost them each other.
Deception’s Edge
From the very first chapter, Deception’s Edge plunges you into a world that fuses action, espionage, faith, and deep personal trauma into a globe-spanning narrative. The story follows Blade Broussard, a knife-throwing performer with a haunted past, and a covert brotherhood known as the Soldati di Cristo, as they navigate an escalating series of violent confrontations and spiritual reckonings. Across cities like New Orleans, Rome, and Pyongyang, Potter weaves together a story that pits characters against ruthless regimes, their own inner demons, and a ticking clock that adds weight to every decision.
I found myself torn in the best possible way while reading this book. On one hand, the writing is brisk, full of punchy dialogue and vivid action that reads like a cinematic thriller. On the other hand, there are deeply reflective moments, grief, redemption, and hard-won faith that give the story emotional muscle. What impressed me most was Potter’s ability to bring out the complexity in her characters. Blade isn’t just a revenge-driven protagonist; she’s deeply flawed, grieving, sometimes reckless, but always inching toward growth. And Chase, who starts out as a bit of a mystery, becomes a steady heartbeat in the chaos, a man whose convictions give the plot real weight. Potter doesn’t just throw her characters into wild situations; she lets them break, rebuild, and wrestle with truth.
With a cast this large and subplots this layered, I sometimes struggled to keep track of shifting motivations, especially across the international set pieces. The story juggled many threads, action, espionage, faith-based conflict, and interpersonal drama. But I can’t deny that even when the plot got tangled, the emotional stakes stayed strong. The writing has heart, and that matters more to me than perfect pacing.
Deception’s Edge surprised me. It’s not just another thriller. It’s part Jason Bourne, part missionary story, part personal redemption arc. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys high-octane action with soul. It’s especially a good fit for readers who appreciate stories that ask hard questions about faith, forgiveness, and how we move forward when everything’s been taken from us. If you want a thriller with grit and grace, give this one a shot.
Myth or Reality
Pope Joan follows a woman who defies all odds when she disguises herself as a man and rises through the ranks in the Catholic church and secures the position of Pope. Where did the idea for this novel come from?
I came across an article about the myth or reality of a female who became pope. Her real identity as a woman was revealed when her water broke in public, and she began to deliver a baby. According to the legend, she was stoned to death as she was about to enter one of the churches in Rome. I started to imagine how a woman back in those days, when a woman was heavily restricted, could climb the ladder through the church to become pope. What was her back story? My curiosity soon took over, and I did extensive research on the times in which she lived and the struggles she had to endure to succeed and become Pope Joan.
Can you share a little about the research that went into putting your book together?
The Internet offered a wide range of great resources to help me locate specific materials: timelines, biographies of people who lived during the age that I was interested in, places that housed certain religious orders, and the ongoing conflicts of the age. Generally speaking, I have had a fascination with the Middle Ages and now have a small reference library dedicated to the Crusades and the Reconquista.
What was your favorite moment in Joan’s story? Is there one scene that resonates with you?
I was most touched by Joan’s time in prison when she was awaiting execution. What was going through her mind? Surely, the uncertainty of being executed or not weighed heavily and gave her a feeling of dread. But also she thought about the safety and well-being of her child. No matter how old children are, their parents want to know they are safe.
Will your next book be historical fiction? What are you currently preparing for your fans?
I have written and my editor is currently finalizing my next historical fiction novel, Kitty Schmidt: My Life as a Prostitute. Kitty managed the Gestapo’s brothel during World War II. How did she find herself in this position? Did she have a family? What happened to her during the bombing of Berlin and the subsequent Russian invasion of the city? I wanted to explore all of these aspects of her life.
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While Andrew pursues the world of numbers and accounting, Joan becomes an avid student, learning to love reading and acquiring knowledge, eventually – through a string of circumstances – propelling her to higher and higher offices within the church and finally becoming the first and only female pope.
How long does Pope Joan keep her gender a secret?
Pope Joan
Pope Joan, by Pablo Zaragoza, is a historical novel that tells the gripping story of a woman who defies societal norms and disguises herself as a man to rise through the ranks of the Church, ultimately becoming the Pope. Set in the brutal and unforgiving world of the ninth century, the book weaves history, myth, and speculation into a rich narrative about ambition, intelligence, and survival. Joan, born into a world that limits women to silence and servitude, refuses to accept her fate. She thirsts for knowledge, a rare and dangerous trait for a female, and her relentless pursuit of learning leads her on a path few could imagine. The book follows her struggles, victories, and the immense risks she takes to carve out a place in a world that would see her destroyed if the truth were known.
One of the things I loved about this book was how vivid and immersive the writing felt. The details of medieval life are gritty and raw. Joan’s intelligence shines through every page, and her thirst for knowledge is portrayed so powerfully that I felt her frustration every time someone tried to snuff it out. There’s a scene early on where her father, a rigid and cruel priest, beats her simply for being curious. That moment alone set the tone for the kind of world she was up against.
Another thing that stood out to me was how the novel balanced historical depth with emotional intensity. Sometimes, historical fiction can feel weighed down by facts, but this book never lets the history overpower the human heart of the story. Joan’s relationships—her forbidden love with Gerold, her conflicts with the men who underestimate her, and her silent struggle to remain hidden—kept me glued to the pages. The tension was constant. Every moment, I was bracing for the inevitable discovery of her secret, yet I couldn’t stop hoping she’d keep pulling off the impossible.
There are moments throughout the book that are very dramatic. Some of the characters, particularly the villains, left me wanting more depth to their character to understand their intensity. Joan’s father, for instance, was especially harsh, which emphasized the struggles she faced. While I understood that his role was to represent the oppressive forces of the time, I occasionally wished for a little more nuance in how those forces were portrayed. Still, the book remained engaging, and even in its most heightened moments, it never lost its emotional depth.
I’d recommend Pope Joan to anyone who loves historical fiction, particularly readers who enjoy stories of strong women defying the odds. If you’re looking for a novel that combines rich historical detail with a gripping, fast-paced story, this one is worth picking up. It’s intense. It’s emotional. And it’s the kind of book that stays with you long after the final chapter.
Pages: 179 | ASIN : B0CW1JH88C
LITERARY TITAN 