What inspired you to write this book?
As I mentioned, the storyline came from
a D&D game I created for my players. Two of those players, dear
friends and the inspiration for the Tangus and Kristen characters in
my trilogy, met and married… but apparently having a child together
wasn’t in the cards. So I created the empath Emmy, as well as her
background story, to give them a child in the game. When I made the
decision to try my hand at writing, I knew this was the story I
wanted to expand upon and tell.
What can we expect from you in the
future?
The third book of my initial trilogy
establishes several new storylines which will be concluded in a
second trilogy. No working titles as of yet. I have decided, however,
to take a different approach. Instead of marrying all the characters
and their storylines, I’m going to write about each new storyline
in its entirety before moving on to the next. Essentially the trilogy
will consist of three or four novellas. At least that’s the plan
for now. Things may change after I start actually writing the
stories.
Do you have any “side stories”
about the characters?
Not at the present moment. However, I
have written a short story about two undead dire wolves which I plan
on incorporating into the next trilogy.
Can you tell us a little bit about
the characters in the trilogy?
One thing I can say about the
characters in my trilogy there are a lot. Most of the characters of
importance are introduced in the first book, The Salvation of
Innocence. Father Horatio Goram, if not the main character, is
certainly one of the main catalysts. Think Gandalf from The Lord
of the Rings, except he doesn’t mysteriously disappear and
reappear when trouble comes. Then there’s Emmy, the last empath, a
child who is at is the center of the entire trilogy. At first she’s
just what she appears, particularly in the first book. As the trilogy
progresses, she becomes more and more involved until her
transcendence at the end of the third book.
Kristen and Tangus become Emmy’s
adoptive parents. Kristen, a priestess who was orphaned and raised by
Father Goram and his first wife, Mary McKenna, has a bond with Emmy
that was in place even before Kristen was born. That bond drives
Kristen to Emmy, who after over three thousand years, is in grave
danger. As the last empath, any harm to her will have severe and
long-lasting consequences for the entire world of Aster. Tangus,
Kristen’s eventual love and husband, is an experienced ranger who
spent much of his early life adventuring. There’s no one better
then Tangus in rangering. His love for Kristen, Emmy, and his
daughter by another, Jennifer, is the center of his being.
Autumn is another priestess whose
specialty is natural healing, though she can use magic when
necessary. She becomes Father Goram’s second wife. Though
completely devoted to her husband, she’s a survivor… strong,
level-headed, intelligent and not afraid to speak her mind.
Mordecai Lannian is the principle
antagonist. He’s your typical power-hungry politician born into a
wealthy family and warped by a craving for power. As part of his
machinations, he manages to manipulate Vayl, Father Goram’s right
hand, to turn traitor and work as Mordecai’s inside man. This
becomes complicated because Vayl legitimately loves some of the
people he’s betraying.
Finally, Nightshade. She’s a demon
who Mordecai has summoned, thus giving him control over her, to be
his assassin. She unusual for a demon in that she develops the
tiniest spark of goodness in her soul. Eventually this spark matters,
but not in the first book, whereas she kills for Mordecai without
remorse.
There’s plenty of other important
players, both good and bad, but these are the principles in book one.
I have knights, a queen, Marines, a captain and crew, and Tangus’
old adventuring buddies. And dire wolves. I love the dire wolves in
my books. They’re protectors, guardians, faithful companions, early
warning systems, and everything else that’s good in animals.
