Please tell us a little about yourself and your work. 

My book may have never been written. Before I wrote Borrowed Fantasy, I landed a really good job. Pay was great, there was the chance of travel, I had the opportunity to move to an engineering job, etc. Well, I sucked at the job and found myself on the chopping block. I knew I could either be down and depressed about the loss, or I could do something that I could not do with the job. That’s when I started writing my first book. 

Which do you prioritize and why—storytelling or worldbuilding? 

With Borrowed Fantasy, I focused on storytelling. My book is very dialogue-driven. Being an inexperienced writer, I was a little hesitant to dip into worldbuilding. I hope to immerse[readers] in the world with my next three-book series,It’s Always the Red Dragon. 

Did you choose to create a heroic lead? Why or why not? 

Yes and no. For my lead heroine, I wanted her to be unstoppable to a point. I love, love, lovestrong female characters. I think it goes against the usual motif of the damsel in destress. I do not like women portrayed that way. For my lead hero, I wanted to make him more uncertain and doubtful. I kind of based him off of me. He always wants to do the right thing, but in this world of gray, it’s not always clear what the right thing to do is. 

Was your storyline something that you envisioned from the beginning, or did youbuild/change it as you wrote? 

The large points of the story were written in stone. I’ve had this story since my 20s. I’m now in my 40s. How the story arrived at those main points was an ever-changing process. For instance, my decision to make my lead hero, Abram, magicalwas not planned. Where I introduced the characters of my story, not planned. There was so much that simply evolved in the process of writing my book. 

How have you built your audience? 

I’m still trying to find my audience! In a world of Martins, Tolkiens, and Sandersons, grabbing an audience is very difficult. My background probably [doesn’t] help me, either. I spent some time in the military,where writing is short and succinct. My chapters are no different. I even have a chapter that’s one line. My chapters’ lengths are more of a Don Quixote style. However, my book is trying to be found. As of now, google my book, and Google AI pulls up a synopsis of my book.…I’m not sure when this will change, but I cross my fingers that I’m found before these [things] stop working. 

Portions of this Q&A were edited for clarity.