SUGGESTED INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

  1. Morningstar Academy is your fourth series. It seems like you always have an underlying theme to your writing. For example, you focused on #MeToo in the Sand Maiden series and body image in your God of Secrets series. Why are you writing the Morningstar Academy series?
  1. You said the Morningstar Academy series is about the end of the world as told in the very cryptic book of Revelations, a retelling, if you will. Why did you choose to follow that narrative rather than invent one of your own? And because of this background, should readers expect a story stilted by religion and religiosity?
  1. Most people are familiar with the number 666, but that’s pretty much all when it comes to end times events from an ancient text. Was it daunting offering a new take on a story as little understood as Revelations? What was most exciting about developing your take on the narrative?
  1. Morningstar Academy is told from the point of view of celestials rather than from a human POV like most other apocalyptic fiction. Why did you make the decision to tell the story that way? Does the intended audience change the way you tell the story?
  1. The dialogue among the primary characters alternates throughout and reveals a world from two points of view. Why did you choose to write in this style rather than just one POV?
  1. The world-building is vivid and makes the reader feel as though they are right there. How much of the world is true to the account in Revelations versus your imagination?
  1. A third of the way into the first novel in the series, celestial warrior Gladriel makes a decision that changes her and her squadron’s lives forever and is key to the series: “The Almighty promised to exact vengeance, yet he hasn’t bothered to so much as lift a pinky in over thirty days. I’m sick of it.” Can you talk about Glad’s decision and your decision to have her articulate this sentiment?
  1. Gladriel is a passionate character who allows loyalty to make her act before fully considering the consequences. The same theme carries over as she refuses to submit to the curriculum of Morningstar Academy, the institution that indoctrinates newly fallen to Lucifer’s philosophies. When writing a character like Glad, you use her passion and loyalty as negative traits that get her into trouble. But loyalty and passion are considered by most to be positive traits. Why use what is usually a strength and make it a weakness? Are you ever tempted to extol her passion and loyalty as virtues and just let her enjoy a well-deserved win?
  2. As the leader of a celestial squadron, Kessien is a protector at heart and has done his best in service of the Almighty’s objectives for eons, without question. But when Gladriel falls, his love for her motivates him to challenge the boundaries of acceptable heavenly behavior and discover that his preconceived notions aren’t shared by those in authority. Can you talk about his journey and your decision to include it in this story?
  1. What’s next for you?