I was a storyteller long before I was a writer. With the imagination only a child can possess, I was sharing my stories with anyone who would listen from an early age. Back then, it was mostly about dinosaurs. In fact, probably about 97% dinosaurs and 3% Ninja Turtles. Only when I reached middle school did I figure out what I was doing was “story telling” and that it could be channeled into creative writing. Fast forward a decade or so and I figured out that when a natural storyteller (me) and a ridiculously wild imagination (my wife and muse) join forces, you can create something really remarkable. That was how the “Dreamwalker” world was born. It is our playground that we now share with you.

When I am not writing, I enjoy video games, cooking, weight lifting, watching low-budget sci fi, snuggling with my kitties, and going on grand adventures!

When did you begin writing?

I have been telling stories as long as I can remember, but I started regularly committing words to a page in notebooks when I was 10-11 years old. When I had regular access to a computer (at about 14), I taught myself how to type quickly and started writing for an audience.

What’s your favorite genre to write and/or read?

I love to read science fiction, fantasy, faerie stories, horror, and dabble a bit in true crime. I enjoy young adult fiction for its quick pace and shorter word counts that allow me to consume more stories when I don’t have as much time to dedicate to reading. I enjoy writing scary stories just as much as I enjoy reading them, but it is probably fantasy that I enjoy writing the most.

Describe an early original character and/or world that you created:

My magnum opus in high school was a 50,000 word story that took place in an original world were elves and demons were the two ruling people of the land. My main character, Prince Luka of the Elves, was one of the first characters I truly fleshed out. The story followed him on a journey to find a cure for the illness that was killing one of his human servants. Even though that world has been somewhat abandoned, elements of it were later worked into Faerie. Sylus, a main love interest, even had a second life as being the basis for the character Twilight/Night in Dreamwalker.

When and how did you become interested in “faerie stories?”

Between my love of all things creepy and a natural interest in fantasy, it was natural that much of the media I was interested in as a child were faerie stories. It was not until I was in 10th grade that I had a teacher who had me read Tolkien’s “On Faerie Stories” and I began to understand just how prevalent the “crossing into faerie” story actually is.

Do you prefer writing from a male, female, or other gendered narrator?

Generally, I do not have a preference between genders when writing. What is interesting is the difference between characters who don’t put much stock in gender roles vs. characters that believe very strongly in a gender binary and that they have a place they belong on that spectrum. While it is an interesting exercise to write the latter, my personal belief is more in line with the former so it is usually less frustrating.

Describe the origin of the character name you like best?

Suoh Tatsunou was a name that took me nearly a full day to construct. I had the “Suoh” part down because the family name had long since been created, but I needed a name that would be appropriate to the time period in which Tatsunou was born, would follow Japanese naming standards, and would suit the character. I spent hours researching various names of historical figures in Japan and reading about various readings of kanji (Japanese characters) in names before I arrived at the Dragon King, Tatsunou.

Describe the character creation process; where do you get ideas for characters?

Once the world was established, characters are largely created to fill a gap where we need someone. We will notice that, hey, Bob doesn’t have any friends. Can we establish a friendship within our original pool of characters? Or do we need to create a new character to be friends with Bob? Sometimes, we ask ourselves, “hey, I wonder what it is like in THIS part of Faerie…” and in order to explore it further, we need a character who would go to those places. Usually, characters are formed by bouncing ideas off of one another. Sometimes we will see a character in a movie, tv show, or book that shows us something we are lacking (a villain with no clear motivation, a female mentor to a male student, a gender queer character, etc.) and we will start from there.

In the worst cases, though, it begins with, “hey, wouldn’t it be funny if…”

Who is your favorite and/or least favorite character to write?

Writing Lune, Ciel, Silver, and Ginger have been nothing but sheer pleasure for me. Each of them represents a different aspect of what it means to be feminine and a woman and I enjoy exploring their strength as well as their expression. On the flipside, I find characters that are overtly negative difficult to write – Ginger’s sister Cinnamon, Prince Augustus, and Thomas to name a few.

Favorite antagonist? What do you like about the character?

I am most interested in Queen Dream. She is neither good nor evil, but at the time that she comes into the story we see her as an antagonist as she causes the death of the protagonist of the story and is seen as full of dark magic and dark intent. What makes her so interesting is the is definitely the hero of her own story and believes fully that each of her actions are justified, even when they hurt others around her – even loved ones. Dream is a beloved figure in Faerie history; the fact that she is celebrated makes her all the more sinister.

Who is the character you identify with most, and why?

Prince Light. We have very little in common, but like him I am usually the one who is sitting back, smiling, and nodding while everyone else is being crazy around me. He occasionally partakes in the shenanigans, but is usually composed and willing to uphold the rules. Like him, I don’t ever want to be queen, too much responsibility for not enough pay-off, but I would be totally fine staying princess forever.

Favorite minor character that decided to weasel into the spotlight?

Bee. Bee was a character that seemed to develop completely independent of anything I may have done. He makes a great foil for the jaded Iris in the Seelie Court with his optimistic outlook on life. He also brought with him some interesting insight regarding twins and gender issues in Faerie which made me seek to explore him further. Before I knew it, I had one of the main players in the Seelie court.

What goes into the process of deciding that a character needs to die, plot-wise or otherwise?

To me it is important to ensure two things when considering killing an important character:

1) The character is not dying just for the sake of getting a reaction out of readers (really, authors, stop this). And;

2) The character is not dying just for the sake of advancing the story of another character (i.e., “my girlfriend is dead and I will avenge her!”)

I enjoy writing most characters so much that death is never something that is chosen carelessly for the course of the character. I hate that feeling when I realize I have to stop writing about what happens next in the character’s life. However, without death, there can be no new life or rebirth so it is ultimately part of the cycle of the story.

Which character would you like to explore further? Why do they interest you?

I am interested in the deceased Prince March of the Between because I would like to know what led to him becoming the man he was when he died as well as who he was  before the fall. Bee is another character that has come to the forefront for me, but with his new role in the Seelie court I suspect we’ll be seeing a lot more of him in the future.

Which subculture within faerie is most interesting to you?

The Teachings, which in many ways mimic the religions of the world we know. The teachings cover everything from creation myths (present in a number of religions), to explaining why nature is as it is (not unlike many Native American beliefs, oral tradition from Africa, or Shinto), and giving a set of rules by which to live one’s life (such as Christianity, Islam, or Buddhism). The variety of ways Fae believe (or don’t) in the teachings and how it is so present in their lives that most do not question the validity of the teachings is something that fascinates me about Faerie.

Favorite magical being or creature in Faerie?

Unicorns, though we have only seen them briefly. And how could I forget dragons?

In which court would you feel most at home?

Most likely the Between for its proximity to the human world and comforts of home. If I had to remain in Faerie, the Seelie court seems like the safest bet for the number of humans that already reside there.