What inspired you to write this story?

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I have a fascination for Mesopotamian mythology. Mesopotamian texts differ on many topics. For example, creation epics, deity names and culture heroes. But they agree on one thing… the gods came, slept with human women, and created giant hybrid offspring and enslaved humanity. Yes, those Titans, gods and beastly monsters from Greek, Roman and biblical myths were known to older civilizations! Some saw these gods in a positive light, others as negative. It makes for great conflict. 

I wanted to write a character driven fantasy which is filled with ancient myth, the kind that is buried in soul waiting to be reawakened. 

Which character is your favorite and why?

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That is impossible to answer. It’s like asking me who is my favourite child. I can tell you I have loved writing some more than others over the course of the books. 

Although, I have always loved Mirah. I love her honesty, bravery, empathy, and sacrificial nature. I also love Ammo. He was the first character I created. I love his cocky, confident, roguish personality. He makes me laugh. He has a smaller part in book one but plays a larger role later. When he faces his fears, I love how he handles things. 

I love Neviah’s fiery spirit, Zeev’s banter, Galia’s loyalty, Tur’s unwavering determination, Nate’s complexity, Gabe’s devotion, to name a few.

But out of them all, Sojin, Ammo’s apprentice, has surprised me the most. I loved developing him in book four, where he faces many other challenges with sometimes devastating consequences. At the moment, he is the only character guaranteed to survive as I am planning a spin-off series with him and a few of the men from the Grey Wolf Tribe. It’s why I wrote a prequel about him. 

How was your writing process? How long did it take to write the first book?

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I’m a discovery writer. I tend to know certain plot points. For example, I knew Mirah needed to reach Hermonial because I wanted to write a character who was close to my antagonist. 

My start point was her on the ship. As I wrote about her journey, I added conflict along the way. I love how characters grow and overcome the challenges they face. Being a discovery writer, my characters often surprise me and lead me into territory I wasn’t expecting to go.

You’ll find romance and broken hearts (sorry). Even so, romance isn’t the main plot. I’ve been told many times that my writing is very visual and how reading my books is like watching a movie. I’ll let you be the judge of that…

I love plot twists! Most of mine come from writing myself into a hole and then figuring out how to fix them. There are quite a few big twists in my books, which my mind would never have imagined if I’d sat down and tried to think it up. Some people might think this tactic is insane, but for me, it keeps my writing fresh. 

It took me around a year to write the first book and then there were several redrafts and editing.

 

If you could explain your book to readers that haven’t read your book yet, what would you say?

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A Voice That Thunders is the first book in an epic fantasy series which features siblings, Mirah and Gabe, who become central characters along with a band of rebels fighting against immortals conquering their realm. It’s a pre-civilised world influenced by Mesopotamian mythology. Think epic battles with immortals and beasts of all kinds, throw in elemental magic, huge plot twists, portals and unique worlds, romantic subplots, and an ever-growing number of characters trying to save their world. If you love character-driven fantasy, you’ll love my books. I warn you now; I don’t go easy on them.

SPOILER. I have a favorite part in this book, “Nate covered his head under the hood of his blue cloak and reached for his twin blades sheathed across his back. When they reached the first guard post, Arella pulled the air from the guards’ lungs. Men clutched their throats, unable to cry out. They suffocated and dropped to their deaths. Quick and quit, they made their approach to the other three guard posts before Nate instructed the Fire Wielder to send a flare in the air (...)” I love this scene so much! What is your favorite part in the book?

It’s funny you should pick this part. I loved writing the whole chapter. So much so, I have just completed a short story from Danel’s viewpoint. He is the man who faced off with Nate at the end of the chapter. 

In A Voice That Thunders, I didn’t have the opportunity to share Danel’s story and what a story he had to tell! Through his eyes, you get to see the whole chapter from his point of view. There are also some easter-eggs, and a few other characters show up in Anat!

The story will be featured in Indie Fantasy Addicts Retired Heroes Anthology which will be free on Amazon in September.

Are you working on something else? If yes, could you tell us a bit about it?

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Yes, I’m currently writing book five, which still has no title. I can’t say much about it without spoilers, except Mirah and Gabe are finally about to face their enemies. It’s going to be epic.