• Origin: How did the first story you ever wrote influence your career as an author and how do you feel about that story now?

The first story I ever wrote and published was when I was seven, it was about me saving the world with my stuffed animals that came to life. But as an adult, my first published novel is a Young Adult ghost story with a romance thread. I think it set the scene for stories about magic and romance quite nicely…

• Which of your characters is most like you (or someone close to you.)

I feel like they all have aspects of me, but I’m going to name two – Sebastian from Overdues and Occultism – he loves people, he’s friendly and extroverted, big on food and travel, which are all things I like about myself. And if I could make it a career to travel around and visit haunted houses I definitely would.
The other one who I relate to a lot is Cedric from my current series under the Drake LaMarque pen name. He’s a rich boy who gets kidnapped by pirates and ends up falling for them.  Our circumstances are very different, but I gave him my optimism, my need to be liked and my recklessness. Thankfully my recklessness has never got me into the kind of trouble Cedric gets into…

• What is your favorite trope and why?

I’m a very big fan of “There was only one bed” because it’s inevitably so adorable. Rivals to Lovers is a great one as well, that passion, the sniping, the anger and then the realisation that “ohhh…there’s something more I’m feeling for this person” it’s delicious.

• How many half-written stories are on your hard-drive and what do you plan to do with them?

Uhhh… too many. And then there’s a bunch of word docs which are just a premise or a concept which maybe one day I’ll get to. Some of them are completed, but just need work and I sort of intend to dedicate some time to those and get them published, but I’ve also been intending to do that for over a year. So, we’ll see.

• What are you working on next?

I have a few things on the horizon. I’m currently in the last section of a Jaxon Knight Fairyland book, which I’m excited to get out. After that I have the second in my urban fantasy detective series to write, plus a Young Adult spinoff from Overdues and Occultism. And I need to do the next in the pirate series about Cedric, so… I have a lot on my plate!