How long have you been working on The Parallel?

The characters from the story were largely created in 2018, but the story in its current form took shape in the fall of 2020. It took me three years to draft the book and about a year for editing. 

I'm hoping I keep learning and growing as an author, and my future stories don't take that long to write. For both of our sakes.

What inspired you to write The Parallel?

Spite.

Alright, but seriously: I've always found the super powers trope to be interesting and fun, but have always struggled to get into the story worlds and "magic systems." I really wanted to try my hand at crafting a world of powers which was rooted in a consistent framework. I decided to go with human psychology as the root of how powers work in each person, which I'm excited to show you more of as this series progresses.

I also always struggled to get into young adult literature as a teen. Most of the books that were crossing my path at the time were romance-oriented, and I just wasn't interested in that. I wanted to see more strong friendships and found-family elements. So, as a story teller, those are the elements I focus on, and I wanted my first book to really hone in on a story of committed friendship between my two central characters; people who have to grow in understanding of each other to work together as the stakes keep rising.

So, in blunt words: I wrote it out of spite.

In nicer terms: I followed the advice I'd heard so many times, "Write the book you want to read."

How long will The Parallel Chronicles be?

The Parallel Chronicles will be a four-book series. The second is currently in the draft stage. 

I also have a spin-off series about one of the characters from the Chronicles in the works, which will also be four books long. In short, this story world isn't going away any time soon.

Do you have any other stories planned?

The Parallel is just the tip of the iceberg. I fully plan to continue writing past this series, as I have a host of other novels planned out: sci-fi, fantasy, and historical fiction. Though my story-telling interests cross genres, most of my stories are tied together by common themes of unexpected friendship, brotherhood, ethical inquiries, mercy, and forgiveness.