Q: Is City of Skies YA?

A: No. City of Skies is an adult fantasy book. Although relatively clean, it is not intended for teen readers.

Q: Is City of Skies “Romantasy”?

A: Short answer is not exactly, but I still think that romantasy readers will love it. The long answer? Defining “romantasy” can be tricky. City of Skies IS a blend of romance and fantasy. However I think most of us assume that in a romantasy story, the main character will be female, romance will be the biggest focus, and the world building aspects will be light. City of Skies integrates romance with magic, plot and politics. The series as a whole is solidly epic fantasy. That being said, don’t let a MMC POV and lots of world building scare you off. If you normally read romantasy, you won’t be disappointed by the love story.

Q: Does it have spice?

A: Plenty of steam, but there are no open door bedroom scenes in book 1. As for book 2? I plead the fifth.

Q: How many books will be in The Stargem Chronicles series?

A: It’s looking like it will be a five book series.

Q: Which fantasy authors inspired you?

A: Growing up, my favourite fantasy books were The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle, Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkein, and anything by Patricia A. McKillip. Now, I love The Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson, When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker, and The Bridge Kingdom series by Danielle L. Jensen.

Q: How long have you been writing?

A: I can’t remember a time I wasn’t writing. As a kid I was constantly making up fantasy worlds. Then in high school I had a blog, wrote a lot of fanfiction, and was in the Creative Writing club. I was mostly focused on music though, and chose that as my university major. During the pandemic when I had free time, I had a few story ideas and City of Skies was my favourite. I wrote the outline and world building notes during that time. Then while on maternity leave with my second baby, I wrote the first draft over the summer in about a month and a half. From there I joined several critique groups, did lots of reading in the genre, and learned as much as I could while editing for the next three years. I also wrote drafts for the next three books. Since my dad passed away and left behind his unpublished sci-fi novel, I’ve felt inspired to follow in his footsteps and write like I’m running out of time.