INTERVIEW:

How long have you been writing? How many books or series have you published?

I’ve been writing since I was 14 years old but didn’t start publishing until 2020. My debut novel released on my 23rd birthday that year, and it’s so fun to get to celebrate not only birthday but my book’s birthday at the same time every year. So far I have published a 5 book series, The Royals of Acuniel, which is a collection of Biblical retellings like Esther and Ruth set in medieval times, along with my most recent release, Crown of Destiny. That is the first book in my new Crown of Aerilon series–an epic fantasy retelling of King David and King Saul–which I am so excited about! I’ve also published two ebook exclusive Biblical-fiction short stories called In the Manger and At the Cross.

What inspired you to write? How does your faith impact your writing?

I’ve loved reading for as long as I can remember, and I even dabbled in writing plays as a kid for my friends and I to act out (which we never actually did). But it was at the age of 14 that I saw an advertisement for a writing contest to commemorate 100 years since the sinking of the Titanic. I wasn’t brave enough to enter it, but I thought it would be fun to try writing a book about the Titanic–a piece of history that always fascinated me as a kid. I got about ten chapters in before I got an idea for a medieval romance set in Italy and switched to writing that instead. A year and a half later, I typed THE END on that book and I just knew that this was what I wanted to do with my life–write and publish stories.

My faith plays a vital role in everything I write. I don’t think I could possibly tell a story without a spiritual theme factoring into it. My desire is that every story I tell, in whatever genre, will bring glory to Jesus and that His love, truth, and power will be reflected in the story in some way, inspiring and encouraging the reader in their walk with Him.

Do you have a favorite author or book? Why is that your favorite?

I have many favorites! But three quick, top picks would be:

1. The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis (A classic, Christian staple that opened my eyes to the world of fantasy when I was in 2nd grade. It remains a top favorite and go-to comfort read even after all these years!)
2. The River of Time series by Lisa T. Bergren (A medieval time travel series that I fell in love with as a teen and still adore today. This series is part of the reason I was inspired to write medieval stories.)
3. The Timeless series by Gabrielle Meyer (This is a favorite series of mine as an adult and I recommend it to everyone I can! I greatly admire Gabrielle’s creative storytelling and her epic plot twists she manages to work in to every book in this series–most of which never fail to blow my mind.)

There’s so many more I could talk about, but then this list would be a mile long!

What is your favorite genre to read/write?

My favorite books to read are anything to do with the medieval era or fantasy–though I have a soft spot for time travel too, which could fall under the umbrella of fantasy. And of course, medieval and fantasy books are, so far, what I love to write as well!

What do you like most about what you do? What are your biggest challenges?

I absolutely love the process of creating a new story and bringing it to life in the first draft! That’s definitely when I have the most fun in the writing/publishing process.

As far as challenges go, there are two that I continually run up against:

This challenge is really one of my own making. I’m always writing these stories that include one or more action/battle scenes, and they are not easy! I often joke that I didn’t know I would need to be a military strategist to be a writer. I love these big, epic, intense stories, but every time I get to another battle scene, I say to myself, “Well, here we go again. I have to figure out how to write this!” It’s more than just knowing how to describe the actions. It’s also figuring out the logistics of moving an army, feeding them, housing them, planning battle strategies, and so on!

TIME! Juggling a full-time job, my home and life with my husband, youth and other church ministry, and writing can be difficult! But I’ve found ways to make it work over the years and God has certainly helped me as well. I’ve had to accept that every month–sometimes every week–is going to be different when it comes to my writing time. Some months I have more free time and I’m in a good creative rhythm and can crank out the words. Other months I’m doing good if I get to work on my book once a week.

Do you have a favorite character in your most recent release?

Oh, that’s so hard!! There are three main POV characters in the book and I love them all for different reasons. Ayleth (the MAIN main character of the series) I admire for her bravery and willingness to do the right thing even when it costs her. Kane has held a special place in my heart for more than a decade now and is one of my favorite heroes I’ve ever written. And then, I actually really like the villain in this series–at least, I’ve enjoyed writing her story. She is a very complicated character, both absolutely despicable and heartbreaking at the same time. She’s a character that could have gone in such a different direction, but her choices (all of which she thinks are completely justified) keep her on a downward trajectory.

What are you working on now? What can we expect in the future? 

I’ve recently finished a big developmental edit of book 2 in the Crown of Aerilon series and now I’m shifting my focus back to drafting book 4 after not really getting to work on it for a few months. I’m so excited to spend the next month or two doing nothing but drafting that book and hope to get a large chunk of it done in that time. After that, I will go back to book 2 to get it ready for publication and will likely still be working on book 4 on the side, with the hope of finishing that draft by the new year.

I’m loving working on this series so much, but I am already feeling the tug towards new stories too. I am so anxious to start pursuing one of my other story ideas, yet I know now isn’t the time since I have so much else to do! Just know that after this series wraps up you will be getting at least one standalone spinoff story connected to the series and also probably a medieval time travel duology!

Do you have any fun facts to mention? (what is your go-to snack when writing/reading? Daily habits…)

I don’t usually snack when writing since I end up too distracted by my food, but I usually carve out time to write every Friday afternoon (a couple hours of focused time verses working in free pockets of time during the rest of the week when I can) and I like to get a Starbucks chai tea latte at my local Barnes and Noble. I will either stay there and write in their cafe, or I will take the drink home and write in my library or on my front porch when the Texas weather allows.

Other little writing rituals of mine are:

Listening to music! I’m pretty much always going to have music playing while writing, and it’s going to be one of two things: a Spotify playlist I made specifically for that book/series or a YouTube lofi music or ambiance music video. My favorite ambiance videos to turn on are Narnia or Lord of the Rings themed ones! They are a couple hours long and just play music from those movies on repeat with sounds like wind, rain, birdsong, etc. layered overtop. Music like this helps me get into the mood and setting of my story and helps me stay focused too!

Creating Pinterest boards for all of my story ideas and having the character/story inspo pulled up on the side of my computer screen while writing.

What would you like to say to readers? (What do you hope readers take-away from your book?)

As I said before, I hope all of my books reflect light and truth and minister to the reader’s heart in some way! With Crown of Destiny in particular, I hope they will be inspired by Ayleth’s courage and that her willingness to heed the Eternal One’s call, no matter the cost, will inspire them to do the same in their own every day life. We may not be called to fight a war or lead a kingdom, but all of us were created for some purpose and that purpose can often seem overwhelming and too big for us to handle on our own. But the great thing is, we never have to fight our battles alone! HE goes before us, even in the most impossible circumstances.

ABOUT THE BOOK:
372 pages
Released June 16, 2026
Life and Lit Press
Available in Kindle and Paperback

Book Blurb:

The battle for the crown of Aerilon begins…

In the kingdom of Aerilon, ruled by a queen paranoid of losing her throne, keeping your head down and staying silent is the only way to survive. And for Ayleth of the Jusaren Kindred, a quiet, obscure existence tending sheep on her family farm is exactly what she wants. She knows all too well what comes from speaking out against the queen, and dreads doing anything that could endanger those she loves.

But everything changes the day a Master Scholar arrives with a shocking message: the Eternal One has chosen her as the next ruler of Aerilon.

Terrified of her so-called destiny, Ayleth wishes to forget the old man’s prophecy. That is, until a shocking betrayal forces her to flee for her life with the Scholar’s mysterious companion, Kane, as her protector. Thrust into a perilous journey, separated from all she’s ever known, and leaning on a stranger for survival, Ayleth can no longer avoid the decision she must make… Will she keep to the safe and easy path? Or remain obedient to the Eternal One—no matter the cost?