What inspires you to write?
I am most interested in the point where large systems become personal. Politics, institutions, inequality, and social change can sound abstract until you put ordinary people inside them and ask what they are willing to accept, what they are willing to risk, and what happens when everyone assumes somebody else will act first. Fantasy gives me the freedom to build those pressures from scratch while still writing about recognisable human choices.
Why did you choose to write in your genre?
Fantasy lets me create enough distance from the real world to explore serious subjects without turning the story into a direct argument about one present-day country or political situation. I particularly like low-magic fantasy because people, institutions, and choices remain at the centre. Magic can shape the world, but it cannot simply solve every problem.
What is the most important thing that people don’t know about your genre but that you would like for them to know?
Adult fantasy does not have to mean a huge series, enormous word counts, or a complicated magic system. I love expansive fantasy worlds, but I also think there is room for complete standalone stories that give readers a satisfying ending while still suggesting that the world continues beyond the final page. That idea is a big part of what I want to build with Continuing Press.
Are you a full-time or part-time writer, and how does that affect your writing?
I write part-time alongside a full-time career in AI research and development. It means writing time has to be deliberate rather than something I can wait to feel inspired for. In a strange way, that constraint helps. I have learned to keep notes, return to a scene quickly, and make progress in smaller blocks of time instead of assuming I need an entire free day to write well.
What have you written so far?
The Cloaked Saviour is my first published novel and the first release from Continuing Press, the small independent press I founded. I also have additional standalone fantasy projects in development. The plan is for them to tell their own complete stories while sharing a broader world, history, and sense of continuity. Readers should never need to commit to a long series just to get a complete ending.
Did you independently or “self” publish, or did you go the “traditional” publishing route, and why?
I chose an independent route and founded Continuing Press. I wanted control over the format, presentation, schedule, and especially the idea of building a catalogue around connected standalones rather than shaping the first book around the expectation of a conventional trilogy. It also means I am responsible for the less glamorous parts of publishing, from production and outreach to fulfilment and marketing. That has been a steep learning curve, but a useful one.
Can you share a little bit about your latest book?
The Cloaked Saviour is a standalone adult low-magic fantasy of roughly 63,000 words. It is about rebellion, institutional power, and a community that has grown used to waiting for a mysterious masked wanderer to intervene when things become unbearable. The story asks what happens when the myth of a saviour becomes another reason not to act. There is adventure and mystery, but the core of the book is about ordinary people deciding whether change is something they can continue outsourcing to someone else.
The Kickstarter launched on 13 October 2026 and is currently live.
What was the hardest thing about writing your latest book?
The hardest part was balancing mystery with clarity. The masked wanderer needs to remain intriguing, but the reader also needs to understand the emotional and political consequences around that figure. I also wanted the rebellion to feel collective rather than quietly turning into another chosen-one story. A lot of revision went into making sure the systems, motivations, and emotional stakes were clear without overexplaining the world.
What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
I enjoyed playing with the tension between the heroic story people want to believe and the messier reality of collective action. It was also exciting to build a world that can support future stories without making this novel feel like setup for a sequel. I like the idea that a reader can close this book with a real ending, then later enter another part of the same world through a completely different cast and conflict.
What is your next project?
My next major project for Continuing Press is another standalone fantasy set in the same connected world, with a new central conflict and a new cast. The aim is the same: a complete story that rewards readers who recognise the wider world but never requires homework from previous books. I am much more interested in building a shelf of linked doors into one world than a single very long corridor.
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