Please tell us a little about yourself and The King, the Wyvern, and I. 

I wanted to create an interesting and intriguing world, with high stakes and engaging action. My purpose was to engage the mind of the reader’s inner warrior using emotion, body language, and internal reactions. I develop my own inner warrior through martial arts. I have been training for almost 30 years now, so you will find teaching moments throughout the story.

There are many aspects to martial arts, just as there are many aspects about life. If you only focus on one aspect, you will become unbalanced. This fantasy is about that balance, regardless of race or gender.

Martial arts contain fighting but are not about fighting. They create a lifestyle of strength, discipline, and self-control. This fantasy encompasses these ideas, both ambition and pride, and the honing of the spirit and control.

I also work in the energy industry and brought a lot of that world into my fantasy realm. Enjoy!

How did you create/acquire the cover art for The King, the Wyvern, and I? 

The cover art was designed by a family friend, Elisha Bryant. The model for the horse was my sister-in-law’s horse, a champion jumper named Cassius. The golden dragon is one of the characters in the story; she’s not fond of humans, so she’s portrayed here with a curling lip and a fierce snarl. The rider is another character in the story, Isladora, complete with her forearm guards and a magical ring, two items she acquires in her journey of growth and strength.

How has critical and/or reader response influenced the way you think about your work?

Early readers gave me so much perspective in what worked, what didn’t, and ideas for plot development. There is one character in the book, Kaigen, that is different from any of the races; she is unique. Readers have asked for her backstory, or maybe even a future book just about her. It is exciting to get this type of feedback. Quite a few readers have told me this fantasy world would make a fantastic movie production or series; now that would be even more sensational!

What are you working on now?

I am almost finished writing a nonfiction book to help people derailed by some event in their life or those needing inspiration to make a life change. The healing, transformative power of love is central to both the fantasy novel and this new work.

More than two decades of teaching martial arts has given me certain insights and wisdom into character building, goal crushing, and reaching outstanding performance. It has also taught me how closely related the mind, body, and spirit are. The book will include scripture to empower and inspire. The book is an easy read with advice on how to circumvent pitfalls, how to quiet the many desires and needs of our body, and reasons to avoid the tantalizing dangers of evil.

Portions of this Q&A were edited for clarity.