What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write The Crystal Key (The Dream Rider Saga Book 2)?
The Crystal Key is the second book in my Dream Rider Saga trilogy. Iâd written one novel (The Wolf at the End of the World), which had been well received, so I figured, âHow hard can a trilogy be?â Yeah, right.
I wrote the entire trilogy before publishing the first book, The Hollow Boys, taking advice that Charles de Lint had given me. The Dream Rider Saga is one long mystery told over three books. When youâre writing that type of trilogy, itâs wonderful to be able to change the earlier books as youâre writing the later ones. Plus, readers donât have to worry if the final book will come out. The third book, The Lost Expedition, is already finished.
The inspiration for the Dream Rider came from my love as a kid of comics, superheroes, and stories of lost cities. I call the series âIndiana Jones meets Teen Titans.â Iâd wanted to write a YA series for a while, so when I got this idea for an orphaned teenager who can travel through our dreams but can never leave home, I figured it would fit perfectly.
Then I asked myself questions. Where did his power come from? Why is he an orphan? So I gave him a backstory, purposely sketchy at first:
Will's parents, shady dealers in ancient artifacts, disappear on a jungle expedition. Will, the only survivor, returns home with no memory of what happened, with his strange power to walk in our dreamsâŠand severe agoraphobia. He uses the money his Dream Rider comic creation brings to make a skyscraper home with everything he needsâeverything but the freedom to go outside.
But itâs YA, so I needed a romance. Enter Case, an orphan Will's age, who survives on the streets with her young brother, Fader, because they have their own gifts. Case hears voices warning her of danger. And Fader? Well, he fades. People just donât notice him.
Book 1, The Hollow Boys, throws Will and Case together, and into danger and an unlikely romance, as they join forces to defeat a centuries-old body swapper preying on street kids.
In book 2, The Crystal Key, dark secrets lead Will, Case, and Fader to a mysterious world, trapping them between warring cults willing to kill for a dangerous artifact from Willâs past.
In the last book, The Lost Expedition, Willâs search for his lost parents propels the three friends deep into the jungles of Peru, where they battle an ancient evil to save all of reality.
If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of The Crystal Key (The Dream Rider Saga Book 2), what would they be?
Interesting question, since I use modern rock and pop songs for the chapters titles in these books.
For Will, my 17-year-old agoraphobic superhero, I think Iâd go with Bowieâs âStarman.â Itâs about a visitor from outer space, so it fits Willâs weirdness with his Dream powers. But itâs also a song that has always made me smile, which fits Will as well.
For Case, my life-hardened street kid and big sister to Fader, Iâd pick Billy Eilishâs âTough Guyâ or maybe Pat Benatarâs âHit Me With Your Best Shot.â I use both in the books for titles of Caseâs chapters.
What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?
I enjoy reading urban fantasy, especially Charles de Lint. Lately though, Iâm reading mysteries, detective, action / adventure, and non-fiction. Iâve been reading Thomas Kingâs âDreadful Waterâ series, which is fun. Iâm reading Ian Hamiltonâs latest in his excellent Ava Lee series, The General of Tiananmen Square.
When it comes to writing, my short fiction has been a balance between fantasy and SF, with horror elements in many of them. My novels (The Wolf at the End of the World and the three Dream Rider books) are urban fantasy, and my next planned novel will be the sequel to The Wolf. But after that, I have a near future SF novel planned, expanding on my short story, âMemories of the Dead Man.â
What books are on your TBR pile right now?
I mentioned a couple above. My TBR âpileâ is on my Kobo, as I do almost all my reading via ebooks. My likely next reads are Hyperion by Dan Simmons and Sleeping Beauties by Stephen and Owen King.
What scene in your book was your favorite to write?
Ever so many. It was fun finally getting to write a scene in The Crystal Key from the point-of-view of Adi, Willâs guardian and surrogate mother, when she tells the story of how his parents acquired the Crystal Key. I got to show more of her bad-ass side. And any scene with Rani Patel, my snarky reporter, was fun to write. Itâs a hoot writing a character who has no filter and doesnât care what people think of them.
But overall, I enjoyed giving Case more POV scenes. She has more than Will in this second book. I wanted to show her strengths and internal struggles more than I could in the first book, to set up the role sheâll play in the conclusion. Iâd have to say she was the easiest character for me to write, to be inside her head.
Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)
Coffee. In a favorite mug. A mug that I just had to replace after using the same one for a couple of decades. A lot of words written with that one. My new mug and I are slowly getting to know each other. Hey, donât judge. Itâs an important relationship for a writer.
Music. I listen to music, via headphones, when I write. Despite my love of rock, I listen to orchestral pieces that are more cerebral than emotional. Bach and Corelli, but Vivaldi is my go-to. I think I have over 17 hours of Vivaldi on my player.
Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?
Chase your dreams. Never give up, never surrender (although that one may be taken).
If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?
The characters. Iâm a character-driven writer. I canât start a story unless I know my characters. Characters drive plot. I always try to start with an interesting character with a problem. Plot twists and turns come from choices my characters make as they struggle to solve their problem. To make those choices believable to the reader, I need to understand my characters so well that their choices are true to each of them. âLove the characters!â is a common comment in reviews of these books, and I think readers will come to love Will, Case, and Fader, and the bonds that form between them.
