"I created my novel’s main character in an English Writing class I took in my last year of high school. I was very into D&D and other role-playing games, including classic early computer role-playing. These interests all influenced Kat’s creation.
After coming up with Kat, I began to use her as my playable character in those games, as an elven assassin who was always cool under pressure and confident in her skills and abilities. Katya’s long red hair and leather armour stuck with me through university and law school.
As both my taste in games and gaming technology advanced, I began adapting her to a new generation of computer titles like Fallout and the Elder Scrolls series.
In 2017, I entered the annual Three-day Novel Contest held every Labour Day weekend. It's basically a marathon for writers, and I fleshed out the first long version of Kat’s story.
Through 2020 and 2021 with downtime during the pandemic, I began building out Kat’s life and the world she inhabited. I let my imagination run wild.
After finishing the novel’s first draft in February 2022, I started sending out inquiries and within a few months I forged a relationship with Pride Publishing in June.
The incredible team of readers, editors, and illustrators at Pride helped create the final version of this novel, and I could not be more thankful. I'm thrilled to announce it's coming out on February 28!"
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