So, we have looked at what dark fantasy is and what types of folklore I use in my writing.

Another question that frequently comes up in interviews, online chats and talking to readers via email and at book signings: What do you write about?

They already know how the content is dealt with (dark fantasy) and they already know where the content comes from (folklore). But what is it I write about?

The short answer is the title of this post – which leaves people even more confused than before. So let’s examine it.

Magic

Yes, there is the usual wave-of-a-hand-and-things-change kind of magic. And all the consequences of doing things the easy way.

But there is also the magic of friendship, family, kindness and love. Magic that enriches your life without anyone keeping score.

Faeries

Who hadn’t dreamt of being something other than what you are? Using my Fae Realm, I add texture and obstacles to the world of my seemingly normal protagonist. Through fae characters, I can show that not every pretty face is a force for good (Leannan Sìth) and not every monster is out to eat you (Grogoch).

Wonder

Isn’t it wonderful how winter turns to spring? Or how green shoots of grass emerge after a veldfire? Looking at and appreciating the wonder of nature – and how to protect it – is something else you will find in my stories.

I also look at the wonder of growing up and becoming the person you were meant to be.

What ties to this is usually: Who do you write for?

This is an age-range thing, isn’t it? Though I would classify my stories under Young Adult and New Adult, I do believe that they are for all young-at-heart, no matter what your driver’s license says your age is.

I write New Adult and Young Adult fiction, which can be further explained as:

College Young Adult, aka New Adult, has characters aged 18-24.

New Adult is all about figuring out who you are, who you want to be and what you have to do to get there. Some would say it’s all about the journey of becoming an adult: the trials, decisions, and reactions to things in life that has far-reaching consequences. Taking all of that into consideration while writing a story means deciding how you want to depict the world and what message you want to share about growing up.

Upper Young Adult has characters aged 16-18.

Deals with situations and issues that the age group grapple and can identify with. Themes include: forbidden love, disintegration of families, cyberbullying, abuse, post-apocalyptic survival, death, making own decisions, etc. Though the innocence of youth should be protected, there aren’t many subjects that need to be steered clear of.

Lower Young Adult has characters aged 13-16.

Deals with situations and issues that the age group grapple and can identify with. Themes include: forbidden love, disintegration of families, cyberbullying, abuse, post-apocalyptic survival, death, making own decisions, etc. The innocence of youth needs to be protected even though these subjects should be dealt with: no graphic explanations, no need to explain the scene visually – rather use the character’s inner monologue, and some things can be left to the imagination.

I also like to make my writing inclusive. Which means that I have diverse characters.

Diversity

Where everyone can see themselves in the pages of a book, no matter their race, religion or gender identity.

Besides all that, I like to write about what people are uncomfortable to talk about. People like to think that horrors don’t lurk in polite society… My approach, though, is “something bad happened, now let’s deal with it” instead of going into detail about the awful things. We get enough of that in our newsfeeds.

What do you think about what I write about? Do you write about similar things? Have you learned
something today about what I write about? Did it interest you to read my books?