The Vision Prelude follows a young warrior who sets out to gain a different life than the one of war and strife he was raised in. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

This story was inspired by my obsession with the Vinland Saga. In that story, Thorfinn strives to find what his father called “Vinland”, a mystical and untouched land where there is no slavery or war. On top of that, he wants to get to these lands without using coercion, war, or duplicity. In much the same way, this is Sir Longavian’s mission when arriving on the shores of Sebel. Jingseh, the continent in the east, has been plagued with war since before he was born. It is the time of peace that the noble knight tries his best to go further out into the world than his father ever did. Pinus is also not a conqueror by any means. Even though he has his darker moments, at his core he strives to never trample upon the weak.

Pinus wants more than the world he grew up in and sets out to sea in hopes of finding a better life. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?

For me this felt personal. It’s the simple idea of expanding your worldview and experiences beyond what your parents did. I think many parents would agree the whole goal of their guidance is to ultimately give their children a better life and even greater opportunities than they had for themselves. Pinus was given that gift at a terrible price, and now he is trying to fulfill that dream one step at a time. The problems arise when he runs into obstacles like lack of funds, the wrath of mother nature, and of course the very people of Sebel themselves. 

What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?

For one thing, I really wanted to explore Jingseh, the land of the Forest People. Their culture is an odd blend of nature-oriented mindfulness while at the same time focusing on European-style medieval caste systems. Pinus finds himself at the top of that system, and must accept both its gifts and its curses. At the same time, I also wanted to explore the horror of wars and close mindedness. As the Asum of Allusea said quite poignantly, when the elite of Jingseh weren’t fighting the Ankar people, they were fighting amongst themselves. Part of her reason to accept Pinus was an effort to not follow the isolationist mentality of her forebears. 

Where does the next book in the series take the characters?

The next book, The Demon Seed, will be quite a ride for readers. A hundred cycles later, Pinus has not only established a thriving trade-based relationship with Sebel, but he’s also come to rear a family of his own. Despite the joy, there is smoke on the horizon. Old hates never die, and worse still, certain individuals from within and outside threaten to tear apart the amity between the world’s nations. Greed and war rear their ugly heads and Pinus must do everything in his power to stop it. The story will be available first on Kindle Vella before being released as a paperback and ebook in December of this year. Readers should prepare for a wild ride with any new characters, breathtaking new worlds, and exhilarating action! 

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Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/03/04/this-felt-personal/