Counterblow Clemency follows a rebellious sixteen-year-old boy who, with his friends, faces the consequences of his actions and is drawn into a conflict far beyond their control. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

I had a wild dream one night about being on a freeway covered in blinding digital advertisements. Then the dream shifted to the aftermath of a giant house party. I wandered through this mansion with tons of empty alcohol bottles and dirty wine glasses scattered about until I found a small office with a woman inside, crying at her desk. I won’t say anymore because I don’t want to give anything away, but it was November, so I decided to explore this world full of advertising pollution during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and it grew from there.

What were some of the emotional and moral guidelines you followed when developing your characters?

My characters in Counterblow Clemency are universally on an amoral spectrum. I think it’s more productive to appeal to whatever drives a person, rather than making them feel that they need to measure up to a societal standard. Bjorn and the lads are only guided by loyalty to each other. They do things their own way, which explains why they’re constantly being chased by the authorities. This is a story about finding purpose and something to believe in. Their world is full of people who have given up hope and these kids are careening around trying to find something to do with all of their energy—the energy that humans typically expend striving to leave a legacy. No one ever taught them that they could make a difference. These ideas are important to me because kids need to internalize that they never need to be perfect—they just need to persevere.

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

Counterblow Clemency explores the themes of dignity, entitlement versus social responsibility, teamwork, and the kinship of chosen family. The main character, Bjorn, is 16 and doesn’t understand why his parents feel increasingly foreign to him as he moves through adolescence—he just knows that he’s angry about it. But he can count on his friends. The important thing is that this kid isn’t alone when his whole world crumbles. Part of his journey is learning that he’s worth saving. And as he grows, he faces the fact that he’s in a position to help people—if he can stay alive. Finding self-worth, accepting help, and helping others are important milestones for young people that I wanted to honor.

I find a problem in well-written stories in that I always want there to be another book to keep the story going. Is there a second book planned?

I hope so! I deliberately ended Counterblow Clemency with enough going on that there could be a sequel or even a series. I have ideas about what adventures the lads will have next, just in case.

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Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2024/08/09/finding-self-worth/