What is dark fantasy?

Dark fantasy is one of the labels that authors use to categorize their writing — essentially, to help it sell better. I would describe dark fantasy as a blend of the unexpected, the unusual, and the supernatural. It creeps you out, but it doesn’t leave you horrified.

Where do you find inspiration?

I’m fascinated by how people interact with each other: our different opinions, perspectives, and reactions. I love asking What if? when writing my stories to throw off the reader. Another one of my inspirations is music. Being a record producer has helped me to “hear” music in a new way, and this heightened sense connects to my writing. Whether it’s experiencing live theater or listening to a movie soundtrack, music informs my writing.

We were intrigued by the idea of The Mirror’s Revenge, the musical sequel to Snow White that you wrote. What was your creative process behind it?

It took ten years for me to bring it to fruition! It started when I revisited Snow White. I knew there had to be more to the story. The king’s stepdaughter was to be married off to the neighboring prince. The queen, or mother-in-law, should have welcomed this change — a hardworking and fair daughter joining the two kingdoms together. But instead, she tries to kill the stepdaughter. This doesn’t make any sense. After putting more thought into it, I realized the mirror had to be manipulating the queen and twisting her perception of the stepdaughter. And that was really when The Mirror’s Revenge was born.

During the process, one thing led to another, and one year before the production went on stage I lost my theater, costumer, and director. But I found an actress who was perfect for the role, and I realized that I would never get another chance to do this. I ended up producing and directing The Mirror’s Revenge on my own, which was an insane amount of work. I wouldn’t recommend the experience to anyone, but I’m glad I had the chance to bring it to life.

Some writers prefer to begin and end one project at a time. Why do you prefer to work on multiple projects simultaneously?

I have lots of ideas, and working on multiple projects allows me to channel that. I also tend to write in waves, so I’ll write something, leave it alone, and come back to it later. At that point, I’ll ask myself if this is on fire or if it should be scratched. If it’s an idea I like, I’ll ask What else? and What if? and Where can I go with this? By the time I get to 10 pages, I want to be at the point where I can give a quick, 3-sentence synopsis of my book to the reader. If I can’t describe what’s happening in the book, it’s time for me to go back and see what I can change.

What advice would you give to an aspiring writer in high school?

Figure out why a story excites you. Often, it’s in the blurb, a short description of the story you find on the inside or back cover. What is key to understand is that blurbs don’t tell what happens in the story — they tell you why this story is better than all the others. When you write a story, make sure you can condense it into a compelling blurb. Make your story unique.