Ask the Author: Zachary Steele
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Zachary Steele
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Zachary Steele
I’m currently working on "A Witch Out of Place," a contemporary urban fantasy about Zachary Greenmeadow, a young witch trying to balance his magical heritage with his dreams of becoming a famous influencer. As he navigates the human world, he must keep his powers hidden while discovering love, ambition, and the challenges of both worlds colliding.
Zachary Steele
The old music box in the attic had been silent for decades until the night it began to play a haunting melody on its own. As I crept up the stairs to investigate, my blood ran cold when I saw tiny, dusty footprints leading away from the box – and they were still forming with each tinkling note.
Zachary Steele
This answer contains spoilers…
(view spoiler)[The inspiration for "Between the Lines" came from my vivid dreams. Often, I'd find myself in these incredibly realistic dreamscapes, surrounded by friends and family, but the world around us wasn't quite right. Sometimes the differences were subtle – a familiar street with an unfamiliar house, or a conversation that felt off-kilter. Other times, the changes were dramatic – entire cityscapes transformed, or impossible technologies seamlessly integrated into everyday life.
What fascinated me most was how these alternate realities felt so real, so lived-in. I'd wake up with a lingering sense that I'd actually visited another world, and I couldn't shake the idea that maybe, just maybe, these weren't merely dreams but glimpses into parallel universes.
This fascination led me to create Ethan and his ability of "Realmwalking." I wanted to explore what it would be like for someone to consciously navigate these different realities, to harness that disorientating yet exhilarating feeling I experienced in my dreams.
As I developed the story, I realized I could use this concept to delve into themes of identity, belonging, and the impact of our choices. After all, seeing how things could be different really makes you think about why things are the way they are in our reality.
Setting the story in a small town like Havenwood allowed me to ground these fantastical elements in a relatable environment. It also gave me the opportunity to explore how such extraordinary abilities might affect not just an individual, but an entire community.
Ultimately, "Between the Lines" is my attempt to capture that sense of wonder and possibility that my dreams inspired, and to share it with readers in a way that hopefully resonates with their own experiences of imagining 'what if?' (hide spoiler)]
What fascinated me most was how these alternate realities felt so real, so lived-in. I'd wake up with a lingering sense that I'd actually visited another world, and I couldn't shake the idea that maybe, just maybe, these weren't merely dreams but glimpses into parallel universes.
This fascination led me to create Ethan and his ability of "Realmwalking." I wanted to explore what it would be like for someone to consciously navigate these different realities, to harness that disorientating yet exhilarating feeling I experienced in my dreams.
As I developed the story, I realized I could use this concept to delve into themes of identity, belonging, and the impact of our choices. After all, seeing how things could be different really makes you think about why things are the way they are in our reality.
Setting the story in a small town like Havenwood allowed me to ground these fantastical elements in a relatable environment. It also gave me the opportunity to explore how such extraordinary abilities might affect not just an individual, but an entire community.
Ultimately, "Between the Lines" is my attempt to capture that sense of wonder and possibility that my dreams inspired, and to share it with readers in a way that hopefully resonates with their own experiences of imagining 'what if?' (hide spoiler)]
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