(This Q&A was cross-posted on Goodreads.com.)

Just wanted to respond to a few questions that potential readers have asked about my new book, The Prisoner of the Castle of Enlightenment, which was released Feb. 4, 2020 – and I’ll keep questions open for a while on the book’s Goodreads page in case anyone else has others!

Q. Is this a Beauty and the Beast retelling?

A. I intended the book to weave together a number of folklore and mythology elements to form its own original story. My jumping...