Why’s The Arcane Prophecy in an alternate world?

Another alternate world? Hey, it gives me the freedom to make up my own rules, and I’m never chained to latitude and longitude. 

No, these worlds aren’t something outta medieval epic fantasy, so don’t think I’m trying to recreate Middle-earth. No matter which series I’ve written, every world’s in the 21st century, and some that tech may even be further ahead of us.

For example:

• The Renegades Epic — My flagship shared universe spanning six interconnected fantasy and sci-fi series, each with its own cultures but the same magic system and tech unify it.

• Catenarian Chronicles — A dark, slow-burn fantasy series set in the world of Catenary, following Kaija Jokiharju’s journey from ordinary orphan to mythical Mage, with political intrigue, assassins, and hidden societies.

• Beyond the Lost — A dystopian survival trilogy about Quinn Cozens and Yui Kikuchi fighting to survive a coordinated attack on America.

But in Arcane Elemental Academy, I’m rolling with a carbon copy of our world. Think technology of 2026, when Book I, The Arcane Prophecy, goes live, and it’ll tell you all you need to expect outta the World of Xadis.

Cool name, yeah? And beyond the freedom to get more creative if I choose to, it’s also easier to fit the work in some subgenres like magical realism and claim that the magical system’s only part of that world.

Alternate world for all of my fiction, then?

Not quite. One series, Terrian Chronicles – think of it as the closest thing to Arcane Elemental Academy since it carries some Harry Potter vibes – resides in our own world.

The difference? Elementals in that series have access to 22nd-century tech while we normies are still struggling with touchscreen phones.

So, instead of an alternate world, it’s an alternate form of our world.

I also have a slew of fiction outlines to work with beyond Arcane and Renegades Epic, most of which are fantasy political thrillers/suspense, that’ll take place in worlds I’ve yet to name.

So, most of my fiction takes you to places that probably exist somewhere in the material universe. And who knows? Maybe the people there can perform breathtaking elemental magic?

Based on real towns, imaginary rules

I base every setting on real-life places here in our own world, with villages like Wintersville, Ohio, taking center stage. But since my work flies outside of the real world, I don’t need to go on Google Earth and make sure I got every street name and location right.

My mind can go to work and create something new instead of mentioning what’s actually there. Not to say that some authors don’t drive this home.

On my coffee table, I got a Catholic fiction dystopian novel (yes, this pagan reads Catholic fiction every now and again) an old friend of mine wrote. And guess what? He sets some of the book in good old Wintersville, plus Bloomingdale, Ohio, of all places.

I’ll tell you what: he did a damn good job with the place that he, for his book, renamed Summersville. Still, the Burger King, Main Street, the works, he nailed. He even mentioned the guy who rides his bike all around town. Authentic as hell.

But for me, that’s a little too much research. I learned my lesson writing the first draft of my dystopian survival trilogy, Beyond the Lost, when I’d gotten to Book III’s climax and got way too anal about the real-life location it’s in.

Xadis: My Earth-but-not-Earth setting

Really, the World of Xadis, and some of its locations aren’t anything you need to know for Arcane Elemental Academy to tick. Hell, you could read the entire book and think that Xadis and the nation my book’s set in, Etharia, are nothing special, and you’d be right.

Elemental magic exists in Xadis and that’s about the only difference between it and our home. As for Etharia, it’s a carbon copy of the U.S. But in a young adult fantasy, it’s not the most relevant thing in the world.

If you want a taste of Xadis before Book I drops, you can grab the free prequel novella, Arcane Awakenings.