I like to work with constraints. I find they encourage rather than discourage creativity. This novel was for my kids and I asked them what they wanted to see. Gnomes. Magic. And they are the protagonists. I could work with that. At the same time, I didn’t want to write a fantasy novel. My daughters are nine year old identical twins.

I think all authors have novels that never really go anywhere. I wrote this on spec as an educational novel designed to get students thinking about whether they control technology or technology controls them. It’s an Oliver Twist + Zombies + Steampunk novel with a touch of Fahrenheit 451 (seriously). but it’s short, running about 24,000 words yet written to a teen audience.