1. Let’s start at the beginning. Who is Elijah Stepanovich in your own words?

That’s the one question that always gets me. Who am I? My titles are husband,
father, son, brother, teacher, coach, and author. But the man? I am quietly
intense. I revel in the mysteries of the past and how it shapes who we are
today. I am someone who wants to know the “why” in everything. To sum up
who Elijah is, he is someone who loves deeply, empathizes with all situations,
and is curious about all things, not just the histories of the world.

2. You are a historian and author. How does your research into myth, faith,
and identity shape your storytelling?

My research shapes everything about my storytelling. In a lot of mediums,
mythology and history are told with extreme liberties. Now, that’s not to say I
haven’t taken a few with my stories, however, I do my absolute best to know
the aspects of the myths, faiths, and cultures I am writing into my world.

3. Your work often draws on European history and Slavic culture. What draws
you to these regions and traditions?

In 1909, my great-grandmother was a Serb who lived in Croatia and was
brought to the USA by her mother. I am Serbian/Croatian and have researched
everything from the migration from the Eurasian Steppes into the Balkans, to
the Varangian Guard and the Byzantines, and the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s.
Slavic culture is one that has not been shown in the way Germanic/Norse
culture has through tv, movies, video games, books, etc. I wanted to have my
culture represented in those mediums in a way that people would start
researching the way they have with Norse and Greek culture.

4. Your novel The Heir of Ash and Thunder is already released. What inspired
the story and its central conflict?

The inspiration comes from my life (aka my traumas!). In the first chapter, Ilija
sees his father die of a heart attack. At seventeen, I witnessed the same.
Although not a coming-of-age story, the inspiration is denial of our own
selves, not knowing who we truly are until we are able to process our
emotions and understand them on a deeper level. The central conflict is
inspired by feelings, emotions, and people that I have known in my life.

5. How do you weave pre-Christian gods and ancestral memory into modern
settings?

By understand the pre-Christian belief and that it is still alive today. Although not
mainstream, paganism is alive and well and growing in our modern world. The
Gods are represented all around us and the ancient world saw them as part of
their lives, not titles. They were not “Gods of war” or “Gods of thunder”, they
were who you prayed to when you needed help. The titles come along in the 18 th -19 th century. Ancestral memory affects all of us, even when we want to ignore it.
Generational traumas exist scientifically. When we take a different approach to
viewing the old gods and our own ancestors as something more than just the
past, it is easy to cast them into a modern setting.

6. Which character in The Heir of Ash and Thunder surprised you the most
while writing?

Danica. I’ll have to leave the reasons why up to the reader.

7. How do faith and power intersect in your story, and why is that important to
you?

Faith makes a power grab easier. Across history, marginalized groups, people
who are different, have been made a scapegoat for the rise of tyranny. In the
Balkans specifically, there is a huge issue with nationalism currently. Croats,
Serbs, and Bosnians see themselves as distinct ethnic groups that have no
relation to each other. Yet, from a genetic standpoint, they are the same.
However, religiously and culturally they are completely different, and their
leaders have used that against the others for well over a century. I show how
the rise of faith can lead to tyrannical government, especially when that
government is led by an ancient god.

8. Your novels explore love that endures across generations. How do you
make this resonate with readers?

When you meet someone and you feel that you have known them before, that
you have experienced them, their personality, that feeling when you look at
your significant other and realize that they are the most beautiful, importantthing in your life, that is the love we all want to have. Love across lifetimes,
choosing them no matter the cost, is a feeling that cannot be put into words.
That resonates with everyone.

9. Is there a scene or moment in The Heir of Ash and Thunder that was
particularly fun or challenging to write?

I had the most fun writing the banter between the two MCs.

10. How do you balance historical accuracy with fantastical elements in your
books?

Very carefully. The historical accuracy is something I have researched for well
over a decade now. The scars of our world are still present and referenced in the
book. The way the story uses real emotional situations that any of us could find
ourselves in with the fantasy elements as a response to those, connects dots. For
me, keeping the fantasy elements grounded in our history was vital.

⚡ Rapid Fire (Quick Vibes)
11. History or mythology if you had to pick one for your next story?
History will be my next venture after this series.
12. Writing early morning, late night, or whenever inspiration hits?
Whenever I can.
13. Music, silence, or ambient noise while writing?
Music sets the scenes.
14. Pantser, plotter, or somewhere in between?
Yes.
15. One word you hope readers use to describe your books.
Emotional.
⚡ The Author Journey
16. What moment made you think, “I am really doing this author thing”?
When I published The Heir of Ash and Thunder, I cried.
17. What has surprised you most about publishing The Heir of Ash and Thunder?
The amount of support I have received from meeting other authors and creators
through social media.

18. What advice would you give to writers exploring historical and mythological
research in their fiction?

Check your sources and try not to reinvent the wheel.

19. How do you make your characters and their struggles feel real while exploring
epic historical and mythic themes?

The emotion and trauma they experience is something we have all went through
or know someone who has. That emotional connection is so important to
connecting mythic fantasy with reality.

20. Which character in The Heir of Ash and Thunder do you hope readers connect
with most and why?

I hope they connect to all the characters in their own ways. I can’t pick just one.

⚡ Just for Fun
21. If one of your characters could step out of the book, who would it be and what
would they do first?

Ilija, he would analyze everything.

22. Which historical or mythological element was the most fun to write?

A certain person from Slavic Folklore who has an amazing moment, violent, but
amazing, nonetheless.

23. If The Heir of Ash and Thunder were adapted, would you prefer a movie or a
series?

I would love to see it as a series. I don’t think a movie would do the story justice.

24. What is one fun or unexpected fact about you that readers might not guess?

I am super tall, I mean a whole 5’4”.

25. When readers finish The Heir of Ash and Thunder, what feeling or takeaway
do you hope stays with them the longest?

I hope that they fall in love with the characters and the story. I want them to be
able to connect with the characters and feel what they feel.