Creating the rarkyn: the story behind THE RARKYN'S FAMILIAR

When I started writing The Rarkyn’s Familiar, I knew I wanted to write a world with its own monsters, fantastic beings and fantasy races. Not the traditional elves, dwarfs, drow and the like—I didn’t want to copy or borrow—I wanted something fresh that was my own. Afterall, Tolkien created hobbits, why couldn’t I do something similar?

I’ve always loved the talking animal and animal companion tropes in fantasy. They are what made me fall in love with Narnia as a child and why I read and re-read...