I see so many talented writers who have difficulties with that. And if you don't believe it's important, you won't put in the work you need to.

If you believe you have a voice and something to say, chances are you do, and the world needs you to do whatever you're drawn to do. So you should do it.

So much work went into this book [ "The Thorn & The Blossom"] - you can probably tell from looking at the art and overall design.

It's very difficult to put in the work unless you believe that what you're doing is significant in some way.

When we tell stories about things that are important - love, fear, beauty - we change the way people think about the world. Writers are, or should be, truth-tellers even when the stories themselves are fantasy.

Now that The Thorn and the Blossom has come out and I'm done with my doctoral degree (yes, I'm finally Dr. Goss), I'm turning to longer projects.

It's appropriate to have magic in a love story, because magic is a sort of metaphor for what love feels like? When we fall in love, the world feels magical to us. It becomes an enchanted place.