Welcome to Inside the Mind where we here at The Faerie Review interview authors and creators.
Our guest today is J. Todd Kingrea, the author behind The Witchfinder

Lily:  Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview Todd I enjoyed reading The Witchfinder. Usually when people think of witches vs the church, they think of the Middle Ages, what inspired you to go with a post-apocalyptic world instead?

Todd:  I’ve always been a fan of post-apocalyptic stories, and knew I wanted to tell that kind of story. I elected to use an unidentified time in the future, long after an extinction-level event had reshaped the geography of the United States and the world—and in which humanity had rebuilt itself to a medieval level of social and technological achievement. The question that got it all started was ‘What if the Inquisition of the Middle Ages had become the dominant worldview?’ I wanted to explore what might happen to someone born and raised in that kind of world, who suddenly had his entire existence upended—whose beliefs and identity were challenged to the core.

Lily:  I thought you did a great job! Was Thorne inspired by anyone?

Todd:  No one in particular. He was influenced by Matthew Hopkins, the real-life, self-proclaimed “Witchfinder General” who carried out a reign of witch-hunting terror in 17th century England.

Lily:  That’s awesome. If you were in this world, do you think you’d be on the side of the church or the witches, and why?

Todd:  I’d probably work for the Church of the Deiparous in some capacity. Maybe as a “Storico”—the term I came up with and use in the book to refer to the Church’s historians. The Church is separated into four Orders, each responsible for different parts of peoples’ lives. One Order handles the equivalent of law enforcement and judicial affairs; another oversees education. A third takes care of all the worship and liturgy for the Church. And the biggest Order (in terms of the number of people it employs) is responsible for all the things we associate with civic government: a treasury for minting currency, taxation, record-keeping, permits, deeds, and so on. If I was in the story and didn’t end up being a Storico, I’d probably find myself as part of the Kyrian Order—that’s the one responsible for all the faith-related aspects of the realm (liturgy, hymns, worship, etc.).

Lily:  It would definitely be an interesting job. What do you hope readers take away from this book?

Todd:   It’s my hope that readers will be challenged to consider their own personal freedoms in the face of hierarchical bureaucracies and institutions. What does it mean to be “free”? What freedoms are we (as individuals, communities, states, provinces, or nations) willing to surrender, and for what reasons? I also hope readers realize that contrary to some religious teaching, it’s okay to ask questions of one’s faith. Doubts don’t have to be seen as bad or taboo. It’s in the search for answers to our doubts that faith can grow stronger.

Lily:  It’s definitely what I took away from the book. Now we’d like to talk about you as a writer. Do you have a favorite thing to eat and/or drink when writing?

Todd:  Nothing in particular. If I’m writing in the morning it’d probably be coffee.

Lily:  Coffee definitely helps me focus. Can you describe your ideal writing space?

Todd: I don’t really have one designated space. When the weather’s nice I like to sit on my front porch. Sometimes I write in my recliner in the library. If I’m visiting my parents it might be on the swing in their backyard or their back deck. But as I said earlier, anywhere with a nice beach view would be terrific!

Lily:  A beach view would be beautiful! Do you prefer to handwrite, dictate, or type your first draft? What would be your least favorite way to create it?

Todd:    I type everything! I tend to write slow and the more I write, the worse my handwriting gets! My hand also starts to cramp after writing longform. I type much faster than I can write so that’s easier for me.

Lily:  Totally understandable! I know my own handwriting gets hard to read pretty quickly. Let’s finish up with some fun questions and get inside your mind. If you could step into any book, which one would you step into, and what would you do?

Todd:  Wow, there’s so many…  The Hobbit has always been a favorite of mine, so I’d definitely choose that for one. It would be so much fun to journey with Bilbo and the dwarves!

Lily:  That would be an amazing adventure! Would you rather always be 10 minutes late or 20 minutes early?

Todd:  Twenty minutes early. Punctuality is still important.

Lily:  I’m the same, I hate being late. What’s the most fun experience you’ve had so far?

Todd:  I would have to say I’ve had the most fun traveling. I enjoy it a lot and as the saying goes, ‘If travel was free you’d never see me again.’ I’ve been fortunate to visit Ghana in West Africa, Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, Manila in the Phillipines, and Prague in the Czech Republic. I’ve been to a number of U.S. states and love seeing new things.

Lily:  It sounds like you’ve had a lot of fun experiences. What’s your ideal breakfast?

Todd:  I actually don’t eat much breakfast. I usually have a cup of coffee and maybe a microwaved Hot Pocket or doughnut or something like that. I’ve never been one to be up early and tuck in to a large breakfast.

Lily:  I’ve always been a light eater in the morning too. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live and what kind of house would you have?

Todd:  I’d live in a nice two-story beach house! I can sit and watch the ocean for hours. It’d be great to have a big front porch so I could sit out there and write. Somewhere like San Diego, California, would be great (if I could afford it!). I could also manage pretty well in one of those colorful old villas in Italy along the Amalfi Coast.

Lily:  I don’t think I’d ever want to be inside if I could see the ocean from my front porch. Is there anything else you would like to add that I haven’t included?

Todd:  Yes. Readers, please leave online reviews for what you read! Each review is important and as authors, we do appreciate them. I read each review that gets posted. I think that when readers take the time to share their thoughts and feelings, I need to honor that. It’s always great to read reviews that are positive, upbeat, and shows how much the person enjoyed the book. It’s a rush to know that others have resonated with a character that you brought to life on paper. Now obviously the positive reviews make your day! But there’s always going to be some negative ones as well. Anytime you create something and put it out for public consumption there’ll be people who don’t enjoy it. It’s the risk every artist takes. If a review is “I hated this book” without any explanation of why, it isn’t really helpful. But negative reviews that explain why this character didn’t resonate, or why that scene didn’t come together, or why the plot fell flat can be beneficial. And writers need to remember that not everyone is your audience. If someone doesn’t like a book for whatever reason, they’re probably not your intended audience. And that’s okay. Everyone has different tastes, expectations, and beliefs.

Lily:  I’m so glad you could stop in today. How can readers discover more about you and your work?

Todd:  They can check out my web page, as well as my author’s pages on Amazon and Goodreads. I’m also on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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The Witchfinder
(The Deiparian Saga Book 1)
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Google Play Books | Apple Books
BHC Press | Goodreads | Lily’s Review

The Crimson Fathers
(The Deiparian Saga Book 2)
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Google Play Books | Apple Books
BHC Press | Goodreads | Lily’s Review