The Path From Regret
by J.G. Gardner

Thorne is a Paragon, a mage with the rare ability to wield his mana as a weapon. Despite knowing powerful magic, he lives a life of despair, continually fighting a losing battle against his inner demons and the specters of the people whose lives he could not save. Finally reaching his breaking point, Thorne decides to seek out an old lover, Celeste, who has the power to erase memories.

After a disastrous attempt to find Celeste destroys part of the mages’ guild, Thorne tries to make amends by volunteering to find an influential mage that has disappeared. During his investigation Thorne discovers that the missing mage was the victim of a conspiracy led by Reihana, a former Paragon and bitter rival.

Recruiting unlikely allies including a disgraced cavalier, a farmer turned mercenary, and a corsair captain who lost his ship, Thorne chases after Reihana in an attempt to stop her plans for sowing the seeds of rebellion and war across the continent. Along the way Thorne will need to continue his search for Celeste, and perhaps more importantly, decide if wiping his mind clean of past mistakes is really his only option.

5 out of 5 fairies

This isn’t your typical fantasy story – I can’t quite put my finger on what, but it just has a different feel to it. I really enjoyed Thorne and the strange crew he travels with, and the characters he meets along the way. The world and magical system are quite well-built, and I really enjoyed getting to explore everything and learn more about the history and the denizens that populated it. Gardner did an excellent job of bringing the story to life, and it was easy to get lost in the pages. I truly hope future books give us a chance to learn more about some of the other characters, I’d love to know more about their stories.

Lily: Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview J.G. I enjoyed reading The Path From Regret. What inspired you to write this?

J.G.: I would say the inspiration came from writing the book I wanted to read. I’ve been a fan of science fiction and fantasy stories for as long as I can remember, but I’d always find a part of a book I didn’t like. There would be a conversation where I thought of something more interesting to say or during an action scene where I thought of something more exciting. I had tried to write short stories when I was younger (without success), but now many years later decided to try again, but this time with a novel. I found my old notebook and using some of the ideas there as a foundation, started chipping away on nights and  weekends until I had the first draft of my debut novel.

Lily: You did an excellent job with your debut! Would you join Thorne on his redemption quest?

J.G.: Maybe, but I’d probably be much happier as a scholar at the Archive, which is the research institute where magic and alchemy gets developed. Being a wizard is pretty miserable in the  world I’ve created, but  the Archive is also where scholars from across the continent come to research history, philosophy, etc., and that’s where I’d want to be. I like the idea of hanging out with stacks of books and occasionally seeing some magic or alchemy (but at a safe distance).

Lily: Totally understandable. Out of Thorne and his companions, do you have a favorite character?

J.G.: At the moment I would say Metauk (a character you meet about a third of the way through the story). I know where her story is going, so I know her future. However, her past is a bit murkier, so I’m having fun thinking up backstory ideas for her that explain some of her character traits, mannerisms, etc. This is something that I’ve learned about myself as I’ve grown older, that more often than not I find the side characters much more interesting than the protagonists. I think this is because the main characters are fully realized and a lot of attention and time is spent on developing them and their journey. The secondary characters are often there to support the journey, but they also have a past, desires, secrets, etc. that are left for the reader to come up with on their own. I think having something hinted at, an interesting facet of their personality or talent, makes them intriguing, but it gets ruined if too much is explained. I like having that little bit of mystery to a character.

Lily: She was definitely interesting, and I’d love to hear her story in another book. Are there any more books planned?

J.G.: Yes! In The Path From Regret there is a very brief scene where one of the secondary characters talks about his life before becoming a mercenary and the sad story about the kidnapping of his wife by a powerful wizard. My next book is a full account of what happened. You’ll see a few familiar faces and locations, but also some new additions to the cast. I wouldn’t call it a prequel because it is a stand-alone novel, but there is some continuity for a few of the characters. For me, this is just trying to have an internally consistent world, and not an attempt at writing a series.

Lily: I can’t wait to read it! Now let’s talk about you as a writer. What’s harder, writing the first draft or editing it?

J.G.: For me it’s writing the first draft. That’s where all the hard work gets done. I plan and outline quite a bit before I write, so I knew exactly how the novel would end. I have a complete synopsis for the novel before I write the first chapter. I find this keeps the focus tight on the most important aspects of the story and then I don’t need to rewrite big chunks because I went off on some tangent. That being said, while I might know a specific plot point, what actually happens scene-to-scene is created with much more spontaneity. I often know that the characters have to get from A to B, and that they’re going by ship, but what happens along the way that makes it an interesting scene to read is where I get to be more free-form and creative.

Lily: That sounds like a great way to approach the writing process. How do you keep track of inspiration when it strikes?

J.G.: It’s rather simplistic, but just a Microsoft Word document these days. I used to have a leather-bound writing journal when I was younger and I’d scratch notes and ideas using an old fashioned fountain pen, but that’s become a bit cumbersome.

Lily: If it works, that’s all that matters, I think. Can you describe your ideal writing space?

J.G.: I write on a laptop, so the space isn’t as important to me as what I’m listening to while I write. I always write to music because I find it gives me the energy to keep pecking away at my keyboard. I know that some people write to music that has a similar emotional feel to the scene they are writing, but that’s not the case for me. I usually write to one of two types of music regardless of what I’m writing. It’s either relaxing music, such as lo-fi hip-hop or ambient space sounds, or high-energy music, such as trance or djent. In either case, the music is without words, completely instrumental, because I find vocals in music distracting when I write.

Lily: That’s an awesome mix and contrast in music styles. Let’s finish up with some fun questions and get inside your mind. Would you rather know the history of every object you touched, or be able to talk to animals?

J.G.: I’d prefer to talk to animals. I think a conversation with a dolphin would be fascinating.

Lily: It’d definitely be interesting to hear what they have to say. How many chickens would it take to kill an elephant?

J.G.: Just one, if the chicken is really motivated.

Lily: That would be an interesting fight to see. Is there anything else you would like to add that I haven’t included?

J.G.: Maybe I’ll try here to describe the book’s ideal reader. I would say fans of high fantasy novels where magic is used liberally would like this story. Also, fans of RA Salvatore, Margaret Weis, or Raymond Feist might also enjoy this book. This novel’s protagonists are adults, and in Thorne’s case older adults, so it might appeal to older readers, especially since the novel explores themes of time, memory, and reflecting on past life choices.

Lily: Maybe that’s why it appealed so much to me – I don’t really fall into the young adult category anymore. How can readers discover more about you and your work?

J.G.: For updates and other information about my writing, you can go to: jgardnerauthor.com. For a number of professional and personal reasons, I’m not on any social media, so my author website is the best way to learn more about The Path From Regret and my current writing projects.

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J.G. Gardner has a Ph.D. in Microbiology and is currently a researcher working on new ways to generate renewable energy using bacteria. While having published many technical papers on genetics and biochemistry, he has always wanted to write a novel about magic, wizards, and dragons. After the birth of his children, he was inspired to fulfill that dream and used spare moments on nights and weekends to write his debut high fantasy novel, The Path From Regret, published by Loyola University of Maryland’s Apprentice House Press.

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