~She Said…
When I was first introduced to the world of Kinthur, I had no idea how deeply it would pull me in. It started off as us playing D&D with other players, and soon it morphed into late-night conversations about “what ifs” and “what happens next,” then slowly turned into him sharing maps, lore, and characters who refused to stay quiet.
Writing together as husband and wife has been one of the most rewarding (and occasionally chaotic) adventures of my life. We’ve learned that collaboration is equal parts creativity and compromise. Once, we had a thirty-minute debate on whether orgasm was an appropriate word in a fantasy setting. HA! Romantasy writers are spinning in their chairs right now.
Kinthur is more than just a fantasy world to us; it’s a living, breathing world where our characters live, fight, and play. Every book we write together becomes a blend of our voices, and yes, a few spirited debates over creative choices.
The Kinthur Chronicles brand has grown beyond what either of us could have created alone. It’s a world shaped by our shared love of myth, adventure, and the question of what it truly means to work together in another world while still maintaining our relationship in this one.
So, when readers step into Kinthur, they’re stepping into something Trevor built with 26,000 years of history, a labor of love forged through imagination, well-crafted storytelling, and hours of D&D games. I am glad he has allowed me to join him in fleshing out the world through our books and thousands of conversations that begin with, “What if…”
We can’t wait to share more of this world with you. Thank you for joining us on this journey.
~April
~He Said…
The world of Kinthur had been a solo project as both Dungeon Master and Storyteller since the early ‘90s. The characters that were portrayed and the stories that took place there were meant to entertain and be interacted with by others. The world grew richer with every game played, and story told, and the contributions and ideas of players were added along the way. Kinthur wouldn’t be as rich if it weren’t for the hundreds of interactions over the years.
Writing together has been a very different experience from writing solo. Our method of writing thus far has been for one of us to take the lead on a story, laying out the majority of the setting, plot, main characters, and theme. The second person comes in and expands scenes, adds color, or offers alternative narratives. Changes aren’t taken whole cloth either, and many points become topics of discussion, of varying degrees of enthusiasm.
The greatest challenge as an author has been transitioning from game to novel format. It meant a new perspective and new goals, and having a partner has been invaluable for ensuring a constant flow of ideas.
~Trevor
~We said…
Our writing voice merges during our collaborations, leaving readers unable to tell if Trevor or April is the author of any particular piece. This has been an interesting undertaking as we are two totally different types of authors; however, the longer we write together, the smoother it has become to collaborate.
Our skills are equally complementary, where each of our strengths lends support to the other, bettering our writing with every undertaking. (wait, you used undertaking again, you can’t use the same big word twice in a paragraph) (yeah I can) (What the hell are you doing with the parentheses, we never talk in parentheses) (you used parentheses twice, I thought we couldn’t do that)
This is a perfect example of how it is to collaborate when even writing this blog. If we didn’t care so much, we wouldn’t get so bent out of shape over every sentence, word choice, or style. Thank you, dear reader, for taking a peek behind the scenes with us.
Until next time, Keep Reading.