The Big Idea: Jason Denzel

Posted on October 12, 2022    Posted by Athena Scalzi      1 Comment

Author Jason Denzel knows the challenge of enticing readers to one book — but what about an entire trilogy. With this Big Idea about the final installment in his Mystic Trilogy, Mystic Skies, Denzel is going to give it a shot… and be sure to check out the book trailer at the end.

JASON DENZEL:

At long last, an ending. 

Trying to convince people to check out your debut novel is hard. Trying to pitch your second book is even harder, especially when it’s the middle child of an unfinished trilogy. So now, with the release of Mystic Skies, the third and final book in the Mystic Trilogy, I’m finally able to discuss the Big Idea for the whole series. 

Namely, that this is a generational saga that spans decades. It explores the long life of a lowborn woman who dares to defy law and tradition in order to unveil a magic inside her heart. The books barrel through her adventures, but they also explore the heartbreak, pain, and devastating challenges that come from living a long life in a world that rarely has your back. The main character, Pomella, is a woman striving to be heard from the very beginning. Gone is her boundless youthful energy from the first book, replaced now in this concluding volume by tempered patience and a desire to care for the few remaining people in her life. 

One of the important ideas throughout all three Mystic books is the idea of lineages. I love exploring the idea of what we leave behind: what’s important to a person? What defines their legacy? If we could go back and change things, would we? 

The first novel begins with Pomella trying to become an apprentice to a master living in a mystical forest. Now, sixty years later, she’s on the other side of that relationship, trying to guide somebody young and special to her through a world that’s betrayed them. Pomella is not blameless when it comes to the world’s darker state. Her actions and decisions from the previous books have had real consequences. Like all of us in life, she has to live with those choices. But unlike us, she has the power to re-experience them and perhaps, just maybe, once more make a change that can benefit people. 

It’s been a long road for Pomella, as it has for me. I’ve written before, in the Big Idea for Mystic Dragon, about how the upheaval of my life influenced the darker tone of the second novel. In this third book, Pomella and I crossed the finish line as weary companions. She helped stabilize me during those difficult times. Her strength was modeled on the persistently valiant women in my life. I’m delighted that we finished her story, and now I invite you to join us and experience the full story together. 

Mystic Skies: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound | Powell’s

Read an excerpt. Visit the author’s site. Follow him on Twitter.

Watch a book trailer: