Adding Depth to My Characters

APR 7

Posted by Literary_Titan

L.S. Franco Author Interview

The Oberon Stone follows a group of friends who are searching for an ancient artifact of immeasurable power, when one is kidnapped, turning their mission into a desperate rescue. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

I wanted the second book to break away from the artifact-hunting structure of the first, so I set up the story to make readers believe the search for the artifact was the main plot—only to subvert that expectation when the real quest became the Mage’s rescue. That shift came as a shock, flipping the narrative focus. If you look at the book’s climaxes, they’re tied more to the rescue than to the artifact itself, even in the “coming back home” moment. The artifact hunt ended up taking more of a side-quest role.

Removing the MC’s mentor was also intentional. It allowed other characters to step into the mentor role, shifting the dynamics from Book 1. The different quests also gave me the opportunity to define the rules of magic in more depth, breathing more life into the Downtown-verse—something I couldn’t fully explore in the first book without overwhelming the reader.

What character did you enjoy writing for? Was there one that was more challenging to write for?

Ada was a difficult character for me. I was very cautious about making her more than just an unpredictable sidekick. I wanted someone loud, someone who would steal the scene multiple times, but she also needed to be deeply flawed—a character that would play with the reader’s emotions. I couldn’t push her so far that readers would put the book down because of her, but I wanted to push right up to that emotional edge, making her memorable not for her wins, if that makes sense. The hardest part was figuring out where that fine line was for different readers.

I really enjoyed writing Montgomery. It’s easy to write a classic arch-enemy—just make them all bad and powerful. But if you know anything about me, you know I’d never lean into that cliché, just as much as I dislike Deus Ex Machina solutions. So yes, Montgomery needed to be awful, but he also needed a history behind his awfulness—one that readers could relate to, enough to humanize him. I loved crafting his background: the family dynamics, the bad parenting that shaped him, his desperate need for his father’s attention, and how discovering a half-brother only deepened his existing insecurities. I especially enjoyed writing Montgomery as a father—desperately overcompensating with Rachael, trying to give her the love he never had, without realizing he was creating another version of himself. Different paths leading to the same destination.

Yes, Montgomery was a fantastic creative process.

When you first sat down to write this story, did you know where you were going, or did the twists come as you were writing?

Mostly, yes — I knew where it was going, at least for the main ideas. But side stories and details tend to change as I populate the story. I base the overall plot on Vogler’s Hero’s Journey structure, which gives the main plot a very well-defined progression. Then, I break the story into bigger chunks, which usually turn into one or two chapters each. From there, I start layering the side stories — the events that make character interactions unique and develop each character’s individual trajectory.

For example, Bruno and Sarah’s broken romance is a side story. Sarah’s emotional progression — learning self-love and accepting that she often gives more than she receives — is another side arc in itself. These subplots, along with side quests, can shift as I write. I also tend to place unexpected obstacles in the characters’ paths that I hadn’t planned initially. This adds a sharp edge of anxiety to the quest, making readers wonder whether success is even possible. Sometimes I let the characters overcome these hurdles, and sometimes they are forced to find a workaround — a plan B. These choices often happen at the last minute. Yes, I’m the kind of author who ruins my characters’ lives — and you’ll love it.

When will book three be available? Can you give us an idea of where that book will take readers?

Book three (The Temporal Scythe) is already available for pre-order on Amazon (Kindle only). It will be released — along with the physical copies — on June 10th, 2025.

You can expect a deeper, darker, and more emotionally intense story, just as you could notice the progression from book 1 to book 2. The characters are also more emotionally mature, with their arcs intensifying both in magical knowledge and personal growth. The stakes are higher, and the long-awaited climax of the trilogy arrives, featuring the much-anticipated final battle between good and evil.

Without giving too much away, readers should prepare for the emotional rollercoaster they already know they will get from my works — only this time, with higher speed, sharper loops, and a broken track somewhere that might just as well launch them toward their doom.

Author Links: GoodReads | X | Facebook | Website | Trilogy Website

The hero is all in now. Too bad the one person he trusted broke the prophecy-and left him useless.


“This jam-packed, … cross-genre tale proves consistently entertaining! A smashing final-act turn makes checking out the sequels a virtual necessity.”  – Kirkus Reviews 

The Wishing Shelf Book Awards Nominee
Eric Hoffer Da Vinci Eye Nominee
Reader’s Favorite Five Stars YA SF / Dark Fantasy

_____________________________________________________________________

Liam Hale’s world spirals into chaos when he receives a message in his late mother’s handwriting-delivered by a friend who should no longer exist. This is no coincidence. As he searches for answers, he unearths something far worse: the prophecy foretelling the end times has been shattered, tearing apart the fragile barrier between the Houses of the Living and the Dead.
With the Megaverse on the brink of collapse, Liam and his companions-alongside the enigmatic druid Sarah and the unpredictable witch Bruno-set out to restore the balance. Their only hope lies in the Oberon Stone, an ancient artifact of immeasurable power. But when McCormick is kidnapped by the merciless Winifred family, their mission turns into a desperate rescue.