Let's start off with the basics. What exactly is The Brotherhood and the Shield?

AMG: The basic story follows a group of three orphans growing up in a London borstal home at the turn of the 20th Century -- Benjamin Brannon, Sebastian Cain and Tommy Joel -- their progression from childhood to adulthood, and the dramatic changes in each of their personalities towards themselves and each other. In The Three Thorns, the orphans struggle surviving in tough upbringings in the real world before forces call upon them from a world beyond our own. The fantasy kingdom that they discover has been overrun by a false king who has ruined most of what was good and magical about it. The orphans are landed with the burden to put things right with the help of many of the world's last survivors, most of them magical creatures. Through it all, the boys meet friends and foes, protectors and assassins. But there are many twists in the story and much deceit about who and what is evil and good. It has strong morals and dramatic realistic undertones, some that cover the abuse of guardianship and power, corruption of aristocracy, and the decisions under circumstances that shape and determine one's destiny. It is a road of discovery and bravery, a tale of sacrifice, loss, and a message of battling all the odds. I can say for sure that not all things are what they appear to be in The Brotherhood and the Shield.

What inspired you to begin writing?

AMG: I honestly don't have a particular 'idol' or favourite author as such. I believe it was my overactive imagination that got me started. I've been fortunate enough to have a natural flair for visualizing characters and storylines very vividly. It must be a childhood thing I never really grew out of I guess. (laughs)

You grew up in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Being an American, I wonder what your experience must have been like.

It had its advantages and disadvantages. Growing up was hard as I came from a typical Northern Irish working class family in a Protestant area. Religion was a big problem when I was growing up, with troubles and terrorism. You couldn't hang around kids from the opposite religion, even if you wanted to, so my childhood was very lonely. The schools in Northern Ireland were very drab and bleak and you were never encouraged to have a dream or reach for something out of the ordinary. People in Northern Ireland when I was growing up had this mentality of 'that's your lot' really. You work, but there is very little else but work, and go partying, or play snooker, or watch the soap operas on television. In the height of Margaret Thatcher (era), I suppose that's all one could do. But as children we had to make our own amusement by finding rivers and dams and building little swings and going to the park to play games.

It was harder for me as when I was in my teenage years I needed more stimulation like travelling, seeing something new. I had a thirst for life and to think big which was discouraged by my teachers in high school. The academics and the constructional education was encouraged as well as sports -- subjects that had very little if any creative outlet in them at all, and if one expressed such imagination or big 'impossible' dreams were considered foolish and most likely made an example of.

It was a hard time but Northern Ireland has changed dramatically and its social mentality is more encouraging and creative. I spent most of my late teens and early twenties travelling the world which has given me the mental stimulation I needed to write this story.

Has your background had any effect on your writing?

Oh, definitely. It is unique as my writing and the story is very European in a sense but my characters are mixed. Maybe even a little Irish or Ulster myth in there you never know until you read. As I am a Belfast born and raised lad, I have been surrounded by a socially uncreative society built on rules and regulations. It would be grey if I could paint it a colour basically. So I rebelled against the blandness of my countries industrial by the book mentality. In a way, Belfast's culture, both good and bad, has helped with the realism of the books. Also, C.S. Lewis was from Belfast too, which is something us Northern Irish are very proud of. I'm a big fan of his work, and his work has influenced me to do more with my life and stimulate my individual imagination.

How did you come up with the idea for the series?

AMG: I was having a migraine at the time (laughs) and was thinking of my best friend, who I talked to earlier that day about his late parents. I began thinking of my childhood and how fortunate I was, with parents in my life who always provided and supported me. I wanted to write something that people who've suffered -- through loss, grief, poverty -- could relate to. You know, something they could call their own, like I was writing specifically for them and wanted them to live out their own fantasies of escapism and revenge on the wrong doers in their lives through this story. If I had to narrow it down, I initially based it on my best friend's loss and growing up as an orphan.

My political views on the world we live in today also influenced me, and some may notice some heavy undertones because of it. My childhood memories -- the sense that I didn't belong as part of my peers -- has had a major influence on the characters in my story. My strong disliking for schoolteachers, and criteria, and the lack of creativity or opportunity I had growing up as a creative person was a huge influence. This book was my escapism; I want to share with others who feel just like I felt when I was growing up. I felt a lot of resentment and disappointment, which led to mistakes in life. Benjamin Brannon's character, in particular, may have been a direct reflection of myself...or what I could have been. Yeah, very deep eh?

Since you mentioned how your personal experiences shaped your writing, were there any creative influences -- from other writers, artists, etc...?

AMG: Yes, but oddly they are from film directors and visual contemporary artists, such as painters and photographers. Of course there are going to be influences from authors, but my stories and characters have been created mostly through my love of audiovisual art and cinematography. Surrealist art has also played a big influence.

Challenges?

AMG: I've had some ups and downs with the writing. I started with the initial plan that the story would be in two parts, but as the writing progressed so did the complexity and scale. I realized the story couldn't possibly be told within two books, so I had to expand the length to allow for important character development as well as defining the fantasy world and its creatures.

My biggest challenge was to keep the structure and plot tight. I didn't want the plot to weaken or loose any of its continuity. Also dialogue is very important, and narrowing main characters down whilst creating a world full of them was one of the hardest things to do. I think my main goal was to make sure that this book catches the attention of the reader and pulls them into the characters and storyline. I wanted to make sure it flowed easily and interesting enough.

How did you come up with the main characters?

AMG: The main characters' personalities have been based on real life people I've met -- some of them famous -- but I won't say who they are. (laughs) The less central characters I created myself. I think that real people are so complex and diverse, which is the best basis for creating personalities. One of my characters in The Three Thorns was originally inspired by and based on my best friend, but as the character changes in the story, in many ways he became more and more like me, reflecting my own inner struggles and demons ... which adults will be able to relate to.

The story is centered around three orphans: Benjamin Brannon, Tommy Joel, and Sebastian Cain. They each come from very different backgrounds, but have one very special thing in common. Apart from being abandoned at birth, they are also brothers who are reunited by their protector, Ariel, who is sent from another world called Abasin -- which is their original birthplace. The brothers don't know early on that they're related, and what's more, that their father was the King of their rightful land before he was betrayed and killed by his brother -- their Uncle, the false king Saul.

The Three Thorns follows Benjamin, Tommy and Sebastian through their hardships in the real world to their ultimate test of leadership and courage in their original world of Abasin, where they face lethal assassins sent to kill them before they can threaten King Saul's throne. From Cecil Baskin, who is a trainer of sorcery that teaches the boys how to use their individual powers, to Jodo Kahln, a loyal servant to King Saul who sets out with an large army to kill the rest of the good creatures and humans of Abasin, The Brotherhood and The Shield is filled with mysterious and original characters.

No person, or in this case, brother, is alike. You take Benjamin for instance; he is the most mature and wisest of the three, but again he is very naive and in ways the most vulnerable due to his stature and emotional state. He is a very deep character who is inquisitive, good-hearted, and very aware of what goes on around him. Tommy's a headstrong bully to begin with, and has a quick temper around authority and his peers. He's the type of character that relies on his muscle rather than his brain. Although not the brightest, he is the most courageous and strongest out of the three. Then there's the quiet, shy Sebastian, who is very intelligent and has a natural talent for academics and science. He's the brain of the Brotherhood, and in some ways a leader of the three. He is the peacemaker of the story with a great sense of following the rules. Each of these characters work well with each other and you get the sense that they are very like most brothers, there are disagreements and each share a different outlook in certain situations, but all are loyal and protective of one another.

Of the three, who do you feel is the most central character?

Maybe it all depends on the individual reader's point of view. Though the main focus is on all three brothers, together, perhaps in the grander scale of the entire trilogy story, for me, I'd have to say it's Tommy Joel. But the reader could take it that the real story is centred around Benjamin Brannon, which is the case with the second book, 'The Lost Prince'. It really depends on the reader who they choose to be their individual hero. Some could identify with Sebastian Cain. But in terms of whom I most identify with, for me, personally, it's Benjamin's character. Throughout the story Tommy and Sebastian have their own struggles with their royal duty to fight and save their rightful kingdom, and save the good of Abasin...whereas Benjamin's fight is with himself, and his constant state of the mind. He deals with a lot of sadness and carries the biggest challenge of the three; maybe that's why I feel such kinship with him.

Did the project start out specifically as a children's book, or did it evolve into one?

AMG: The whole subject of orphans "narrowed" the material for a younger audience, but as I began to think ahead of the entire trilogy, the more it progressed into something else. It became both a children's book and an adult's book. It was a really dark concept from the beginning, and at first had too much realism before I began writing for the readers who may have been through a similar upbringing as the main characters. I always knew it was going to be a fantasy in order for me to give them an enjoyable, uplifting feeling.

Were you specifically tailoring your writing to a young audience?

AMG: No, but I have always found the fantasy genre really intriguing. It was more to do with the visual aspects, again, and how there are limitless boundaries in the fantasy realm than in any other work of fiction. I believe this first chapter of The Brotherhood and the Shield trilogy is aimed at adults as well as children -- to any fan of the fantasy genre, of all ages.

But I believe children are, in many ways, far smarter and sharper than adults, which is why I haven't held back with my imagination. Children might grasp this concept more than some adults will, simply because their minds are wide open with an abundance of imagination, and adults will benefit from the character's relationships more than the action and spectacle side to the novels. So there's something for everyone.

When I write in relation to the child characters in my book, though, I am writing for the younger readers -- and I give them more respect in the language and terminologies that are used rather than patronize them. When I write subtle innuendos, some based on real life, and the adult characters in my book, I am writing to relate to the adult reader more so.

Are you daunted at all about writing a young adult fantasy series, knowing that the titans of that genre -- Narnia, Harry Potter, His Dark Materials, and, of course, The Lord of the Rings -- cast such an immense shadow?

AMG: I've never written to be "as good as" or to better anything. I write to be as individual as possible. That is my goal. The Three Thorns is simply its own story. As long as it's different and reaches someone, then I have done what I have set out to do.

I would like the story to reach people, in their imagination and hearts the way these other authors had achieved with their stories. That would make it all worth my while. But as for style or format, I would very much like to be as original as possible. I am who I am. They are who they are and each author is very different and amazingly talented in their own way.

When writing, it's always been very important to me that I'm not in competition with any other writer or story. I believe when one becomes competitive, you lose focus of your own creation, and therefore it becomes less and less individual because you are too busy looking at ones work and success rather than concentrating on your own material. To have something original, I tend to make things up in my mind without watching or viewing similar genres. I think my own personal creative stamp concerns the realism within the story, in contrast to fantastic elements. Half of the entire trilogy falls in and out of the real world and combines the alternative with real life scenarios. The story is also very dark, and serious, and deals with many broken-hearted, and tragic, characters.

For the trilogy, did you have everything planned out from the beginning? We all know George Lucas did for STAR WARS... (laughs)

AMG: No, not everything! (laughs) I knew the main concept of the trilogy in very basic terms, but the complexity grew with the writing, and having more and more ideas as the first book progressed. But nothing ever goes to plan when you set everything out step by step. I have learned that there are no rules to writing your own story. There are guidelines and formats you can follow and get help from, but ultimately the entire direction and every single place, character and situation is up to you. I also believe that for me its more exciting to go with whatever idea you're fortunate enough to get or stumble across and keep adding to it, like the recipe of a great chef! Your mind is like the foundation or base and the ideas and inspirations are the ingredients.

What's in store with the future books?

AMG: I don't want to spoil anything or give away too much! All I can say is that The Three Thorns was a great foundation for what is to come. I can promise that the second and third books are going to be a lot different in terms of writing, style and feel. Most of the main characters will change greatly -- some get older and the personalities change drastically, some get into deathly situations and some have dark revelations to tell and to discover. The future instalments will also introduce new characters and show new worlds. They will also be longer in length. That's all I want to reveal at this point.

Read more about Michael Gibney on the author's BEBO page.