by David Yurkovich

Current Words Publishing is proud to introduce Jason Knightman, author of A Thread of Waking Light, the first book in a planned nine-volume epic fantasy series set in the richly imagined world of Talvanis. Part worldbuilding tour de force, part intimate character study, A Thread of Waking Light is a story steeped in faith, magic, and the kinds of moral complexity that keep readers turning pages.

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A Thread of Waking Light introduces readers to Talvanis. What was your starting point when building this world?

I had the idea for the story’s “twist,” and I had beginning ideas of how to apply it with the kinds of characters I would need, but then my OCD tics kicked in and I was forced to build the surrounding parameters first. I commissioned the map so I would have a coordinated reference of the “wheres” of the world, and then I outlined my calendar and key historical events so I would have the coordinated reference of the “whats” and “whens.” The types and rules of magic had to be built. I also had to do some complicated math for one aspect. In short, I locked down one parameter after another until I felt I could make sure that every time I needed to reference something, it would be from a consistent source without relying on (sometimes faulty) memory. This was important to me: I couldn’t write within a world until I had a framework of the world first.

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Faith and spirituality seem deeply woven into the story. How did you approach creating belief systems that feel authentic within a fantasy world?

So, I literally made that approach be a factor in the actual church of the book. When the latest iteration was birthed, it was created with twelve orders. This suddenly opened up a wide variety of vocations available to the public. Many people now saw themselves as active contributors doing something they enjoyed, and these people also had friends and family who now knew someone who was personally part of the church.

This all combined to swell the church’s ranks on a massive scale. The new church initially won the people’s respect by solving a crisis, and then kept it by taking leadership in areas important to the common people. Within a couple generations, it was simply a fact of life.

Nirra’s journey begins with a very personal call to action. What drew you to her as the central character?

I needed a pure person as a sort of nexus for my crises of faith — her conflict comes from her personal drive to perfectly adhere to her faith, the desire to do the right thing at all times, and the intersection of the two when they become at odds with each other. She already had a minor one in book one, but nothing as severe as I yet have planned. I also need someone for something else, which I won’t spoil now. She ends up serving both capacities.

The novel balances large-scale stakes with intimate character moments. How do you manage that balance?

I wasn’t sure I did this aspect at all well. This was more an emulation of the amalgam of things I have read from other authors I enjoy. I know they did this, so I tried to echo it, too. Let me know how well I did, I guess!

Yes, readers, let Jason know what you think; authors love to get your feedback!
Your World Anvil project for Talvanis is incredibly detailed. What is World Anvil, and how has it supported your writing?

I literally did not discover World Anvil until 2025. I had already written the manuscript and had a collection of notes within Scrivener at that time. World Anvil is a website that supplies writers, worldbuilders, and role-playing game creators a space with a variety of tools to showcase their creative works. I was taken by the variety of worldbuilding tools they supply, made an account, seeded it with my notes, and have since spent time expanding on those, both to help myself with a central repository and to provide additional content for fans.

Do you build your world first and then tell stories within it, or does the story evolve alongside the worldbuilding?

For me, this was a back-and-forth effort. I had an idea, then decided what was needed to support that idea, built that support, and then from that another idea might springboard, which would need more support, and round and round it went.

This is Book 1 of a planned nine-book series across three trilogies. How did you approach structuring something on that scale?

I knew what start I wanted. I knew what ending I wanted. I also had decided to make three the holy number for Veladris, the deity, and therefore I needed a middle to reinforce that. So, I created one more mystery to resolve as the centerpiece, which itself led to another aspect of the story to support it. This new aspect also lent itself well to coordinating circumstances to facilitate resolving other things, so it was amazingly helpful.

Wow. The plotting is impressive. And I love that readers can expect mysteries to come.

When planning a long series, how much do you map out in advance versus discovering along the way?

I have primary events planned but parked, and the rest is somewhat nebulous. I know which major and supporting characters have to be in play at the end; I know what events I need them to undertake and why, and the rest comes about through the writing process and idea sparks along the way. Things I have planned for Volume III could take a left turn based on things I invent in Volume II. The rounded characters do become something like little abstract children, after all.

They do sometimes take on a life of their own. That’s so true.

Many elements in the book feel genuinely lived-in. What’s your process for adding those layers without overwhelming the reader?

For the items with the “lived-in” feel, it was making sure a plurality of characters interact with or possess the thing in question. When only one character has or does something, it becomes a defining trait linked to that one character. By having multiple characters make use of it or partake in it, their shared connection to that thing is what sticks — and now it has the chance of being applied as a world-level aspect rather than a uniquely defining character trait, thus expanding the reader’s concept of the world overall.

“The title can mean nearly anything at first, but then seeing it in a sentence suddenly ties it to something that gives an additional awareness or understanding.”

What inspired the book’s title?

A few times I have seen authors incorporate the title phrase as an actual part of a sentence in the book. I loved this trick — it makes the journey from opening the cover to turning the last page come full circle. It works well when the phrase is abstract, because the title can mean nearly anything at first, but then seeing it in a sentence suddenly ties it to something that gives additional awareness or understanding. I had this phrase as a sentence in my book, and it also seems thematically appropriate for a variety of reasons.

I love that idea. It helps weave readers into the book. For readers just starting A Thread of Waking Light, what do you hope they take away from this first step into the series?

I want readers to feel fully immersed in a vivid, high-stakes world and to become genuinely invested in the characters at its center.  This is a story where personal choices will carry real consequences in front of a backdrop looming with larger forces already in motion. While this is the beginning of a much broader story, Book 1 does stand on its own as well, with meaningful conflicts, emotional turning points, and a sense of resolution. My hope is for readers to finish the book feeling satisfied on one hand yet eager to see what comes next on the other. (Especially after that bombshell of a cliffhanger ending!)

That ending is killer. 100% agree with readers becoming invested in the characters. A Thread of Waking Light, is a fantastic story, and I’m certain readers are going to agree.

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