S. W. Kent is an author pseudonym for Alexander Amonett López, who lives with his husband and his familiar in the Pacific Northwest. The Storyteller from Balincia is his debut novel and the first installment in the Driftstone series.
Before becoming an author, he enjoyed a twenty-year career as a coach, counselor, and executive DEI leader, focused on equity and human rights. Utilizing his experience and passion, Kent aims to expand representation and create inclusive literature for a modern YA audience.
We talked with him about being a storyteller for the underrepresented, what he reads for fun, and why he believes IngramSpark is a critical partner for any self-publishing author.
As a debut author, what excites you most about the independent publishing process?
Independent publishing creates equitable accessibility to marginalized authors, who face systemic barriers in traditional publishing. The freedom and control to expand diverse narratives in genres where Queer, Black, and Brown characters are often tokenized, check-listed, or eliminated, by far, is the most rewarding appeal to self-publishing. Creativity flourishes when we remove the walls and gatekeepers and allow readers to decide.
Independent publishing creates equitable accessibility to marginalized authors, who face systemic barriers in traditional publishing.
How have your personal experiences growing up shaped the kinds of stories you feel called to tell? Why are representation and diversity important in your work?
Diversity and Equity aren’t just a passion; it’s been my career for the last 20 years. I see my series as an extension of that work and an ongoing commitment to be a storyteller for the underrepresented. In a world that has turned the word "woke" into an insult, it’s often forgotten that the alternative is "asleep". If we are to grow collectively, as a society, or individually, as a human, we must continue to learn from different voices, from different backgrounds, with different experiences.
The first story I ever read as a child, with a queer character in it, was a comic book. The story, in itself, wasn’t even that great, but because it had a character that represented me, it made it special. I hid it in my closet, and would dig it out late at night, when my parents were asleep, and I read it, over and over again, wearing down its pages. That little book not only made me feel seen, but it let me know that I wasn’t alone.
The greatest compliment my book could ever receive is knowing it reached someone who needed to see themselves represented in a Fairy Tale.
Was there a book or author that had a big impact on you or helped shape your writing voice?
Terry Brooks is the author who drew me into fantasy and turned me into a lifelong reader. His Magic Kingdom of Landover series still encompasses all of my favorite fantasy tropes, and it was the first time I saw it bleed into the modern world. His creativity in putting his spin on classic magical beasts and races, along with his deliberate intention of avoiding black and white characters, influenced my approach to developing immersion in Driftstone and heart into my characters.
Walk us through your writing journey for The Storyteller of Balincia. Were there any surprising moments or behind-the-scenes stories that shaped its creation?
There is a lot of myself embedded in my main character, Birk, or at least who I wished I was at his age. Birk is the Storyteller from Balincia and is the nephew of the twin witches of Chaos and Order in a kingdom that forbids books. In many ways, Birk’s childhood experience in Balincia mirrored my own, growing up in a very conservative, religious environment. Access to information was limited, narratives were carefully curated, and our purpose in life had already been defined for us. Metaphorically, Birk’s journey represents the journey of a lot of closeted LGBT and Queer children, particularly from my generation and background. He is initially driven to seek the truth, to find out who he is, and to reconcile the relationships with people whom he trusted, but who deceived him. He sets off into the world to find that it is a lot bigger and scarier than he imagined, but it’s also full of a lot more magic and wonder. At its heart, the book is a journey of self-discovery that takes place in a land of Witches, Dragons, and Giants.
Your next epic fantasy awaits—join Birk on his magical quest
in The Storyteller from Balincia
How did the idea for this fantastical world come to you, and how did you know that YA adventure fantasy was the vehicle to tell this particular story?
I always knew I wanted to write for a YA audience because I wanted to write a book that I wished had been available to me at that age, and I wanted to have characters that represented me and the world I knew. The YA genre, in my opinion, invites the largest audience of readers because it captures themes and messages we never age out of, while also being relevant to youth. A good story will resonate with us at each stage in our lives, becoming richer as we experience new things and collect new perspectives.
Likewise, the genre of fantasy allows for multiple experiences, granting readers both the means to escape while also wrapping in relevant “real-world” themes through a different lens. The idea for Driftstone was formed through a desire to tell a story about balance and the power of narratives we tell ourselves. Ever since I was a child, I had a predilection for Witches and magic, and I thought, how cool would it be if there were a group of Witches that created and ruled the world, but all of them were born with counterparts to keep them in check.
From there, the series grew, exploring one simple question: “What is balance?” Is it all things in equal measure? What happens when we are exposed to one extreme over another? How do you define morality and ethics in the world, and who defines them? And who better to explore these questions than the children of these witches, whose decisions have been directly impacted by the decisions of their parents?
What genres do you love to read for fun? Do you find yourself reaching for books similar to what you write, or do you prefer something completely different?
My guilty popcorn addiction is thrillers and whodunnits. When I need a break from writing, my go-to choice to cleanse my palate are books by Riley Sager, Lisa Unger, Sarah Pearse, and Megan Miranda. They’re quick and easy reads, which gives me the spike of adrenaline and rush I need.
What aspect of working with IngramSpark have you found most valuable as you launched and market your book?
We don’t know what we don’t know when we are starting out, and I think the most valuable thing IngramSpark offers is access to industry experts, who can help guide you with their experience in marketing, publishing, and connecting you to the right people. My conversation with a personal consultant, with no pressure to sell services, was worth more than a lot of the research and paid advice I’d already wasted time on with other vendors. My only regret is that I wish I had pulled them in sooner. Coupled with a user-friendly system, control over my metadata, and global access to bookstores and Ingram’s network, IngramSpark is a critical partner for any self-publishing author.
The Storyteller from Balincia is Book One in your Driftstone series. Can you give us a glimpse into what readers can look forward to in future installments?
The world of Driftstone and its characters will continue to expand. One of the things I love about the series is that the reader is essentially following two stories. We will continue to follow Birk, Zara, and Grey on their quest, and the reader will get to experience the world expanding at the same time the characters are. In the next two books, we’ll be exploring the lore of Dragons, Dwarves, Kobolds, and Fae, while also introducing an underwater kingdom with a new magical race. Each new land offers new insights into different political and religious structures, bestiaries, and magic systems.
At the same time, throughout the quest, readers will slowly be introduced to and interact with members of the Original Thirteen, Magic-Born Witches, who are the cause of all their current problems. As Birk and his friends seek the truth, pieces of their parents’ past will continue to come together like a puzzle, adding a mystery to the entire series.
What do you love about your readers, and what do you hope they take away from this book and the developing series?
Having readers who love and connect to your books has been the most rewarding part of this journey. I’ve received photos from readers who have helped get my books into middle schools and libraries, who have designed and created their own memes and fan art, and who have set up book circles to read and discuss my book. I feel so fortunate that, as a self-publisher, my readers have access to connect with me on a level they can’t with traditional publisher authors, generating authentic friendships.
The most common feedback I’ve received from readers and professional critics is their response to my characters. From words like “genuine, relatable, and endearing” to Booklife’s review, where they describe the “heartwarming humanity” in the book, is the highest praise I could receive as an author, and what I hope to maintain throughout the series. Everyone deserves to see themselves as a hero. Every adult and child needs to know that we all make mistakes and that no one is perfect. Our real stories are about the journey, not the wins or losses or the one decision we make in a single moment. We decide who we want to be, where our character arc will end, and no one can take that away from us.
