Author Spotlight Interview with Boyd Lee
By: Andy Carroll
This article is an interview with author Boyd Lee, discussing his latest literary adventure, A Game of Two Worlds.
A Game of Two Worlds Synopsis
If you had the chance to go through a portal for a chance at wealth, fame, and loot, would you do it?
Matthew’s life takes a crazy turn when a simple holiday visit turns into a crazy adventure.
Swapping his marketing desk for an unexpected inheritance—the bookstore left behind by his uncle—he’s led to a hidden portal.
But this isn’t just any portal; it leads to a realm. A new world of dungeons, quests, and game-like mechanics.
Matthew emerges on the other side to find himself not only in the realm of Dunnishire but also as a Royal Duke in the land of Inneshys.
As he navigates courtly life, he inadvertently sets off ripples that threaten to disrupt the delicate balance in the new world.
Running the bookstore on Earth proves to be just the beginning of his trouble as he faces the reality of two worlds that try to control him.
Dive into a story of intrigue, romance, and self-realization as Matthew takes a leap of faith, ready to reshape his destiny and master a game of two worlds.
What A Game of Two Worlds Is
A fantasy LitRPG/GameLit progression-based storyline There are grownups in this book who act like grownups.
They drink, they swear, they make bad jokes, and they fall in love.
What’s Not In This Book?
Sex scenes. Graphic or otherwise. There are plenty of jokes and innuendos about it, however.
What Is The Driving Force Behind Boyd Lee’s Writing ?
“I cannot remember a time when I wasn’t writing or making up stories. I always tease people that I write because kidnapping people to act out my delusions is generally frowned upon. Of course, I’m kidding… Or am I? 😜
My writing process has changed and evolved over the years.
I generally start out in the morning and do writing sprints. 25 minutes of writing, 5 minutes of break.
I write as fast as I can and make sure all visual cues like spelling and grammar are turned off in settings. I can’t edit it later if I don’t have it written. Remove distractions. I track my word count (and distractions).
I do six to ten writing sprints, ending a little after lunchtime or early afternoon. Take a break, get lunch, and in the afternoon or evening, I’ll come back and read and edit what I wrote, or if research is needed, I do that then.
That’s the stuff that really drags your speed down because it’s so tedious.”
What Inspired A Game of Two Worlds: Book 1: The Royal Duke?
“I’ve always read in the LitRPG genre. I used to rent a hidden office room in the middle of a bookstore.
There was a literal hidden bookcase where I could slide it aside, enter my lair and write. I could get a ton done for hours a day before the store opened.
Then, with the gentle sounds of the coffee pot burbling, people asking about books. I always wanted to somehow integrate the feel of a bookstore into a story.
But the store had a secret, and that was the seed from which the story grew. I wanted to make an MC who was a bit of a hothead.
He was an almost professional athlete who decided to hit the books instead of going pro. The rest of it just flowed out from there.”
Are Any of The Characters A Game of Two Worlds Based on Anyone You Know?
“Not really. Honestly, more of the character traits in my books were anime-inspired than real-life people.”
How Did You Make Traveling to Inneshys and Back to Michigan So Seamless?
“Whenever my MC heads to Inneshys in the world of Dunnishire, you always get his stat sheet.
He can always call it up when he wants to look at something, but he rarely does.
That was the method I used to show the portal hopped to a new world without having to say it.”
Who Is Your Favorite Character, and Why?
“In this book, I think it’s Jessamin. Jessamin is a fairy who lives in the store and helps my MC figure things out.
She’s snarky, funky, gets drunk off of honey drops, farts glitter everywhere, and has an unlikely fascination with TV and pop culture.
She’s my not-quite-innocent but easily embarrassed comedic sidekick when Neera isn’t being deliberately obtuse.”
How Do Special People, Such As The Elves and Leprechauns, Blend Into Normal Society?
“Magic! It can be an enchanted item worn, but most people in modern times get a magical tattoo or glyph between their ring finger and pinky finger’s webbing.
I suppose they could do a more hidden tattoo around their feet, but I didn’t want to get the whole foot-fetish crowd riled up. Sorry, guys and gals. What I post on onlyfeet stays on onlyfeet.com.”
What Made You Decide To Incorporate Food Segments Into A Game of Two Worlds?
“I think a lot of authors really do themselves, their characters, and their readers a disservice when they don’t include stuff like that: family breakfast or dinner.
Grabbing a burger at the tavern with friends… stuff like that. As humans (well, most of us), we spend a LOT of time every day thinking about preparing, preserving, cooking, and eating food.
It’s a necessity of life; oftentimes, it’s one or two times a day the entire family can sit down together and catch up.
The world has gotten so crazy busy that I think having those food and crazy-making moments in the story makes it more realistic.”
Why Does It Take A While Before Matthew Does His First Dungeon Dive?
“I struggled with that decision. This book is the first of five I have planned (three of them are already written).
I needed to build a solid foundation for Matthew in both worlds to make his jumping back and forth work and make sense. It happens more often in later books, but think of it this way:
There are really three worlds that Matthew goes through.
Earth, Dunnishire, and wherever the dungeon takes him. I needed a strong foundation to pull that together, but I literally wanted to hit myself in the head because I wanted to get him to bust up monsters!
Also, I’m building this world out to have a ton of stories using the same magic system, the same duchy, the same empire, even if they’re from different people all over the world. I needed that foundation.”
If Potions Work in the Real World, Does Matthew’s Stat Increase Also Alter Him?
“It does. In later books, he gets super curious about why he’s hungrier and hungrier but doesn’t seem to get fat when he mainlines a dozen or more eggs a morning, a big burger and ale for lunch (with chips), and pizza for dinner.
For a professional athlete, when he figured out he wasn’t getting soft from eating badly, he just fueled his growth with whatever he could… Physical changes include dramatic strength gains, size, and muscle mass.”
Why Is Alister Such A Difficult Character To Like?
“He’s confident, arrogant, and slightly bigoted against humans.
Being a royal, he thinks everybody should bow down to him because he will be king someday.
His father, however, is already a great man, and you have to wonder if Alister is having a hard time coming to grips with the fact that he’s never going to be his father.”
How did Uncle Remus and Matthew Decide Who or What Could Enter The Real World?
“I didn’t get into that in the three books I’ve written so far.
There were other portals that they didn’t control. With the one they did, only Matthew could give permission through his blood.
If somebody were to hold a drop of his blood and walk through, it would provide them with one-time permission to use the portal he has. People could touch and walk through with him if he’s going through.
It changes later on for… reasons. 😁 “
Final Thoughts
Thank you so much for speaking with me about the first book in your A Game of Two Worlds series.
It has been an absolute pleasure! You are very witty and can write like there’s no tomorrow!
Thank you for creating such an amazing fantasy world that readers can enjoy and immerse themselves in.
I’m excited for the next entries! You have me invested in the series as a reader.
The Royal Duke
The Royal Duke is available on Amazon right now!
So what are you waiting for? Get your copy!
You heard Boyd. He has five books planned for this amazing series.
I would also like to mention that Boyd’s second book of the series, Inneshys, is available on Kindle.
His third entry, Highspire, will be available on October 31, 2023.
Get The Royal Duke today, and I promise you will want to preorder the others! I know I am!
