William K. Baxley, Jr. - Intricate Mysteries, Ancient Conflicts, and Resilience

William K. Baxley, Jr. is a master jeweler and storyteller who draws inspiration from the intricate art of craftsmanship to shape richly imagined fantasy worlds. As the owner of Avonlea Jewelers, he brings the same care and precision to his writing as he does to every ring and pendant. His debut novel, The Jeweler’s Secret, explores the quiet power of creation, the weight of purpose, and the hidden magic that lives in everyday things. When he’s not at the jeweler’s bench or behind the pages of his next story, he enjoys spending time with his wife, participating in sporting clays tournaments with his father, and playing with his dog, Ruby.  As our Author of the Day, he tells us all about his book, The Jeweler's Secret.

Please give us a short introduction to what The Jeweler's Secret is about.

How do you feel when given a gift of jewelry? Elated, loved, valued? Jewelry holds power in our world. When I create a new piece of custom jewelry or refurbish a 20 year old engagement ring, and present it to my customer, I see this physical change occur. Body posture becomes relaxed, their whole face smiles, a general sense of happiness is apparent. The Jeweler's Secret was born of the idea that jewelry holds power. Power to heal and comfort fears. The Jeweler acts as a catalyst to change the lives of the other four main characters. Characters that are ruled by family obligations, ambition, obscurity, and hubris.

Your background as a master jeweler is central to this novel. What parallels do you see between crafting jewelry and crafting a story?

It is actually quite different. It's the difference between craft and art. With crafts, you know how it is and can plan on how the final product will look. My story evolved organically, the ending changing several times before I was finished.

Was there a specific piece of jewelry you’ve made that inspired a moment or object in The Jeweler’s Secret?

Not one specific piece. I love to perform what I call a "repurposing" of jewelry. Where a customer brings in an inherited piece of jewelry that isn't their style, but still wants to keep that emotional connection to their loved one. So I remove all the stones, and either alter or cast a new piece with the gold, setting the stones in a brand new design that will be worn, instead of collecting dust in the drawer.

None of the characters have traditional names—they go by roles or titles. What inspired this stylistic choice?

I find names to be very powerful. A poor choice for a name can take you out of the story, or there are too many names and you forget who is who by the time the next book arrives. Moreover, I had never read a narrative like this before and thought it would set my series apart from others in the fantasy genre. I do have names for each of the characters, my thought is to release one or two in each sequential book adding special impact to each individual journey.

The Jeweler and The Alchemist represent very different philosophies. What do you hope readers take away from their conflict?

Hubris is a dangerous enemy of self.

Grey Hollow is described with such atmosphere—misty, quiet, and secretive. Was it inspired by a real place or purely imagined?

Purely imagined. As this is a very contained story, in one village as opposed to an epic journey across middle earth, I needed the village to have a sense of being a character as well. Grey Hollow is the stage for which the other.

The idea of “the quiet power of creation” runs throughout the novel. Why is this such a central message for you?

It is that deep, steadying force behind anything meaningful brought into this world. It is presence over performance, grace over noise.

Some readers compare this book to The Night Circus, while others feel it’s closer to a modern fable. How do you view it?

More of a theatrical play than a fable. There is the repetition of three that some have described as similar to religious fables, personally this was never my intent. If there is a lesson to be learned, it would be the awareness of self. If you glean something personal from the story, it simply means it resonated with you. Which is what any artist wants from their creations.

Can you give us a hint of what to expect in Book 2 of The Eternal Craft series?

Book 2 will delve deeper into the very real threat of the Shadow and the throne of ash. There will be a new location, the capital city of New Emberstone, home of The Sacred Flame. The continued journey of the Blacksmith and the Siren, with new adversaries of the Flameborne and Ember Judges.

(I suggest you read The Flamebearer, which will release in June 2025, it takes place 1000 years before the events of Grey Hollow, but will provide context for the events of Book 2.)

What advice would you give other creatives looking to translate their artistic passions into fiction?

Start now! Don't wait for the right time to pen your masterpiece, there will never be enough time. You have to seize every spare moment. I would dictate notes to my phone on my daily commute to work instead of listening to music. Edit rough drafts instead of watching TV. Use your time wisely, and have something to show for it.

What did you have the most fun with when writing The Jeweler's Secret?

Sharing the developing story with my wife. She would outright tell me when something didn't make sense or when an event was left unresolved. There is a certain joy from open collaboration with your life partner.

Do you have any interesting writing habits? What is an average writing day like for you?

Instead of listening to music on the 20 minute commute to work, I dictate notes to my phone. I usually spend 20-30 hours writing every week. Saturday through Monday is my weekend, Monday is the only day I have exclusively to myself and I may spend 10 hours straight in my library writing.

What are you working on right now?

The final draft of The Flamebearer. It started as a short story to add context to the world. But I just kept writing and the length kept increasing. Finally I had to stop because the book was getting too large for my liking, nearly 500 pages. I realized this is a series in and of itself, focusing on religious beliefs and how religion changes over time. I wrote an entire religious reference book called The Ember Codex, which I made available for kindle download only.

Where can our readers discover more of your work or interact with you?

I post regular updates to our social media Facebook.com/WKBJR

Sign up for Advanced Reader Copies (ARC) on my website: www.WKBJR.com

Watch my jewelry creation videos on youtube.com/AvonleaJewelers