THE VOICE BEHIND THE VEIL
Douglas Lima
Stories of impossible worlds, complicated people, and the places we learn to call home
Behind the Crossroads
I'm the author of The Living Crossroads, a fantasy series built around strange worlds, mystery, adventure, humor, and the relationships that make those worlds worth caring about. I love expansive stories where places have histories, choices leave consequences, and the quieter moments between characters matter as much as the battles.
Outside fiction, I work professionally with technology and artificial intelligence. That background probably explains some of my fascination with systems: how things connect, what rules hold them together, and what happens when those rules begin to break. I live in California with my family, and reading, traveling, technology, and everyday family life all have a habit of finding their way into what I write.
Where the Crossroads Began
The Living Crossroads began somewhere much more ordinary than the Tavern of Realms: in stories and conversations with my children. One of those conversations gave me the question that started everything:
“What if Mom had a magic Key that could save the world?”
That question became Alice, an ordinary mother pulled into circumstances that are anything but ordinary.
From there, bits of family life kept sneaking into the story. Leo's curiosity, the humor, the food, strange creatures, inventions, and little moments between enormous problems all have roots in the things I see and experience around me.
The multiverse eventually became much larger than that first idea, but its emotional center stayed surprisingly simple: people trying to protect one another, finding family in unexpected places, and building somewhere they can call home.
Building the Multiverse
I love long-form, interconnected storytelling: worlds with their own histories and rules, characters who carry consequences forward, and small details that can matter books later.
Worlds
Distinct realms with their own histories, cultures, dangers, and mysteries.
People
Characters whose relationships matter as much as the battles surrounding them.
Connections
Events, objects, choices, and mysteries that continue to matter across the larger saga.
Stories, Technology & Tools
Technology has always influenced how I think about creation, experimentation, and complex systems. Modern writing and AI-assisted tools are also part of my creative workflow, while the worlds, characters, stories, and narrative direction remain grounded in my own creative decisions and editorial judgment.