Beyond the Dragons: Getting to Know Phoenix Ward

The Black Boy Joy cover author discusses his lifelong love of storytelling, the creative influences behind his work, and the realities of independent publishing.

Intellectual Ink Magazine | Black Boy Joy Cover Spotlight

For Phoenix Ward, imagination has always been a way of exploring the world. From childhood cartoons and fantasy adventures to the complex characters and questions that shape his own writing, storytelling has remained a constant in his life.

In Sins of the Fire, Ward brings together his experiences as an educator, musician, and lifelong fan of speculative fiction. His creative interests span different forms of expression, each contributing to the worlds he builds and the stories he wants to tell.

As the cover feature of Intellectual Ink Magazine’s Black Boy Joy issue, Ward shares his journey as a fantasy author and the ideas that inspired his series. In this exclusive website conversation, we get to know the creator behind the dragons.

A Lifelong Love of Stories

Intellectual Ink Magazine: For readers meeting you for the first time, who is Phoenix Ward, and what first made storytelling something you wanted to pursue seriously?

Phoenix Ward: I can come off as a bit of an overenthusiastic person, someone eagerly awaiting a moment to showcase his talents and discuss the details of tropes and stories. I have always been a lover of fiction, always a lover of fantasy, always a lover of exploring characters.

If you know anything about cartoons, you’ll have me talking for hours about old-school shows like Samurai Jack, Spider-Man, and Justice League. Connecting the political decisions in shows like Avatar: The Last Airbender to modern-day decisions has always been my specialty, and I would gladly talk about those things forever.

That’s me. That’s Phoenix Ward.

My love for these stories has always pushed me to pursue storytelling seriously. Ever since I went above and beyond on a school project, where the guideline was to write three pages of a story, and I wrote eight, I’ve always had a love for story writing.

It began with inserting my own characters into stories, usually myself in plots that I loved watching, and soon evolved into a comprehensive story inspired by the things I’ve experienced in life.

Where Creativity Connects

Intellectual Ink Magazine: You are an author, educator, musician, and world-builder. How do those different parts of your creative life influence one another?

Phoenix Ward: Every single aspect of my creative skills has influenced the others.

As an educator, I was able to see the stagnation within the current generation in regard to failure. Accepting failure should be something to build on after a shortcoming, not accepting failure as the norm. Failure should also not dictate someone’s direction. Getting reminded of past mistakes doesn’t make anyone feel better about their progress.

As a musician, on the side at least, music carries messages. Themes in songs connect to my writing, and if they sound good to my ears, they translate into my stories. Sometimes, it happens in reverse as well.

Even the aspects of the world I created connect to everything I’ve experienced.

The Independent Author’s Journey

Intellectual Ink Magazine: As a Black indie fantasy author, what has your experience been like creating expansive speculative worlds while also building an audience and publishing outside of the traditional system?

Phoenix Ward: It has been challenging to build an audience outside of the traditional publishing system. I love writing and sharing my work, but the hardest part is finding an audience that will take the time to check out my book and read it.

Marketing has always been my weakest link. Posting on social media is tricky when I don’t have anything substantial to share, and I don’t want to give away too much.

I want fantasy readers, Black or otherwise, to pick up my story and read it. With all of the work being on me, it’s tougher, but I love chatting with folks during events or just sharing my story in general.

Discover the World of Sins of the Fire

Phoenix Ward’s passion for storytelling began long before he published his first fantasy adventure. Today, that same curiosity drives his exploration of identity, responsibility, faith, and the experiences that shape his characters.

In Intellectual Ink Magazine’s Black Boy Joy, Issue 33, Ward takes readers deeper into Sins of the Fire, discussing the origins of his fantasy world, Kane’s struggles with failure, the importance of representation, and what lies ahead for Mysherra.

He also reflects on the meaning of Black Boy Joy and the satisfaction of bringing a creative vision to life.

Read our cover story, “Beyond the Dragons: Phoenix Ward on Faith, Fantasy, and Black Boy Joy,” in Issue 33 of Intellectual Ink Magazine.

Explore Sins of the Fire: https://sinsofthefire.com

Instagram: @sinsofthefire