High-schooler Pierre Chastain, surly hobbyist and shady dealer, secretly holds the power of illusions. With it, he controls perception and bends reality to his will. He is a god among men, or at least he was until he discovered he was not alone.The girl who can animate the dead was only the first to appear. Many more magic-users of all types reveal themselves-illusionists, summoners, kids who can see the future, and entire agencies with nefarious goals. They all seek to exploit Pierre's talents in their schemes. Little do they know he has schemes of his own.Pierre only has one chance to break free from these meddlesome jerks, a dangerous magic heist that could help him ascend to godhood- but it requires betraying everyone who cares about him.Q&A with the AuthorWhat kind of book is Illusion of Grandeur?Illusion of Grandeur is a young adult (YA) urban fantasy heist and character drama. It is a coming of age book themed around the idea of self-presentation. Pierre has the power to present himself to the world with whatever image he likes. He uses his powers to mask his actions, magic, a healthy dose of awkwardness and an unhealthy dose of snark to varying levels of success.Who is the main character, and what is he about?Pierre is number one. There is no number two. That about sums him up.He's a teenage illusionist with a god complex, certain that he is the only person that really exists. His power controls everything that can be seen, heard, smelled, and tasted all around him. If he controls reality, he thinks, why shouldn't he be a god?Pierre uses his power in everyday life, making money by tricking people with illusions and practicing his magic by providing effects for the Drama Club's productions. He wants to grow strong enough to take the entire world into his hands, but he's not there yet. Unfortunately, this recent business with zombies and necromancers in the previous book has ripped the world out from under him.Do you have to have read the first book to understand this one?This book follows a different main character from the first, with different goals and struggles. The story begins two days after the first book ends, but Pierre only has his own understanding of those events, and that understanding is relayed in this book.In short, no. If reading about an egotistical illusionist sounds interesting, and you have no interest in a necromancer having a crisis of faith and power, then this is a perfect place to start. This can be its own standalone novel.What other media was inspiration for this book?Jim Butcher's Dresden Files and Wildbow's various works, like Worm and Pact. They have really pushed my writing of powers and personalities. Durarara and My Hero Academia are good sources of inspiration, worlds where anything can happen and the powers that be are visible. A bunch of Brandon Sanderson works like Mistborn and Warbreaker helped me to put those visible powers into text form.And above all, I'd say Death Note inspired Pierre. I'm not sure how well I could have written a cocky egotist without a little influence from Light Yagami.Why did you write this book?After writing Through the Lichgate, I had to figure out who the heck this Pierre guy was, and why he was such a weirdo. Turned out that he was more fun than Thana in some ways, and it was really easy to get him into trouble. It also seems like every book I write about the Drama Club raises more questions than answers, so I really can't help but keep going! I hope you enjoy!