I've been asked many times why I have written a co-star into the story with special needs. I've also been asked why the character, John Simon isn't the one born with magical powers.

The answer to both questions is basically the same, I wanted to deal with inclusion in a realistic way that is valuable to the reader. As a parent of a son with Downs Syndrome, I know how special they are. In the story, John Simon is able to see things that others, apart from Melie, don't see. This is not a stretch because my son Joe has been able to do this too. You can call it imagination, but to Joe, seeing people in an ancient coaching inn that I couldn't see was very real.
John Simon was born with Down's Syndrome. I wanted to share a little bit about Down's with you.
Down's syndrome is caused by an extra chromosome, one of the tiny bundles of DNA found in all of our cells.
Normally, our cells contain 46 chromosomes: 23 inherited from each parent. In Down's syndrome, an extra copy of chromosome 21 is included when the sperm and the egg meet to form the embryo. This means there are 47 chromosomes in the baby's cells. Down's syndrome is also known as trisomy 21.
We believe that chromosome 21 must be something to do with love because every Down's syndrome child and adult we have ever met seems to have an abundance of unconditional love as part of their personality. John is no different.