Ever since I can remember, I’ve been captivated by grand adventures and immersive stories. As a kid, fantasy films like “The NeverEnding Story” and “Willow” dazzled me, and I could spend hours lost in games like “Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic,” the “Mass Effect” franchise, “Red Dead Redemption,” “The Witcher,” “Fallout,” and my all-time favorite, “Elder Scrolls: Skyrim.”

At fifteen, I watched “The Lord of the Rings” for the first time and fell in love. It ignited my passion for writing, though I progressed at a snail’s pace due to the trifecta of school, sports, and a semblance of a social life. Eventually, I stopped writing, but the itch to create never completely faded.

Fast forward through more years than I’d like to admit, to the birth of my son. Until then, my writing consisted of scattered backstories and character sketches—everything but the actual book. After my son was born, I found myself with a renewed fire to write, possibly from fatherhood’s inspiration or sheer exhaustion after the baby’s bedtime. Either way, I was writing more and better than ever. Maybe I’d matured a bit over the years, but let’s not get carried away.

I quickly finished the first draft of a portion of my story. “Quickly” is relative, considering my full-time job, soccer, a dog, a baby, a girlfriend, family, friends, video games, and movies all vied for my time. Notice I said “part of my story,” not “The Book.” Over the years, my backstories ballooned into outlines for several books—a whole series, in fact. What started as “The Book” became Book Five. I shared the draft with some fantasy-loving friends for feedback.

Needing a new project while awaiting their thoughts, I decided to write a series my son could enjoy as he grew up, since my first series is more on the brutal side, akin to GRRM’s “Game of Thrones.” After many hours of brainstorming over Skype with my buddy Andy and some late-night writing sessions, I had the outline of a new story. I completed the first draft of this new book in under three months—a record-breaking pace (for me, anyway; think Brandon Sanderson speed).

Comparing both projects, the second story is much more straightforward, designed for a younger audience, whereas the first series is complex and intended for adults.

So, that’s a bit about me and my journey to this point. Thanks for stopping by!