The past year has held many challenges in me getting to work on the variety of works I'd like to publish. But as my family and I have gotten back into the swing of life after taking care of my father till his passing in June 2024, I am blessed to feel a burst of creativity and aspiration to get back to doing what I truly love to do—writing books. As a self-published author, the process may take more time. Yet I am thankful to have the margin to scrutinize my works more thoroughly.
In 2023, I released my first Steampunk Fantasy Fiction / Sci-Fi genre book, Secrets of Silver and Steam, Volume 1 that has received great reviews. Thank you all for your support. Another project for this book that I've taken on is creating an audio book, which you can preview by visiting my YouTube Channel. The second book is in the works, but is still too far off to announce its release date.
One bit of excitement I can announce is my upcoming kids Fantasy Series—The Goolwind Tales. This series follows the adventures of two young siblings and magic casters, Avaleigh and Hayden, in an adventurous and dangerous world full of imaginative monsters and mystical beasts, even nightmare creatures of the undead, in search of their father and a mysterious book of power believed to unlock greater secrets for casters. As wunderkinds due to their bloodline, some magic abilities come more naturally than other types. Yet one gifting allows them to see tremors of power where other casters cannot, allowing them to enhance their magical abilities or learn hidden knowledge of the power they seek.
I'm excited for this book and its series as it is a gift to my children, where they can enjoy seeing their names attached to their father's creative works. I've thoroughly enjoyed writing this as my vision for the series was to create as many monster types as I possibly could, but also leaving room for some well known fantasy monsters as well. I love building worlds and I've kept the vision of Goolwind in mind for quite some time, where now I am seeing it unfold and come to life for kids to enjoy. I will say, adults should find it a great adventure as well, despite it likely being a quick read for adults. If you ever liked playing video games growing up, it certainly has the feel of living out a video game, but harnesses it into a literary work.
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The Goolwind Tales became inspired by not only me desiring to give my kids a gift, but the concept is an elaboration from an N64 game I played as a kid called "Quest 64." While not the most popular game, I found I could draw from the concept and create a story that would delve into a more in depth and non-repetitive narrative. I wanted to make this series hold a more artistic presentation (much like Secrets of Silver & Steam), and I continue to develop art as the editing process continues. I believe having visuals like this will capture the attention of kids who are not fond of reading, and will allow them to dive into the story more easily—that and it's just awesome to create colored maps and monster artwork.
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Lastly, all I can say is that I have taken a liking to my "practice book." It began as an exercise for me to practice narratives and dialogue. Yet something has developed into building another world that I am quite fond of. While I have not determined if it will be a series, I'm sure this Adult Fantasy Fiction is going to have fans loving the storyline and the variety of mythical characters held within its pages. As of right now, all I have is a map I created of the world, and from it you can guess that it is a kingdom divided.
I enjoy medieval dramas, which is where I felt some of my inspiration for this, but I did not want to lose the wonder of having another Fantasy realm. However, I'm seeking to create the way magic works in a more subtle way—perhaps where it feels more like intuition or natural gifting than spell casting or growing into a magic user. For example, in the land of Bosite, bears are domesticated and ridden like horses. In Shintis, quadruplet sisters find their way each possessing a unique characteristic, but one in particular naturally communes with ravens and other mythical birdlike creatures.
I look forward to sharing more about this work as it continues to develop, as well as giving more updates about my other series in the coming year.
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