It all began in the summer of 1993.
I was in my bedroom one evening between my freshman and sophomore years of high school. I had a notebook and a pen. I started to write this adventure. It was originally a 25-chapter, single story project that took most of that summer and the following school year to complete. I was young and naive. I had an idea, a concept and a vision. I wanted a journey for a character and been inspired by Final Fantasy games to send this hero on a quest involving eight temples in a similar pattern to FFIV (FF2 North America). I didn't know how to start or how to end, but only that I wanted to do something fun.
Tesh was on his quest. Cadeck was relegated to a realtor at the time. Tesh actually encountered his gods, but with different names that were placeholders in my first draft. Cassica, still a princess, but the Order of the Rose wasn't even an idea or concept I considered (not until the rewrite in 2010, what I published now). She was based off of the female main protagonist in Secret of Mana - yes, I was a SquareSoft fan at the time I wrote this. Wrem and Dal - they were always there and always central to the plot and always Cadeck's children. Their importance was better fleshed out in the current story. And then there is Sadar. In 1990s when I created this character, he was always my favorite. A mix of Boba Fett, Han Solo, and Kain from FFIV - the dark anathema to Tesh's light. Ysalir did not yet exist nor was she ever thought of. I didn't give Sadar a love interest, I wanted him to be a loner. The rewrite helped build him better, I believe. He now had a reason to act as he does. That was the way I wrote it. In the summer of 1994, we got our first PC. I transcribed my pen and paper writings into MS Works. I later printed it all out on an old dot matrix printer and turned it in for an extra credit project in English III. Teacher didn't read it, but since I went above and beyond, gave me extra credit of three test grade 100s. Didn't need to take the final :)
I wrote a "sequel" around my senior year. Here, I fleshed out more of the main characters and would soon befriend a young girl, who grew to become one my best friends, whom I would incorporate into Wrem's story arc. I graduated high school, continued to write some more, but my job got in the way. I began my career in the IT field in 1996. Over the years, landed in various different roles in various different organizations.
In 1998 or 1999 (I can't recall) I challenged myself to write a screenplay. Yes, I still have it. I may sell it one day.
2005 - I wrote a couple of fan fics. Maybe thinking, I should give this another attempt.
2010 - I had lived a good career, found love, lost love, learned that not all love is good love. By this time, my maternal grandparents had both passed and I was living in my grandmother's home taking care of the day to day after her passing. I was visiting friends and at this time I was coerced to watch Twilight with them. I watched it, fell asleep. After leaving the theater, I set out to work on something better. I revisited this story. I grew my worldbuilding and I spent three months hashing out the world again and some other details. I sat down to write it again. I kept the original dot-matrix print out as my guide to story and plot progress. It still sits on the shelf above my monitor. From this rewrite, I created several new characters, reworked my plot and set out to make it epic. I wanted one book. But one book became too long. I split it into three planned books. That fall I enrolled into a writing course at a community college. I met my first beta reader and my muse. I challenged myself to write daily.
I lost my job in 2013 as an onsite field technician for a major international bank. Three months later I landed another at a smaller bank (still there). I continued to write. I completed Hand of the Sun and Sword of the Moon by the end of 2015 and cranked out the two short stories also. In 2017, I hit a dead end. Depression and a writer's block ensued. I couldn't write for four years. I wanted to, but I couldn't. I spent this time within my own head way too much. But I discovered something new. I later incorporated this new thought into the story. I had a moment now. I felt this will work. I will make this work. I had one more layer to add before either was ready. By this time, I was knee deep in the third book. I started where I left off on the third book, right after Chapter 33. This was 2021. I felt the short stories should publish first. I did those and threw them out there onto KDP. I then wanted to make sure the main series was ready. I put an initial copy out and got a bit of traction. But something wasn't right.
I redesigned my covers in 2024. I took a week off work and learned how to do that in Photoshop. I then made some minor changes to characters and world building. I redesigned my covers then remarketed. I'm proud of where it's at now.
I finished the third book, Fall of the Stars, in Fall '24. Narrative done. But working on the missing chapters to write the battle scenes. I want the full product to be enjoyed and my message shared and feel accomplished.
I dedicated this series to my English IV teacher - Mrs. G. Farr, she inspired my passion, and to the same very dear, and close friend above who would lose her battle to cancer in 2019.