Greetings, it is I, your Archivist.

I would like to thank the Author’s Lounge for granting me this chance to ramble before you.

Why write?

As a writer, I’ve always found the act of writing to be something sacred, a magic all its own. My desire to write was planted as a seed in the child who would play beneath a summer sun without a care in the world. His imagination ran wild, reshaping the ordinary world into something strange and wondrous. Places such as the local Home Depot were turned into starports where stormtroopers stalked the aisles. My imagination was a horizon of possibilities, unfolding in never-ending swirls of amber and turquoise that merged together to create a tapestry of beauty that always shook me to my core.

However, it wasn’t always beautiful.

My teenage years were brutal. Storms of emotions followed me, leaving me cast adrift amidst a never-ending sea of turmoil and unknowing. I wasn’t that carefree child anymore. I was someone different. Somehow, I’d been cursed, transformed into this thing that couldn’t understand itself. Yet even in these times, writing called to me. Like a loyal companion, writing was there every step of the way. There was a deep mystery there, a calling in the dark that spoke to a part of me. Through the sacred art, I poured out the emotions, bled them onto the page until I was empty. Spent.

There was therapy in it.

The birth of a monster hunter

It was from that turbulent time in my life that the core of Jaegryn was born. I borrowed from my younger self and gave the broody, moody, passionate isolation to Jaegryn. It was such a terrible gift, one that would definitely ensure a lack of invitation to any party. Yet it was a fit. A horrible, awful fit.

During that time, I was playing The Witcher 3. I loved the concept, the quality story. I took the concept of a monster hunter, dressed it up in sci-fi armor, and started writing Jaegryn: The First Law. At first, it was rough. I had no idea what I was doing. Years later, I’d come back, expand the whole thing, add layers, more plot, emotions and once more pour out that which lies within upon the page. And through it all, Jaegryn persisted. His stubborn refusal always brought me back.

His story is an exploration of what happens when a monster hunter is forced to fight something that is not flesh and blood—something that the sharpest blade cannot sever. Though there are plenty of monstrosities eager to devour him, they are not the terrible creature that stalks him. There is no escaping it. No matter how far he runs or how fierce he becomes, in the end, he’ll have to face it.

Silence.

The type of silence that comes from sitting in an empty ship that was once a home. It’s a creeping silence that lingers, voicing the truth that none of us want to hear. It’s the sort of silence that follows the realization that the memories of those who’ve departed are fading, decaying. The details are smudging, and the edges are blurring.

It’s the kind of silence that can’t be killed or satisfied.

Jaegryn is on a quest—one he believes is written in blood, but in reality, is written in tears.

Anyways…

If that didn’t scare you off, know that this story is a strange amalgamation of sci-fi and fantasy. A sort of alchemical concoction of Star Wars and DnD, Mass Effect and my own rampant imagination, that hopefully works to craft something potent and enticing.

If you read Jaegryn, I hope that it speaks to a part of you that wanders. A part that might be lost. Alone. You might be struggling to find your way through the dark forest of life, picking at the breadcrumbs of those who’ve passed by. If so, I hope that you’ll know that you are not alone. Though you may not see it, there are many others who wander through dark paths seeking light. Know that there is a kinship in this. An unspoken bond.

Perhaps someday you’ll feel it. Though it might not be today, there’s always tomorrow.

Setting aside the heavy stuff, Jaegryn is a part of a shared universe known as the Legends of the Fall. I’m currently fleshing out the deep lore that’s been howling in my head for over half my life. Slowly the ink makes it to the page. I have grand ambitions for the series—an epic storyline that spans dozens of books and dozens of characters. With an expanded universe brimming with new places and faces, with new concepts and possibilities, I want to create a universe that is fleshed out on the scale of Star Wars and Warhammer.

Such lofty ambitions aren’t easily won.

So join me, and perhaps we can build something together. A community? A story? Whatever it is we do, whatever it is we make, let it be one thing and one thing only.

Beautiful.