antarktos – Beware of Monsters

A few years back, as The Antarktos Saga came to a close with The Last Hunter – Onslaught, I started getting e-mails from people wondering if the series would continue. As much as I wanted it to, I had other projects I needed to get out of my head, and time is short. The conclusion I came to, as I have with other series, is that to continue, I would need a co-author. But the character of Solomon was based on my son, and his daughters, Aquila and Norah, are based on my daughters (weird, I know, but just roll with it). Writing them has always been a personal experience for me, and I believe it’s part of why Solomon is so real to readers, despite the fantastical world he exists in. How could a co-author capture them the same way?

The answer happened to be growing up alongside my children. Tori Paquette has babysat the Robinson clan since she was barely old enough to not need a babysitter herself. In all that time, she’s also been writing with a dedication and willingness to learn that I have rarely seen in adults trying to become authors. The result has been dramatic progress culminating in a writer, whose skills at 17, are professional. Doubtful about that? Pick up The Last Valkyrie and see for yourself. She not only managed to capture the characters, she studied and recreated the world of Antarktos, adding her own very cool mythos to the realm.

I have little doubt that Tori’s writing career will surpass my own, and I’m thrilled to be part of kicking it off. Now, on to the story!

2014 taught me a lesson. I am not in control. Not only had I intended to send this message a week ago, but am instead writing this after spending 10 days in bed with the flu…I also tried to make a movie, raising funds through Kickstarter, and failed. I tried to make a different movie, funding it myself, and failed. I had to postpone one of the books I was planning to write and release over the summer.

I’ve never done that before–missed a goal, or deadline. Now, this doesn’t mean I’m new to failure. Over the course of my career, out of everything I’ve written, conceived of and attempted, just a small fraction of them have seen any kind of success. But 2013 was so ridiculously successful, I kind of forgot. Well, thanks 2014, for putting me back in my place and reminding me that I’m not impervious, and that I don’t do this for money (though I do appreciate getting paid). I do this because I love it, even when things fall apart, and because I enjoy sharing my work with readers who appreciate it, which hopefully is you! Which brings us to the purpose of this newsletter.