A promise filled with hope in a world not meant for dreamers

From Prologue:

Surrounded by open fields, broken only by the occasional knoll, a group of six people stood at the ready for their hunt. A gentle spring wind whipped through their hair. Some kept their eyes trained on the tree line in the distance, while others maintained a careful watch over the skies above. Each carried a hunting bow in hand with a quiver full of arrows strapped to their backs. Simple iron short swords clung to their hips. Of the six, two of the people were shorter than the rest, appearing to be only twelve or thirteen at most. Simple leather armor covered their forearms, chests, legs, and feet.

One of the two children was a girl with blonde hair and brown eyes, while the other was a boy with hazel eyes and silver hair. Both of them exuded a nervous yet excited energy that was only barely contained, thanks to the occasional, stern glance of one adult with them, who had similar silver hair to the boy.

“Keep your eyes on both the sky and the forest canopy. The beasts move quick and if you aren’t careful, you could end up with a few broken bones, or worse. Got it, Arkrune? Tara?” the silver-haired man barked.

“Yessir, Vickar, sir!” Tara giggled while giving a mock salute.

The only response the man had for her was to sigh before he glanced back at the trees. Arkrune stifled a small laugh, when the sound of screeching drew his attention to the treetops. Several brown blurs launched into the air in a loose, V-shaped formation. The objects initially soared straight into the sky above the trees but were clearly moving toward the hunting party.

Vickar brought two fingers to his mouth and let out a loud whistle. In an instant, the group scattered, breaking into pairs. Arkrune and Tara paired together, diving to the right of the formation while Vickar took the center. Arkrune clipped his bow to his back before drawing his sword. Today’s hunt had him acting the part of the distraction, while Tara was to pick the birds off.

Bash Eagles were not strong beasts, but their aerial maneuverability made it difficult for all but the best marksmen to target them in flight. The best way to hit them was to catch them by surprise in their nests or by baiting them into initiating their diving attack. As their name suggested, they dove at their enemies with their hardened skulls. Once the diving attack started, they lost all of their previous agility for a devastatingly powerful attack. This state left them vulnerable to a practiced hunter.

It was a dangerous gamble because if the person acting as bait was hit, then the resulting impact could be rather deadly.

Culling the local population into small hunts like this was a tradition for their village of Locke. Neither Tara nor Arkrune had been on a prior hunt. Both of them had been training with Vickar for months and pestering him for a chance to put their practice to the test.

Being out in the field after so much begging sent Arkrune’s heart into a wild beat. This is what I wanted. A sense of adventure, action, excitement. Truly, this is… The cries of screeching beasts drew his eyes back into the air and cleared his mind. There was no time for flights of fancy. As the bait, he needed to attract the Bash Eagle’s attention and give Tara an opportunity to strike. By becoming a moving target and waving his sword around, he hoped to create an enticing opponent for at least one monster. His father had taught him a technique sure to draw attention, but now was not the time for it, as it could draw the attention of all the beasts present.

Two birds broke off from the pack, aiming directly for his position. Tara shouted something, but the roar of his heart in his ears drowned out almost everything else from Arkrune’s perception. He knew what the plan was—what he was supposed to do—but being in the moment was different.

Both birds began their dive with a terrifying amount of speed. They seamlessly transitioned from a graceful glide into a nosedive with a single large flap of their massive wings. With them bearing down on his position, the boy found his body refusing commands. The panic froze him in place. No longer was he in the gravel training pit his father had made; now he was facing a true threat to his life, and it terrified him.

When the dull yellow eyes of the Bash Eagles became visible, Arkrune’s brain started working once more. It was too late; there wasn’t enough time for him to react.

Can you, for those who don’t know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author?

• I became an author, I would say in May of 2024, which is when I started writing First Light with an intention to publish. Getting to that point was a rather long process, though. Back when I was twelve or thirteen, I had started getting a real interest in writing, but the 8th grade is when I started getting serious about it. My English teacher at the time gave us a project, which was to write a single page story using a phrase on a pre-selected list she had made up. The trick was that each phrase could be chosen only once and I was the third from last. My phrase was “he raised his sword amidst the dragon’s fiery breath…”. I had no idea what to write for something like that at first but ended up coming up with a story about a swordsman who could see the future, named Lance. I got a 100 on the story and she wrote a comment of “what happens next?!” and that really set me on this path. Of course, that sparked years of hyperfocusing on writing some really cheesy self-insert stories up until my junior year of high school (I still have them all for some reason… I try to ignore them the best I can so I don’t have to cringe too hard). I fell off the writing thing for years due to college, depression, and a lot of life changes, but got back into it thanks to some webnovels and light novels getting me back into reading. That was when I made First Light!

What is something unique/quirky about you?

• I am extremely forgetful. On a 36 hour drive I lost my phone literally no less than twenty times without it ever leaving the car.

Tell us something really interesting that’s happened to you!

• I have somehow only ever lived in two states, and both of those states are the only two states in the US where the capitol is in Marion County.

What are some of your pet peeves?

• I really don’t like the sound of coughing or sneezing, it is the worst when I am the one doing it. I also don’t like seeing shopping carts sitting outside of the corral, especially when they are RIGHT next to the corral. Seriously, it’s like two more inches away, just put it in the corral.

Where were you born/grew up at?

• Born and raised in Indiana my whole life. Grew up between Ladoga and Greencastle in Montgomery and Putnam counties respectively. Now, I live in Oregon!

If you knew you’d die tomorrow, how would you spend your last day?

• With my wife and son. We would go and enjoy all kinds of food, I would constantly have a cup of coffee in my hand, and we would end the day having a fire on the beach watching the sunset and listening to the waves.

Who is your hero and why?

• I don’t really have a hero. I don’t like idolizing people in that manner really… (Hugh Jackman)

What kind of world ruler would you be?

• A bad one. I would not be a good world leader at all.

What are you passionate about these days?

• I’m really into reading, writing, cooking, and coffee. I am absolutely obsessed with finding fun foods and finding ways to make them at home.

What do you do to unwind and relax?

• Reading, reading, and reading. Probably with a good cider or wine in my hand. Whenever I am stressed, my first desire is to open a book and escape into another world.

How to find time to write as a parent?

• In pieces. Trying to schedule writing time is very hard and usually I have to go at it in chunks. However, my wife also works with me to distract my son or spend time with him when I really feel the urge to put pen to paper (hands to keyboard really).

Describe yourself in 5 words or less!

• I am really bad at this part so I will share my wife’s answer to this question: “Quick witted, caring, passionate, humble” (My wife wasn’t happy with me when I reminded her that quick witted was two words)

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

• I think I first actually used the word ‘writer’ to describe myself after I started serializing a web novel for a short time. I made a lot of friends during that period of time and one of them is one of my editors. Up until I met her, I kept using phrases like “when I am a writer” or “I’ll be one eventually”. After she scolded me and said that I was already doing things for people to read, I realized I was one. Before, I thought that you needed to have a following, have success, in order to be one. Now, I really think that the moment you start taking your thoughts and feelings and putting them to words that you are an author, a writer, a poet, a lyricist…etc. Success is a part of the journey of writing, not a requirement.

Do you have a favorite movie?

• Violet Evergarden: The Movie. The entire series is a masterclass in animation, visuals, music, and story telling. I have never cried harder in my life than watching this movie.

Which of your novels can you imagine made into a movie?

• First Light is my only actual novel coming out. Seeing it as a movie would be really fun with its themes of camaraderie and coming-of-age. Not to mention, the whole ‘finding the power within’ aspect to the story would be really fun to see with my spin on it from this book. However, I think the one that would make a very interesting movie is a project I have in the works for a future release called (tentatively) Spellsword. That one would be rather fun for reasons I will leave undisclosed for now!

What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?

• I went to Powell’s Book Store in Portland once!

As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?

• If it wouldn’t put me in legal trouble with Nintendo or Gamefreak over the Pokemon IP then a spheal. He’s so round and squishy-looking and I love him!