The History
I first started out with the idea of Elderquest when I was about twelve years old. It came to me in daydreams and sometimes when I had down time I would drift off and start thinking of fantasy stories or characters to make. Originally, I wanted to make it a comic series, but then realized that I was much better suited to writing it on a computer and using words to better describe my characters and story better than comics could. Although the idea is still lingering, I would hope maybe one day to work with an illustrator to produce a comic series or perhaps in a manga or graphic novel style adaptation.
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I found my inspirations for Elderquest through various forms of media and other source as well. I read many fantasy and fiction novels when I was growing up, such as the Percy Jackson series and several Stephen King works. The combination of the fantasy like nature and outstanding character depth made me want to my own book. On top of that, I loved watching movies. I credit the setting and lots of the plot inspirations to the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
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It took me roughly two years to actually develop my characters and build the plot. Through those two years, I was guided and advised by many of my English teachers, who would hear my ideas and give their look on how well the plot would flow. It was about eight months worth of writing and another two or three for proofing and editing, and after that, Elderquest: Book 1 was finished. I showed it off to my classmates, family, and teachers and it took off. There was a small point in time during school where people would ask me if they could have a copy of Book 1. It got me thinking, and I eventually found a printing company that allowed me to put my novel together for a good price. I believe about twenty fully printed books showed up at my door. I gave them out to my closest friends and family and a few teachers.
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After the success and demand of Book 1. I started developing Book 2 and Book 3. Since I had characters and a story to build off of, it only took me another eight months apiece to complete the other two novels. Once again, I had them printed and distributed them. Classmates would come up to me during lunchtime and ask me to sign them. Later on after I graduated, I found out that one of my teachers donated their three books to the school library, where they still sit today in the young adult section. I also learned that my work had spread not only across the country, but around the world. I had family living in Oklahoma that picked up a copy, and my aunt and uncle, who were stationed in the Army in Kazakhstan at the time also had copies while they were on base. This was shocking to me, as I never figured that my novels could make it that far, but I took in stride as a sign of progress.
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Today, Elderquest is still going strong. At the time of this site going live, I am in the development stage of writing book four, which I created a new title for: Elderquest: House of Dragons. I redesigned the title logo and began creating my own covers as well. I also began branching out into digital e-books. Uploading the first three Elderquest novels and a short story I wrote onto Wattpad made sure that everyone, regardless of where they were, could read the work I had made online.
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Currently ahead of House of Dragons, I have planned out several more novels in the Elderquest universe. I want to take a Marvel approach to how I introduce new stories and characters, eventually merging them together in future work.