Craig's bookshelf: read

The Old Man and the Sea
The Power That Preserves
The One Tree
The Wounded Land
The Darkslayer - Fantasy/Adventure
The Halfling's Gem
Streams of Silver
Billy Budd, Sailor
The Legacy
Dragons of Autumn Twilight
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
Ender's Game
A Gathering of Heroes
Lord Foul's Bane
Dragons of Spring Dawning
Dragons of Winter Night
Time of the Twins
Forgotten Realms: Homeland

Craig's favorite books »

Jan 31, 2010

About my book, The Darkslayer

A lot of people ask me why I wrote a book, or how did I write a book, and how come I chose fantasy.  Basically I wrote a book because I can.  People see a mountain and they want to climb it.  It's a challenge.  I feel compelled to write, it's a big part of me.  I always read fantasy growing up but the truth is that I got a bit bored.  I just felt I could do my own things, so why not.  I had sore spots with the stories I read.  The characters were too perfect at what they did.  The stories were predictable.  The things I liked about a story would disappear for chapters and leave you hanging too long.  The dialogue was something I had heard a dozen times before.  There wasn't any humor in it either.  Basically, books were becoming a wordy snore fest and I could barely read half a book before I had to put it down.  Sorry, but it is true.  I am not suggesting that many books I have read aren't great, but ultimately, we have read the great ones and there are not that many.

I set out to write a story where every page has something to offer, be it action, dialogue, suspense, surprises, danger or something new entirely.  I want to entertain the reader, it's all about them.  I didn't try to create a world that you would think is awesome, I created one you could relate to instead.  On filled with adventurers that have a good bit of you in them.  Have you ever complained?  Or not wanted to do something you had to do?  If so, you will like my story.  If you have ever been a kid that liked to pretend you were something else, or gone to college, or been a soldier or played sports (particularly football and wrestling), like UFC, WWE, been decieved or had trouble telling the difference of the truth from a lie, then this book is for you.  It is fantasy, but it is really life as we know it in a different setting.  How would you survive in the worst case scenario?  What would you do if you had more responsiblity than you can handle?  Sounds like something a parent goes through too. 

The Darkslayer sounds a bit more foreboding than it is.  In this story he is a man, with friends, that has survived alot of tragedy in his life.  His own survival consumes him.  He is the good guy, a loyal comrade and fearless warrior but he doesn't hesitate to get his hands dirty when fighting evil.  He has his short comings, but he smiles and laughs like the rest of us.  He get's hurt, he fails, he get's back up and takes it all on again and he is not the only one.

Staying true to fantasy stories, I don't have profanity or other indecency in it.  My stories are for teenagers and up and I kept that in mind when I wrote it.  Young people love this book, but older people love it more because they can relate to it.  They bond and worry about the characters and can't wait to see what they do next.  The battles are fierce and bloody, but you can't destroy the bad guys any other way.

Give the Darkslayer a try today.  You won't regret it!  Thanks.  More to come...