A Dream Thirty Years in the Making

Yesterday, I had the honor of being featured in LancasterOnline in an article by reporter Alli Satterfield about the upcoming release of The Last King of Äncalë. It was a surreal experience to see my writing journey shared with the community where I spent nearly three decades teaching English.

If you'd like to read the article, you can find it here:

[Read the LancasterOnline feature]

Looking Back

As I read the article, I found myself thinking less about the novel and more about the journey.

Writing this book didn't begin in 2021 when I started drafting it.

It didn't even begin in 2007 when I wrote the epic poem that eventually became the seed for the story.

In many ways, it began much earlier.

It began in a classroom where I spent twenty-eight years encouraging students to write, revise, and believe that their stories mattered.

It began with evenings spent writing poetry, short stories, and local history.

It began with countless unfinished ideas, notebooks, and dreams that slowly grew into something much larger.

From Teacher to Student

One of my favorite parts of the article was the reminder that I spent years mentoring students through publishing their own books.

What made me smile was realizing that this novel forced me to become a student again.

I had to learn book design.

Cover design.

Formatting.

Audiobook production.

Marketing.

Websites.

Distribution.

In many ways, publishing my own novel has reminded me what it feels like to be a beginner.

That's been humbling—and exciting.

A New Chapter

Retirement wasn't the end of my work.

It was the beginning of a different kind of work.

Every morning, I sit down and write.

Not because inspiration always strikes.

But because stories only exist if someone keeps showing up to tell them.

Moving to Portugal has also been part of that journey. While our move was primarily to support our son's education, living among medieval castles, monasteries, and ancient cities has continually fueled my imagination and influenced the world I'm building in The Certainty of Kings Saga.

Thank You

I'm grateful to Alli Satterfield for telling my story with such care.

I'm grateful to my former students, colleagues, beta readers, family, and friends who have encouraged me along the way.

Most of all, I'm grateful that, after all these years, I finally get to share this story with readers.

The Last King of Äncalë releases August 25, 2026.

I hope you'll join me in the world of Äncalë.