The Real Men Behind Jake and Elamar
How Two Quiet Farmers Inspired Characters in The Last King of Äncalë
People often ask me where my characters come from.
The truth is, most of them come entirely from my imagination. I don't usually base characters on specific people. They evolve over time, borrowing little pieces from life, history, and my own experiences until they become someone entirely their own.
But every once in a while, a real person quietly finds their way into a story.
For The Last King of Äncalë, that happened with two of the very first characters readers meet: Jake and Elamar.
Two Bachelor Farmers
When the novel opens, Wurty is living with his two bachelor uncles, Jake and Elamar. They are his father's older brothers—farmers who know the rhythms of the seasons, understand the healing properties of plants, and have spent a lifetime working the land.
Long before Wurty encounters kings, battles, or the mysterious Scourge, these two men become his teachers.
They teach him patience.
They teach him responsibility.
Most importantly, they teach him to pay attention—to the world around him and to the quiet wisdom hidden within it.
Although their time on the page is relatively brief, their influence echoes throughout the rest of the novel.
The Real Inspiration
Jake and Elamar were inspired by my own great-uncles, Jacob and Elmer Buch.
They spent their entire lives farming our family's homestead in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
Like the fictional brothers, they never married. Their lives revolved around the farm—the fields, the livestock, the machinery, and the changing seasons. They weren't men who sought attention. They simply did their work, day after day, year after year.
Everyone who knew them remembered them as honest, generous, and deeply rooted in the land. They were the kind of men whose character spoke louder than their words. They loaned money to neighbors without charging interest because they believed it was the right thing to do. Their reputation wasn't built on wealth or influence but on integrity.
Those were the qualities I wanted Jake and Elamar to possess.
Not because I wanted to recreate my great-uncles, but because I wanted to capture the kind of people they were.
More Than Background Characters
Without spoiling the story, Jake and Elamar are only present during the opening portion of The Last King of Äncalë.
Their role, however, was never measured by the number of chapters they appeared in.
Instead, they serve as Wurty's foundation.
Every hero begins somewhere. Before kingdoms are saved or impossible choices are made, someone teaches us how to live. For Wurty, that began on a farm, under the guidance of two quiet men who understood the value of honest work and careful stewardship.
Their influence remains with him long after they are gone.
Why I Included Them
Fantasy often celebrates kings, warriors, and legendary heroes.
But in my experience, the people who shape our lives are often much quieter than that.
Teachers.
Parents.
Grandparents.
Farmers.
Neighbors.
People whose names may never appear in history books but whose lives leave an imprint on everyone around them.
Jacob and Elmer Buch were those kinds of men.
When I wrote Jake and Elamar, I wasn't trying to preserve every detail of their lives. I was trying to preserve something even more important—their spirit.
A Small Tribute
One of the unexpected joys of writing fantasy is that imagination allows us to honor the people who came before us.
Jacob and Elmer Buch lived simple lives on a Pennsylvania farm.
Now, in a small way, part of who they were lives on in the pages of The Last King of Äncalë.
And I think they would have smiled at that.
The Last King of Äncalë releases August 25, 2026.
If you've ever wondered where fantasy writers find their inspiration, sometimes the answer isn't in ancient legends or distant castles.
Sometimes it's found on a family farm, in the lives of two quiet bachelor brothers who never imagined they'd become part of an epic fantasy story.
