The day has come! After five books and approximately eight years, my labor of love is finally complete. Today I uploaded the paperback version of "Rise of the Redeemed," the final entry in the Fantasticademy series. Quite bittersweet, I must say, but I'm excited to move on to other projects. Thanks to everyone who encouraged me along the way. For those who are curious, I'd like to share the Author's Notes from the book, which best explains the experience. Enjoy!
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AUTHOR'S NOTE, RISE OF THE REDEEMED:

Many grown-ups have children. Sometimes these descendants are literal children like babies, other times, artistic creations like books.
This series is such a child.

Growing up alongside my own Dearthling kiddos, the Fantasticademy novels also enjoyed their father’s love and attention, sometimes inducing deep existential anxieties and prematurely gray hair. At the beginning, my goal was to have the first story, Beyond the Shadow Wall, published and shelved in my oldest daughter’s elementary school library by the time she graduated sixth grade. I made it by three days. This final entry, Rise of the Redeemed, will be released in 2025, her senior year of high school. The major milestones of childhood, with a fantasy series to accompany it–how appropriate is that?!

But every dawn must also have a dusk. While my children and the stumbling discoveries I made about parenthood were the inspiration for beginning this whole endeavor, I accept the bittersweet reality that life will soon close the chapter on their adolescence. So, too, will this series move on from its father’s tutelage. But even if the magic dims, if these stories become a distant memory among the fifty bajillion others published every year, they might one day be rediscovered by my children’s children in an elementary school library or a dusty box of grandpa’s old manuscripts. Fun-tastico! The dream begins anew!

So that’s nighty-night for this series. Whether its world expands in later years or whenever remains to be seen, but for now, I hope you have enjoyed reading these books as I much as I had fun writing them. The fact that you are perusing these words now means more to this humble writer than anything in the world. Fog People, we are not.

* * * 

Well, guess that does it. Weird. For more fun background stuff, you can check out the "Fun-tastico Fan Club" section of the website, which I've now made available without a password. Next on my agenda is a full-length play. We'll see how it goes.

Dream on!

DJ

Well, after much delay, this week brings the release of The Rejects of Haron, Book 4 in the Fantasticademy series! I'm excited to share this tale about Raymond Dillon, formerly known as 'Gaspar,' before he became the school's ten-foot-tall orientation guide. This is the second-to-last entry in the series, and it's bittersweet to know that the conclusion is in sight. I hope you enjoy the book, and if you do, please leave a review on Amazon or your site of choice. Have a wonderful holiday season. I'll be asking Santa for world peace and dogs that won't yap, whichever is less elusive. Cheers!

​Well, at long last, Book 3 of the Fantasticademy series, The Master's Shrine, is now available! I am excited to share this story, as it adds to the series' emotional complexity and raises some thought-provoking questions. It's a bit of a departure in tone from the previous two books, but that's the way the story is progressing. I hope you enjoy it.

To order the book on Paperback or Ebook, here is the Universal Link. And of course, any honest online review is super appreciated. They're harder to come by than you think!

​In other news, I have already leaped headlong into Book 4 and am about 30 pages into the first draft. Expect more twists and turns. I can't wait to move on to Book 5 and complete this series that occupied my thoughts and heart for the last five years.

​Happy reading, and may you have the most fun-tastico of summers!

Hello everyone,

Two big announcements today. Well, three. The first is Merry Christmas!! I hope you had a great holiday in this most unusual year. One more week and we get to try again for a better one. Fun-tastico!

The next announcement is that today begins a book giveaway for Beyond the Shadow Wall! It is free to enter and you might win a signed copy. You can enter the contest here.

The last announcement is that Fantasticademy Books 1 and 2 are now available as Ebooks! You can purchase them on Amazon (Kindle), Barnes & Noble (Nook), and Smashwords (all formats). Enjoy, and here's to an improved 2021!

So here are the new covers for Books 1 and 2. Super fun to design. Hope you like them!

Hey everyone,
​Today marks the official release of The Stone of Mordim, Book 2 of the Fantasticademy series. It coincides with the release of a revised edition of Book 1 (now titled Beyond the Shadow Wall), with illustrations, world map, and more. It's been a whirlwind getting the manuscripts prepared in time for Christmas, but we made it! I hope you all have a great holiday season of 2020. Goodness knows you've earned it this year. Hope you enjoy the books!

So today is the official launch day of my first kids' book, Fantasticademy. I am excited to share it with the world, but somewhat nervous, given that this is my first attempt in the kids' fantasy genre. I am eager to hear what readers think who do not know me personally (e.g. those who call me "Dad" or expect me to take out the garbage). My hope was to have written a funny, exciting fantasy-adventure with moments of genuine emotional depth, so time will tell if it was successful. If you've read it, your review on Amazon, Goodreads, or any other site would be exceedingly appreciated, not only to tell me what you thought of it, but other readers as well. Thanks in advance!

A wonderful plot twist during this time was that I was able to achieve my most important goal in this process: to have the book accepted into my daughters' elementary school library before the eldest graduated into middle school. The official pub date was two weeks after the graduation, but by donating one of my author copies, I succeeded by ONE DAY. No matter what happens in the future, I already count the book a success.  

Thanks to you all! Now on to Book Two...

Being my first time releasing a book that wasn't self-published, the experience seems more nerve-wracking. More real, somehow. I don't know why. but it does. The last two weeks began with the inclusion on my website of the Fun-tastico Fan Club, an area where readers can get maps and background information on the books. This was followed by the release of the book cover from the publisher, which I adore. The design team at Black Rose Writing did a fabulous job, not only welcoming my input but making the presentation better than I imagined. 

Also this week, the book became available for pre-order from the publisher (15% discount with promo code PREORDER2019). My responsibilities now include both writing a book AND selling it. Also strange. (The timing of my prior, self-published book coincided with a return to college and a new career, which sadly resulted in a minimal amount of marketing experience. Hopefully, this will change.) I still feel that the best marketing a writer can do is to write his or her next book, so I'll be returning to Book 2 soon. And maybe then, my grammar software will stop pestering me with reminders of my word-goal failures.

​See you on the marketing trail!    

Success! The first book in my upper middle grade kids' series has been picked up by indie publisher Black Rose Writing and will be released in the summer of 2019! Besides finalizing the manuscript, I'm currently delving into pre-publication marketing ideas and other things I haven't had the pleasure to experience. For now, I'm starting small, with a worldwide book tour of 4,298 cities, an internationally-televised book reading with a backup jazz band, and a diplomatic mission to Mars. After that, I'm getting really serious. Stay tuned!