The Final Lesson Duology

 

 

 

I never imagined that I could finish a series as a published author. My life has always been incredibly busy, incredibly… tedious, to say the least. Five years ago, when I started getting truly serious about publishing, this was a distant dream for me. But as of September 13th, 2018, a crowning achievement as a writer came to fruition. I completed a duology, and a great one at that.

What is “The Final Lesson?”

Every story has its beginning, and mine is certainly no different.

The year was 2016, and it was early October, just weeks away from the legendary crunch month for everyone looking to create their own new project, or continue current ones: National Novel Writing Month. 50,000 words in a month, always a challenge for me, but some do double that in that slot of time. It was going to be my first, and I was more than happy to participate and see what the buzz was about.

I already had some ideas in mind, but they clicked into place one night while working my shift at Walmart. Sometimes, I feel like that moment of connect was pure luck, because I tended to become so stressed while working there that I would lose most of my ideas, but that’s beside the point. We’re here to talk of magic, epiphanies, not agony.

I could write a story about a young witch that’s on a pilgrimage. Bit by bit, the story lined up my fantasy. A prince and his servant. Friendships growing. War. Wonder. Mystic. Wisdom. Chaos, cataclysm. All things that I loved in my favorite escape.

You might ask: why a witch? That’s a common-fold journey to walk through. Well, it wasn’t always as simple as you’d think. My inspiration for a witch came from one particular source.

Kiki’s Delivery Service

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My biggest inspiration for this story came from not only my love of video games, fantasy, and all things magical, but a very distinctive aspect of my early childhood. 

When I was about six years old, I had a massive phase where every time that I went to my local video store with my mom, who knew the owner pretty well, I wanted to pick up the Studio Ghibli movie “Kiki’s Delivery Service.” 
 
At the time, I didn’t know anything about anime spare watching Pokemon and Digimon extensively. But “Kiki’s Delivery Service” was different–Kiki was an early inspiration for me due to her positive nature and willingness to change. What set her apart from the Pokemon trainers and the Digidestined… all of her skills came from a lineage, and she was born to become a powerful witch.
 
I wanted to be a witch too, more than anything.
 
I thought of flying through the night sky on a broomstick when I turned thirteen, and getting to explore other cities and become a better person by meeting new people. Part of that got to come true, at least. I never got the dream of becoming a witch… but I did get to meet new people and grow from it. And if I couldn’t ride on a broomstick to other places, why not have someone else do it in my place?
 
That led to the birth of Leilana Erovina, a young girl blessed with magic from an heirloom of her late brother, a gift from her fallen clan: a grimoire called the Lasette. She is given the opportunity to become a Warlord, a powerful mage that can become a quintessential guardian within the realm of Adrylis. Her thirst for knowledge was her driving force for her character’s development, as she is always willing to learn more about new places, new people, and to see what lies ahead of her. That is only amplified when she meets the Prince of a recently-fallen kingdom, Remiel Vesarus, and his servant/guardian/best friend, Solus Brenner. 
 
Kiki and Leilana couldn’t be more different in personality. But I hope that Leilana one day holds as much inspiration for someone as Kiki did for me. Thank you, Hayao Miyazaki, for giving her to me.

Taking Initiative

“My drive stems from my love of character development, and you’re likely to find at least one character that you love in this saga. Each and every one has a growth that buds like a wildflower in an empty field, just waiting to be uncovered.”

One thing that sets “The Final Lesson” apart from other stories I’ve written is the creation of my first true relationship formed over time. An intentional romance that still buds like a rose and allows the petals to wilt and fall as the story progresses. 

Before Leilana and Solus’s romantic relationship truly blossomed in my mind, and still stands as my favorite that I’ve written, I avoided romance in my fantasies like the plague. I was very skilled at writing other developments in friendships, crushes, and even brotherhoods. But this was my first true pairing that I wrote and established from the very beginning and came to adore the more that they interacted. They deserved a chance.

Still, much like my other works, they aren’t the only relationship to blossom. Solus and Remiel had a close friendship from the beginning of the story, acting as best friends, brothers, and also have an odd closeness as Servant and Lord due to Remiel’s royal lineage. Their friendship has a lot of testaments that grow throughout the story, willing to test them in leaps and bounds due to leaving home and being away from watchful eyes. There’s also the friendship between Sien Kaiser and Leilana, the first female bond that either of them shared, and one that develops by mere chance in Sien’s tavern. More complexingly, there’s also a bond between Leilana and a former classmate, Amiria Farone, and their friendship with Lancett Lune.

What Comes Next?

What projects do I next have in mind? Well, I’ll be honest with you, the possibilities are never-ending. I have so many stories in mind, and I’m presently devoting my time to working on anthologies, practicing working on shorter stories.

But fret not. You will be seeing me around.

Thank you for following my works, and continuing to support me! I look forward to the future, always.

A Little Self-Promo

Want to grab the duology? Well, good news!

Both books are available here: Duology

BUT they are also shifting to become live on multiple platforms including Google, Kobo, and more, starting on September 20th for book one and the 27th for book two! See? Possibilities are endless! Come support the release, and keep looking for magic!