My story began six years ago in college. I was taking my first creative writing class and was very ambitious. I asked my professor if I could write one large story instead of ten short ones. He cautioned that this could get very challenging, and I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Forty thousand words and just under a semester later, I had something to turn into him; but it wasn’t a novel. I asked for his honest opinion and he said he enjoyed it. He asked me if I looked into publishing, and I said I had thought about it. He suggested that I look into getting some short stories published, so I set forth writing.
As I crafted my short stories I kept in contact with many different History and English professors who would lend me assistance in my research. I wanted my fiction to be believable, so I began to take a historical approach. What if my characters could interact with history; maybe they helped to shape it.
My story opens in a church, and I found one in the city of Cluj that was perfect. I began to research the area and contact local city officials for their take on local history regarding St. Michael’s. I started to craft others into my story as well. For example, some of my characters are present for the excavation of Arnold Paole, who has a very rich vampire history.
Meanwhile my short story fiction was not taking off like I had hoped. I held on to a glimmer of hope, my rejections were getting…longer. Editors were just saying “no,” they were saying, “please try us again. Here are some ideas for improvement.”
I contacted an editor at Renaissance Magazine, and though they publish fiction, I decided to try my hand and write a small documentary on Motte and Bailey castles in England. Just about a year later I received a reply, they would be happy to publish my article…once I trimmed it down from one thousand to six hundred words. A few months later, I realized my dream; I was a published author!
Which brings us to today, my motivation sparked by a personal and life changing event. It is time to take things to the next step. To finish what I started so many years ago. I have a story, it needs to be told, and people are going to want to hear it. I am confident that after chapter one, the audience will not want to stop until the last page is turned, and the last vampire is turned to dust...that is, if the good guys win.
As I crafted my short stories I kept in contact with many different History and English professors who would lend me assistance in my research. I wanted my fiction to be believable, so I began to take a historical approach. What if my characters could interact with history; maybe they helped to shape it.
My story opens in a church, and I found one in the city of Cluj that was perfect. I began to research the area and contact local city officials for their take on local history regarding St. Michael’s. I started to craft others into my story as well. For example, some of my characters are present for the excavation of Arnold Paole, who has a very rich vampire history.
Meanwhile my short story fiction was not taking off like I had hoped. I held on to a glimmer of hope, my rejections were getting…longer. Editors were just saying “no,” they were saying, “please try us again. Here are some ideas for improvement.”
I contacted an editor at Renaissance Magazine, and though they publish fiction, I decided to try my hand and write a small documentary on Motte and Bailey castles in England. Just about a year later I received a reply, they would be happy to publish my article…once I trimmed it down from one thousand to six hundred words. A few months later, I realized my dream; I was a published author!
Which brings us to today, my motivation sparked by a personal and life changing event. It is time to take things to the next step. To finish what I started so many years ago. I have a story, it needs to be told, and people are going to want to hear it. I am confident that after chapter one, the audience will not want to stop until the last page is turned, and the last vampire is turned to dust...that is, if the good guys win.