Also known as… Me.
Why?
Well, for starters…
I closed The Goblet of Fire after Chapter 4 as a kid and thought, what a horrible job it must be to write so many pages for a living. Oh, the irony will never be lost on me.
That’s strike one.
I never “came out of the womb” knowing I wanted to be a writer. I wanted to be a footballer or a marine biologist. (Still think I'd make quite the dolphin whisperer, but I digress.)
Strike two.
I didn’t pick up another fiction book until I was well into my 20s (for all the curious minds reading this, the book that pulled me back into reading was “The Waiting” by Joe Hart. Quite the creepy supernatural thriller. Highly recommended, which is rare here in the Legion).
That’s strike three.
And this next one? It’s borderline sacrilegious:
I still don’t read much fiction; perhaps 2-3 books per year. I am guilty of watching far more than I read; a habit I am looking to change with my Audible subscription.
I’d say that’s strike four and five.
But I blame big books and school for this aversion.
Sit me down with a fat paperback and I’ll mysteriously find something else to do.
I’ve gone through six therapists already for this issue, and all six were promptly fired. The last one’s parting words suggested that I — Overlord & Saviour of the realm — might be the issue… not the books.
What utter baloney that is.
I swiftly got Lyara onto the case and strangely, that was the last I ever heard of them.
In any case, this aversion (self-inflicted or otherwise) is the reason I write shorter fantasy novels, which, in this genre, is like plunging a stake into the heart of Gandalf.
Does that make me a fake author, or simply an unorthodox one?
I’ll let you decide.
In the meantime, if you’d like to see the fantasy worlds this fake author is capable of bringing to life on the page (or via your ears), then you can start your journey with Book #1 of The Divided Region here:
👉 Exiled (available in E-Book & Audiobook)
For all other retailers:
Go here
DJJW