In just five days, the first of three books starts multiplying into print.

The first of a trilogy. A saga. A story.

It’s hard to believe I’ve finally made it here. This adventure started over four years ago when I received the first inklings of ideas for The Reinhold Chronicles. Those ideas morphed and developed—even going through a phase where they were a movie script, of all things—before finally settling into what they are now. I started writing The Fiery Arrow in October 2014. It took me a long time to write, especially considering it’s a fairly lean 70,000 words. I finished the first draft July 1, 2015—almost nine months later.

A few family members read the book, and I put it aside, focusing on writing the second book. (Don’t worry, you will learn the title in time.) The second book, while a good bit longer, only took me three months to complete. I then turned my attentions back to TFA, jumping headfirst into editing. And it really was headfirst. I learned a lot right in the middle of it, largely thanks to my editor Linda Yezak.

And I cut everything close—too close. I ended up with just three months to hire a cover designer, film and produce a book trailer, design the interior of the book myself, send the book to beta readers, and make final edits. Oh, and I also decided I wanted a hand-drawn map in the text.

It’s clearly a miracle that it has all come together in the end. I owe it all to the grace of God and the talented efforts of others.

Damonza, who designed and redesigned until we got the perfect cover:

Kelsey, calligrapher-turned-cartographer who agreed to have a go at Celtic fantasy mapmaking. She whipped up something beautiful and believable from my scrawled sketches.

(All her art is amazing and can be found at: https://www.instagram.com/kelsdoesart/.)

I truly can’t wait for you all to enjoy this book. As Edna Mode says in The Incredibles, “This project has completely confiscated my life, darling!” I suppose I hope it confiscates a little bit of yours, too.

P.S. Did someone say something about an early reveal of Chapter One? Perhaps so.