My love for reading evolved to the next level in high school. In my Junior year I took a Dual Enrollment English Literature class. The hardest class I have ever taken, and at the same time, the best. The biggest reason for that being the best teacher? Mr. Garcia - no relation. His passion for literature and his dedication to his students struck me. I still remember him reading the likes of William Shakespeare, Dante Alighieri, and so many others with so much passion, it was actually interesting. My favorite memory is when we were reading poems, if I remember correctly and he went on a monologue on the meaning of the poem and what the poet was trying to convey, and half way through his discourse, he stopped, looked at us all, turned, stood on the table behind him, and screamed, “Do you guys understand what I’m saying!?” The entire class erupted in laughter.

 

Although I was a terrible student, and just barely passed his class, it was the defining moment in my life. I thought to myself, “I need to write a book Mr. Garcia would study in his class.” The more time passed by, the more that thought echoed in my mind. It then transformed into something that needed action - now, I needed to write a book that told an exciting story, but also taught a lesson, engaged the reader on a deeper level, and confronted ideas and made people think.

A couple years after high school, I encountered something that would eventually give me the final push into this path I am in now - Dungeons and Dragons. My friends and I would meet up every so often create characters and create stories together. I found a love for creating stories for these characters, but there was one story that stayed in my mind that just needed to be brought to life. Thus, Forged by Fire was born.

All in all, I’m just a simple guy trying to entertain, engage and enrich people, at the same time, my father, my life experiences, and my beliefs, have provided a couple lessons that, where hard learned, that I believe everyone should at least hear. I am currently working on the first book of the Through the Flames series, Forged by Fire.