Strength Based Wizard

Hello everyone,

I wanted to drop in for a moment to say some things.

First, I wanted to say thank you from the bottom of my heart to each and every one of you who have read and supported the beginning of STRENGTH BASED WIZARD.

When I revisited writing seven months ago, it had been over a decade since I last attempted to write anything

. When I was younger, my mind was constantly thinking of stories, but when it came time to do the hard, ass-in-chair work of actually writing, I would hit such mental hurdles that I would be left staring at a blank page with that blinking cursor taunting me. Eventually, I grew up, got a real job, and moved on with my life. Until an opportunity came along where I had stretches of time to put my energy into creative projects. While I had stopped trying to write, I never stopped coming up with stories. Hundreds, thousands of imaginary characters and epic tales just living inside my head. So, the opportunity was a blessing in disguise. I eventually wrote the first 50,000 words of A Crucible of Light - my first story - and published it onto Royal Road. Some might not call it a success, but it hit Rising Stars, peaking at #10, and finding an absolutely awesome audience who is still following that story.

I went back to my normal life and real job grind, but I've kept up with writing. I've probably become a little insane about it, if I'm being honest. Because despite now having less free time on my hands, I've found myself continuing to write not only my first story, but others. This includes DEVOUR, which is also currently on Rising Stars and, of course, STRENGTH BASED WIZARD.

Part of what keeps me going is that I'm sharing my writing with you all, as opposed to clacking away at some trunk novel that may never see the light of day. Royal Road is such an awesome platform, and the reader community here is second-to-none. So, it's because of you that I continue to write. Every Follow, Favorite, Review, and Comment make my day and fuel me to continue writing, to continue storytelling, to continue improving and Levelling Up!

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Second, as a show of thanks for the early support and to celebrate hitting Rising Stars, I wanted to share the first piece of original artwork for this story. The piece was created by Vladimir Solnyshko and depicts our hero, Joseph Sullivan, together his slimy companion, Jelly Boy (though, I have to admit, slightly smaller than he is meant to be in the actual story

). Some of you may be joining us from Reddit and have already seen this, but for all you others, please enjoy!

In the future, let me know in the Comments if there are any particular scenes you'd love to see illustrated one day.

Finally, I wanted to take a moment to appreciate STRENGTH BASED WIZARD making its way onto Rising Stars. I'm not sure how high it might climb, but I'm very proud of this accomplishment. SBW is very different from my other stories in a number of ways, but largely centered around the fact that SBW is a far, far more personal story: it's set in our modern world, the story is written in first person present tense, and I draw on many aspects from my own life. While this story is far from a self-insert, it goes to show that the old adage of "write what you know" truly does work. I hope the bits and pieces I pull from the world around me have enhanced your experience in reading this story.

As an author who writes speculative fiction, I think our job is the same as writers in other genres (including literary fiction): to find some kernel of truth, latch onto it, and let it be the guiding star of our story. I try to do that with all of my stories, but it has come particularly easy in Joseph's story. I hope as we get further along on this journey, you find yourself agreeing with me.

Anyways, I need to get some coffee and get back to writing! Thank you, again!

Cheers,

RM