The Matching Journey of the Hero & Author

Thank you to Ionia for letting me announce that the first book of my fantasy series, Legends of Windemere: Beginning of a Hero, will be marked down to free. It’s been a long ride with this volume since I first published it in early 2013. Prior to that, I started working on it in late 1998 and now I just feel old. So, what do I want to talk about here?

Looking back, I can see how Luke Callindor and I have changed. Neither of us had much of an idea of what we were doing. He stumbled into the path of a demonic assassin and the Lich while I tripped into the world of self-publishing. Our flaws were certainly different with him being the more confident of the two and me being a lot more cautious. Odd how Luke and I don’t really know how we made it this far into our linear adventures. The answers are in our heads, but neither of us can put a clear finger on the details.

Funny thing is how we also met fellow champions/authors who are working toward the same goal. Not to mention a few villains and frustrating obstacles. All of this makes me realize how an adventure isn’t always swords, spells, and satisfying action. I needed another ‘S’ word and I say that works. The point is that I’ve been noticing that my path as an author is mimicking Luke’s as a hero. Unsure if his story is being influenced by me or the other way since the series was planned out a while ago.

The idea of an author and his main character sharing an adventure in some fashion isn’t entirely unique. Many have stated that their heroes are based on parts of their personality or ideals that they want to be. One of the more difficult aspects of this tactic is to put flaws into the characters because it involves a little self-reflection. With Luke, I see my impatience and frustration, which I hope is countered by a sense of determination that I try to share. To be fair, this tends to fail both of us at times of extreme stress. Guess it does show that Luke and I have a bit too much in common.

So enough about me. Have any other authors shared the adventures of their heroes? What about readers seeing themselves in a protagonist? Just how much of us goes into the books that we connect to since it requires us to imagine the worlds within the pages.

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