I’m thrilled you’re here, about to go on this crusade with me. It’s been a long pilgrimage already, writing this book. It started as a few short scenes I typed out during my freshman year of college when I probably should have been studying. Looking back on it, the first draft wasn’t exactly what I would call good now. I spent the rest of my undergraduate chasing girls, playing video games, and wondering why my grades weren’t better. I had this story in the back of my mind, but I wasn’t sure how I wanted to change it in the second draft, so I kept putting it off. In 2014, I had my bachelor’s, and I decided to start writing again in earnest. There were only two problems. I now had a wife and a small baby to provide for, and I also decided to pursue a master’s degree at this time. Though this meant that the next draft took another five years to complete since I scrapped most of the ideas from the first draft outside of a couple characters and the setting, I think the work in front of you is much more mature thanks to my experiences in the interim. My master’s degree gave me a much greater depth of historical and literary knowledge to draw inspiration from, and my time as a husband and father working through grad school broadened my personal experiences enough to give my characters the depth they deserved. I’ve always wanted to be an author. My wife shares in this ambition for herself, and we intend to make this book the first in several series of books set in this world we’ve created. If you enjoy what you read, please post a good review online. That will help us bring more books to you more quickly. Thanks!