The Soothsayer
Release date: June & July 2023
Released on: Amazon, Goodreads, Reedsy Discover & Inkitt (sample)
Synopsis
Colin Devereaux is a teen in crisis. He’s an outcast at school, a target for bullies, and a helpless bystander as he watches his single mother wither from cancer. But those problems pale to the things he can’t explain – the dark creatures he’s spied lurking over his sleeping mother’s form, the strange old shopkeeper at the marina who seems to know Colin’s mind, and the mysterious puzzle box that the old man trades for Colin’s name.
The line of reality blurs as the puzzle box opens, revealing a path to another world, and a clue that may save his mother’s life. Stranded in a kingdom devastated by darkness and war, Colin joins a ragtag resistance against evil forces to find salvation for his mother and himself.
Inspiration
I originally wrote The Soothsayer as a short story for my wife, who’s an avid fantasy reader. I saw a lot of the e-books she was going through and after scanning one of them (book one of thirteen million in the whatever fantasy trope series) I realized I could probably create something just as good, if not better. Little did I know this little tale would grow and the adventures of Colin and his friends would take up the next five years of my life. I’d never written a novel before, and even after the tenth draft, I felt like I might not be able to master it. Still, the themes of casting light in a world of darkness, speaking truth to power, and finding the courage to carry your faith seem just as relevant today as when I started it. The book is now available for purchase on Amazon.com. You can read a sample of The Soothsayer on Inkitt.com.