An ending and a new beginning, my final day in World of Warcraft

In 2010, I entered the Blizzard Short Story Contest. I hadn't written in years, but it rekindled a love for writing and story telling that I had let go in order to pursue a "real career." I dabbled in writing for several years, and joined BlizzardWatch.com in 2016. I took a novel writing class, taught by 21-time New York Times bestselling author, Jerry Jenkins, in 2017 and attended my first writer's conference in 2018.

2020 caused many of us to "go home and rethink our life", and I was no exception. I was splitting the the few hours a day where I wasn't working, eating, or sleeping between writing my novel and playing World of Warcraft.

Neither was getting the time it needed. I saw writer friends finish their books while mine was mired in drafting. At the same time, I wasn't putting in the time to run content. My gear lagged behind and I didn't know the encounters.

I had to make a choice. In April of 2021, I cancelled my World of Warcraft subscription and pursued writing in my free time.

While I had over 20 characters on World of Warcraft, but only two them ever became my 'main', and received the lion's share of my attention. As the day in December approached where my sub would run out, I wanted to find the best spot to park each of them.

The Paladin

Out of all my characters, Honorshammer (Honor's Hammer) was the one I always thought of as 'me' inside the game. He was my main through vanilla, BC, Wrath, half of Cata, MoP, Warlords, Legion, half of BFA, and half of Shadowlands. 

For Honors, I returned to one of my favorite locations in the game, the Sanctum of Light. Honors will look out over the assembled Paladins. Humans. Dwarves. Sunwalkers. Vindicators. Blood Knights. Even a Night Elf and a Dreadlord. All united in their service to the Light and to each other.

The Hunter

In those brief times that Honors wasn't my main, I turned to my Hunter, Theogrun. Hunter was was my second favorite class in World of Warcraft, and provided the perfect change of pace when I had burned out on being a dragon chew toy (aka a tank). 

For Theogrun of the Wildhammer Clan, I returned him to Aerie Peak with his trusty Gryphon, IronEagle, and his long time companion, Hati. He stands watch over the Hinterlands, ever watchful for the day when he will be called upon to protect his home once more.

Big and red until they turn the servers off.

The Key

With my focus solely on writing, I completed my debut novel, The Key to Reality. It'll come out June of 2023. You can go to this page if you'd like to get notified when it releases. All subscribers receive a FREE short story introducing Brandon Song, the main character of the novel.

What is The Key to Reality about? I'm glad you asked:

An Elite Cybersecurity Analyst.  A Desperate Rebellion’s Best Hope.

Brandon thought the assignment was just another standard security assessment. Wrong. As he peels back the layers of a deepening conspiracy, he discovers everything he thought he knew about his reality is a lie. 

And he’s the only one who can save it.

Exiles from another reality see Brandon’s new knowledge as the key to victory over their tyrannical king and his immortal army. Pursued by both loyalists and rebels as he crosses the borders between realities, Brandon must protect his family, while figuring out who to trust. 

Choosing well means rescuing his family, and saving both worlds, but choosing poorly will empower a malevolent evil to wipe out humanity.