Unsolicited Transmission #1

I've long considered doing a blog, but I always struggled with deciding on what to say.

Not that I have nothing to say, just... who cares?

I'm a writer. I've wanted to write since I was 7 years old, and I remember it vividly. I saw Star Wars for the first time, and I was captivated by that galaxy far, far away. I had never seen anything like it before, and found myself immediately consumed with the possibilities of space-faring adventures across the stars.

I enjoyed the Original Trilogy, and I was at the right age to enjoy the Prequel Trilogy when it rolled through theaters.

Although in retrospect, it could have been done better. Much better.

I was also at the right age when the Expanded Universe (now called "Legends") of books were coming out. I remember spending a lot of time at the local library checking out The Courtship of Princess Leia, the Han Solo Trilogy, the New Jedi Order series, and of course the penultimate Thrawn Trilogy. I loved those books almost as much as I hated the Sequel Trilogy of films for destroying the incredible stories contained in those books.

I struggled for a long time to figure out how to write, and I continue to struggle to figure out how to write better. I don't know if I'll ever win awards or get a movie deal or even make it big as an author, but none of those things are the reason why I write.

I write because I want to tell good stories with relatable characters that mean something to someone.

In the same way the books I read as a kid captivated me, I want to give that gift to someone else. It's funny that I thought of Star Wars when I started writing this, because in a lot of ways, I trace the origins of my passion for writing with the first time I saw the films. As I've grown up and broadened my horizons, I've read a ton of other books that are far superior in my opinion, yet they receive almost no notoriety in comparison. I don't mean to talk down about Star Wars; it has earned its place as a cultural phenomenon, and there's a solid argument to be made that many things that came after can trace their inspiration to it (myself included), but the way it has developed since a certain mouse got its claws on it has been, with few exceptions (looking at you, Rogue One and The Mandalorian) a disservice to those of us who grew up on the Original Trilogy.

I say all this to say that I endeavor not to make that same mistake with my own writing.

I will provide updates on my writing, release schedule, and current Works in Progress in the September newsletter, which will be emailed to subscribers in the next few days. In the mean time, check back next week for a new post!

And, just for fun, I'll leave a link below to the Thrawn Trilogy, which are my personal favorite Star Wars books I've ever read.

The Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn