As I continue to create this world, whether I end up calling it Iron Gospel or Iron Oath, I keep circling these questions: why would a reader care, and what makes this fictional world worth saving?
In answering that question, I know that I don’t want to just throw timelines, story arcs, and various characters at you the reader, just to get something in print. Or write something to shock you for shock’s sake. It's my goal for you to become immersed in this world; to have you emotionally invested in each of the main characters, both protagonists and antagonists, and several of the minor characters as well.
All that said, here's my goal, or promise if you will. If I ask you to care about a gunfighter, a grieving boy, a witch, a revolver, or even a book, I better care first. This isn’t a spectacle. I'm not writing violence for the sake of violence. I'm writing something I want to last and to endure. If this world deserves saving and expressing, it's worth building slow and right. Yes, I want this story to feel haunted and mystical, but I also want it embraced by you and kept.
Like I wrote earlier, you will see posts like this giving you a glimpse into my creative process. I'll also continue to drop snippets of the lore, both background and current, that shape this world and its characters.
So, let me peel back the curtain a bit and let you in. This story and world have been with me for almost 20 years. It came to me in bed one night, and no, I didn’t get much sleep. It’s a dark fantasy drama set in the old west. I spent most of the night running through each character. How did they react when things happened? How did they feel in different situations? What motivates them? How do they grow? Do they live or die, and does that further the mythos and story? But most importantly, what makes you want to know more about them and how much tension and drama can you process in each scene and chapter without feeling lost and overwhelmed? There have been many more such nights over the years. This just won't let me go.
The Iron Oath series, there I go again switching the name, is currently planned as a five book series. The series arc is blocked out, but it's not rigid. I let the story go where it wants to some degree, staying maybe not in its lane, but at least on the same road. More on that in a later post.
The story is organic. The writing is my own. Full disclosure, I do bounce scene ideas and dialogue sections off my wife for her opinion, but for the most part it is me on these pages. You'll see influences from Cormac McCarthy, Stephen King, Brad Thor, Tom Clancy and even Longfellow and the Apostle Paul. Although Longfellow and Paul tend to get wordy for my taste, they're there nonetheless.
Even the lore cards are drawn by me. I did seek help for the font pairings (I didn’t know it mattered until recently). I do hope you enjoy them. If you noticed, the cards are not all alike. There will be a series for each book. Each series has its own color scheme, fonts, and sigil.
So, this is the promise to you, I'm pledging to keep. This world isn’t perfect, but I'm building it with care and my love for this story. I want it to mean something to you. So, if you are reading, watching, and listening, I thank you. You are also part of what makes this world worth saving.
