Years ago, I started writing a book. When I say years, I really mean decades. This book, a fantasy novel, told the story of Darr Reintol and his many, many friends as they sought out the Chosen of the Light. Like many of the books I’d been reading at the time, this was to be an epic fantasy. In true epic fashion, my story spanned thousands of years in a world rich with a culture and history of its own, with many different characters, each with their own individual stories. At the time, I believed I’d written a truly engaging book, something that any reader of epic fantasy would love.
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The world of publishing did not agree. Rejection after rejection made me try another angle by seeking an agent, and again, I could find no purchase. I divided up my novel, creating three books, and after another year of submission, I finally landed a publisher and an editor. It was only then that I found what may have been the fatal flaw in my writing.
 
Story.

Story is the truth behind all that my writing does, for it is the storytelling that so fascinates me. Since before I could write, I loved telling stories, creating new worlds and things and people with my imagination. But story is what lacked in my novel as well, for in trying to pack in everything epic, I lost my narrative.
 
When my editor, Shawn Howen, first told me how much I needed to cut from my first book, I was distraught. I insisted I needed every bit of information, every bit of history, and every odd perspective in order to make the story work. Shawn disagreed. Fortunately, she saw the story laying beneath the scattered histories and perspectives. She knew I was writing about Darr, which is very true, but I was also writing about the world of Ictar, too.
 
What does the history of the Ancients have anything to do with how Darr feels and what actions he takes? When I tell the story from the point of view of some distant character not even connected to Darr, am I furthering Darr’s story or my own? If I view my story with Darr as linear, any time I drop into a rambling about my world’s history or another point-of-view, I’m creating a stress point in my line. With too many stress points, my line, and my story, crumbles.
 
I suffered, but I recovered. Like the true storyteller I aspire to be, I refocused my thoughts and edited my book accordingly. I told my story about Darr.
 
In the end, I’ve become a much better writer and storyteller, but all of these memories of revising is coming back to me because it’s happening again. Currently, I’m working on the third and final book in my series, but the story I always believed was there just isn’t there. It has become the story that never was, because I have changed as a writer, leaving me with parts that no longer fit. The solution is figuring out where the real story is, and for me, that will be a point of some frustration, but also fun. I haven’t had the chance to create new material in this book for a long time. In find the story that never was, I’m tasked with finding the story that will be.

I've written a lot of fantasy. I mean, duhhh, it's kind of what I do. I don't only write fantasy, but fantasy has always appealed to me. Fantasy gives me the latitude to stretch my imagination to someplace not only fictional, but unbelievable. It's a world where one can immerse themselves and breath in the wonder of a world so different from our own. 

The fantasy books I'm currently working on, The Chosen of the Light, is set within a somewhat typical epic fantasy world. Horses and castles, magic, long walks, dark creatures. I'm not saying that to belittle what it is I write, only to illuminate the concept. The world of The Chosen of the Light shares similarities with other epic fantasies... until Reller comes along.

Book Three, Devoid, isn't out yet, so I have to tread carefully, but at a point during my main character's journey, he comes across a man named Reller (I've changed names slightly). Reller isn't your typical epic fantasy character. He's a man who deals in something like blackmarket trading (without explicitly saying it), and though he has a calm demeanor, he manipulates and teases. It's brutally apparent to my main character he shouldn't get involved with Reller, but he ends up doing so out of necessity.

The thing about Reller is that writing him is very different from the epic fantasy world I tend to create within. He's a real world villain, in fact, Reller is a man who is easily relatable to our own real world. He's manipulative. He tells lies with a smile on his face. He's ruthless when he doesn't get what he wants, and all he does is want.

But when I write about Reller, something happens in my writing, a feeling I haven't had in years. Reller gets me excited about the story I'm telling. I've been working on The Chosen of the Light for over 20 years now, and it's difficult to have that same feeling of excitement after so many years. Reller is a new addition to my book after multiple rewrites, but he's still 5 years old or more. What makes him such a great character is his draw to the real world, the world I tend not to work in, and how fun it is to mesh the two worlds together.

As a writer, perhaps branching out into other genres is important to our craft. Perhaps sticking to one genre is fine, however figuring out how other genres might play into is important in learning how to write and how to develop a story. Either way, Reller is staying in my story, and maybe, just maybe, I'll keep him around for another.

The antagonists of my latest fantasy novel, Soul Seekers, are none other than the Soul Seekers themselves. On the surface of things, Soul Seekers appear as just another fantasy trope, another type of Nazgûl or Skull Bearer, faithful servants to the really big bad guy. Like the aforementioned, the Soul Seekers are dressed all in black with formless faces, wielding deadly claws that can tear their victims apart, but are they really just another cliché laying waste to a fantasy world? Is there more to the Soul Seekers that that?

A Mysterious Origin
                      
As some of you already know, the Soul Seekers first appear in the fantasy world of Ictar in small groups. Brutal and ruthless, the Seekers attack travelers and small communities in remote areas, leaving only the dead in their wake and taking nothing from them. Many believe the Soul Seekers to be mortal men who, for whatever reasons, delight in the killing of innocents. The various governments of Ictar search in different ways for the Soul Seekers, but no trace of their movements can be found. Could it be that the force of magic, long believed under the control of the Divine, has somehow fallen into the hands of men once more?
 
Magic, and the “Rules” of the Divine
 
In the world of Ictar, four Sephirs control the forces of nature. The Sephirs are crystalline relics from another age, and they each contain vast amounts of energy that control one of the elements of Earth, Air, Fire, or Water. When a Sephir is seated on its altar, it is connected to the spirit world, thereby allowing a free flow of its energy into the land. When it is removed, the Sephir begins to lose its energy, thus reducing the balance between the Four Elements and nature itself.
 
For this reason, the governments of Ictar gave control of the Sephirs over to the Divine, a religious sect, who guard and care for them. More importantly, the Divine have vowed to keep anyone from drawing on the energy, or magic, within the Sephirs. Anyone shown to use magic is believed to be harvesting energy from the Sephirs, and they will be subjected to the laws of the Divine. The Soul Seekers, believed to be users of magic, draw the attention of the Divine and, by extension, the leaders of Ictar.
 
A Different Kind of Magic
 
What the people of Ictar would soon discover is the Soul Seekers are not users of magic. In fact, the Soul Seekers are creations of magic, and they are in no way associated with the magical energies within the Sephirs. The aforementioned spirit world, through which the energy of the Sephirs interacts with the natural world, shares a close connection with all living creatures. An energy called the Light, the basis for all life in the natural world, runs throughout the spirit world. When a creation dies in the natural world, the Light flows back to the spirit realm.
 
The Soul Seekers are born from the Light itself. Created with the sole purpose of stealing more of the Light for their master, operate like a force of nature. They seek out the Light of the living and destroy the flesh binding it to the natural world. No other motive drives them. They do not use reason. They do not get afraid or angry. Unlike other fantasy “dark forces” the Soul Seekers simply exist, going wherever their master sends them. If an obstacle sits in their path, they run around it or over it, much like a flooding river.
 
To learn more about the Soul Seekers, please check out The Chosen of the Light series by Jon Carlin Shea.

Growing up, I was involved pretty heavily with my church, and while that part of my life has passed, many of those experiences (as all experiences do) shaped me into the person I am today. So, it’s no surprise that those experiences helped shape my writing and the worlds I create.

When I was in middle school, I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Jamaica on a mission trip. This was my first trip out of the country (sorry, Canada doesn’t count), and it was the farthest I’d ever flown on an airplane. Did I mention I was traveling to a third world country, one I knew next to nothing about? I was anxious, excited, and completely unsure of what to expect.
 
So, when I met Martin, it’s no surprise that he would turn into the basis of one of my most important characters.

Martin was one of the missionaries residing in Jamaica. He helped shuttle us around, introduced us to the people, and taught us about the culture and the land. I remember him being tall and intimidating, but he was charismatic in his own way. He had wide features and a deep voice, and I couldn’t help but listen to him any time he had something to say. I felt like I’d be missing something if I didn’t.
 
When I really got serious about The Chosen of the Light, I began rewriting and fleshing out my characters, turning them into real people. Most of my characters had always been real in my mind, so fleshing them out wasn’t too much of a problem, but there was one that I couldn’t get a grasp on. Nidic Waq, the prophet featured throughout my series, and arguably one of the most important characters. Spirit Summoner might be about Darr, but Darr is driven and guided by Nidic Waq.
 
My problem with Nidic Waq was I didn’t have a good handle on him. He was a wizard-type character in my mind, but that’s all I really had on him. Besides, he wasn’t a wizard, he was a prophet and a Spirit Summoner. He didn’t have any human characteristics, and I knew that had to change. No one in my life really seemed to embody the characteristics I imagined he should have, and so I had a difficult time trying to make him into a “real person”.
 
Martin, the missionary from Jamaica, finally helped me figure it out. Martin with his intimidating presence nonetheless drew me in and made me want to listen to whatever he had to say. He was the perfect basis for Nidic Waq. Of course, I gave my character my own little tweaks, making him exactly what I envisioned, but if it wasn’t for meeting Martin, I don’t know that he’d be the same character he is today.
 
I found out a couple years later that Martin had left his position as a missionary, turning away from friends and family, but that never discouraged me. If anything, it made me realize Martin, like Nidic Waq, was human, and prone to dreams and desires. I looked at Nidic Waq in an entirely new way, as a human who’d made certain decisions that led him in a certain direction. Maybe one day, his choices will take him down a different path.

The Soul Seekers have finally arrived, and the Chosen of the Light series continues. Available now in eBook format (paperback coming soon), Soul Seekers follows the story of young Spirit Summoner, Darr Reintol, on his journey to find the Chosen. Of course, nothing in life is ever that easy. Darr is in a state of despair, and with the Soul Seekers arriving in force, the world of Ictar is in more danger than ever!

AVAILABLE FROM THE FOLLOWING RETAILERS:
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​With the power to tap into the spirit world and summon the power of the elements, Darr finds no joy in his newfound abilities. His power is a curse, bringing destruction, solitude, and worse, death.
                                  
To make matters more complicated, Darr’s fight against the Soul Seekers has been a futile one. The Soul Seekers have returned in force, summoned by the dark mists of the Devoid. The armies of Ictar believe they know how to fight the coming war, but the Soul Seekers and their master have deep-seeded plans.
 
The battle ahead will be fought on two fronts: the armies of Ictar must hold off the advancing Soul Seekers while Darr finds a way to balance the Four Elements. Between Darr’s fractured psyche and the Devoid’s unexpected ability to reach into the physical world, the odds are stacked against them.

The Chosen of the Light Series continues with Soul Seekers, coming out Wednesday, Dec.16th. Get familiar with the featured characters:

The Soul Seekers, Devourers of the Light

​The Devoid, locked within a prison upheld by the Sephirs' magic, needed a way to break into the physical world. It could send magic out of its prison, but it lacked the strength to do anything more. Until it figured out how to summon the Soul Seekers. Created from the Light itself, the Soul Seekers are shaped to look like death, quick, cold, and without mercy.

The Devoid's summonings of the Soul Seekers brings them in a thick mist that acts as a shelter for they are severely weakened during the day. Once they're released from their mists, they attack in swarms, using their claws and sheer numbers to overcome their enemies and rob them of their Light. The Seekers' only real weakness are the cloth robes that compose their bodies and bind them to the physical world. Fire and steel are effective weapons against them, but when they are so many, not even that will be enough.

The Chosen of the Light Series continues with Soul Seekers, coming out Wednesday, Dec.16th. Get familiar with the featured characters:

Nidic Waq, the Prophet of Caeranol

The wandering "prophet", Nidic Waq is known throughout Ictar as a worker of strange magic and a foreteller of things to come. Rumor says he was chosen by the guardian Archon, Caeranol, to warn the people of Ictar of danger, though most only see a charlatan. Despite the rumors, Nidic Waq possesses the abilities of a Spirit Summoner, although on a greater scale than any other, except Darr Reintol. 

Following his departure from Darr, Nidic Waq traveled to the city of Jacova where the Cortazian Men and the Dwarves gather. Though they were believed destroyed at the battle of Navda, signs of the Soul Seekers' return grows evident. Nidic Waq is at the forefront of the fight ahead, but even his considerable power might not be enough to stop them.

The Chosen of the Light Series continues with Soul Seekers, coming out Wednesday, Dec.16th. Get familiar with the featured characters:

Darr Reintol, the Spirit Summoner

Gifted with the power to speak with the spirits and harness the elements of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water, Darr was recruited into the conflict against the Soul Seekers. Tasked with restoring the Sephirs, the pillars of magic that uphold the elements, Darr set out to do just that, but the powers of a Spirit Summoner turned out to be much harder to master than he imagined.

The official release date for Soul Seekers, Book Two in The Chosen of the Light Series, has been announced. Mark your calendars for December 16th. If you're interested in providing a review, I have advanced reader copies available. Please contact me using the form below.

​All-out war with the Soul Seekers is about to begin, and only the Spirit Summoner can bring together the force that will stop them. But with his fractured psyche and terrifying new powers, Darr might be the greatest threat Ictar has ever known.

We all have another personality within us. Sometimes this personality escapes in a fit of rage or under some tremendous pressure. Sometimes it appears during a party or a social outing, saving us from the anxiety of being around other human beings. Sometimes our "other" personality stalks us, hiding in the shadows, waiting for that moment of weakness when it can pounce and become a part of us, taking us over.

All of these examples in some form embody what (or should I say 'who') Jon Carlin Shea is for me. Of course, Matt Campbell is alive and well. Writing is something I care deeply about, and writing fantasy, is an important part of my personality, but there's a large degree of relief associated with Jon Carlin Shea.

A NEW FACE

Anxiety, in one form or another, surrounds me in my everyday life. It's a part of who I am, and I've accepted that. In my every day life, I try to figure out ways to integrate it into my life rather than try to push it away. Jon Carlin Shea will help immensely in this area.

Writing and fantasy are huge parts of my life, and yet, I often find myself very shy in talking about it. Jon Carlin Shea puts a buffer between me and the source of my feelings. I'm no longer the dead center of attention, and I find I can still talk about this thing I love. I even feel as though I can reach out to strangers where I couldn't before because I'm Matt Campbell, a huge fantasy fan, telling someone about a fantasy author, Jon Carlin Shea. There's a degree of separation that removes the pressure, and suddenly, I'm passionate again.

FURTHER REACH

Before I decided to take the name of Jon Carlin Shea, I gave myself some serious time to consider the implications. I really wanted to understand my reasons for doing it, which turned into understanding my reasons for being a writer. I write for many different reasons. I write for therapy, and I write to share my thoughts. But my biggest reason for writing is to tell stories. I love to tell stories and take people on adventures.

One day, I'd love to be successful enough to write and tell stories for a living. In order to do that, I need to practice my craft and improve it. I have to work at it all the time, but I also need readership, and in the digital age, your name can be a big deal. Matt Campbell's are everywhere. Artists, football players, physicists, and even other writers all share my name. How can I expect to be found in this digital age when I'm but one of many, many Matt Campbells? The answer was fairly simple, a recommendation from my wife (and promoter). Change my name. Create a name that's different, that no one else has, something that is searchable across the interwebs and unique. Hopefully, given time and some good writing, my reach as Jon Carlin Shea will be much further than Matt Campbell's.

THE ALTERNATE EGO

​One of the biggest challenges for  writing is getting into the mindset to create. Sure, I have times that I devote to writing, and oftentimes, I write during these times. However, my mind is often not in the right place, and I end up slopping out buttermilk instead of churning sweet, creamy butter. But having a pen name is a little like having an alter ego. Matt Campbell can have all sorts of crap floating around in his head, but Jon Carlin Shea has work to do.

A big part of my life is figuring out cues, both physical and mental. I work hard at recognizing when my blood pressure is going up, or when certain words I use could clue me into something I'm thinking about in the back of my mind. Mental cues are important, too. Reminding myself to think a certain way or to ask myself a question can completely reverse the onset of anxiety. The same can be true of my writing. Simply thinking to myself "I'm Jon Carlin Shea, and Book Three isn't going to edit itself" is a huge step in the right direction. It's a cue to Matt Campbell to stop thinking about the family budget and my favorite Final Fantasy game and focus on what Jon Carlin Shea needs to accomplish in a morning or an evening or writing.

In his introduction to The Bachman Books, Stephen King says some interesting things about his pseudonym:

He adds:

That being said, this is the last I'll say about Jon Carlin Shea. Matt Campbell, the author of Spirit Summoner, might just step back into the shadows. Jon Carlin Shea, the author of Soul Seekers will step forward. I wonder what kind of writer he'll be, but I know for sure he will work hard at it.

SOURCE: “Why I was Bachman,” The Bachman Books 1985