As of April 23rd, 2026, I have been working on a mythology series called Reckoning of the Gods for 5,959 days or ​​16 years, 3 months, and 25 days. In that time, I have written 24 different drafts, but I have completed only 5 of those drafts. If there was a least efficient way to write a book, I think I may have found it.

In all seriousness, I cannot count the number of times that I have considered abandoning this story out of frustration, fear, or hopelessness. What if the story’s not good enough? What if I’m not good enough? What if, what if, what if?

I have tried every version of outlining and every version of winging it with varied success. The only constant that I’ve found in every draft is the desire to make another one. So, as I start working on yet another new draft, I find myself asking, “Why bother?”

Truth be told, I don’t know if I will ever finish this series, but I keep finding new ideas that are begging to be explored. New characters keep presenting themselves, and old characters continue to evolve in exciting ways. Part of the reason that I started this website/blog was to keep track of my journey as I attempt to tame the beast that is Reckoning of the Gods. I wanted to capture the highs and the lows of this journey so that one day, I will be able to look back and see how far I’ve come. As I look back at my progress over the last 16 years, 3 months, and 25 days, I can take some pride in the fact that despite every setback so far, I haven’t stopped writing. That’s why I bother, because every day takes me one step closer to my goal of finishing this series.

With that being said, please enjoy the new Prologue for Reckoning of the Gods: Dreamwalker.

Prologue

If you’ve been following me on social media for the past year, you’ve probably heard about Reckoning of the Gods. Given that I stopped writing years ago, there’s a good chance that you might ask yourself, “What exactly is Reckoning of the Gods?” The simple answer is this: it’s a fantasy/mythology story that I’ve been writing off-and-on for approximately nine years. The more complicated answer follows below.

For many years, I was writing two main books—a horror epic called Demon Hunter and a fantasy series called Gorgon. I had attempted writing several other books, but none of them held my interest for very long. With both Demon Hunter and Gorgon, I had no real outline, so after a while it became hard to keep writing consistently. Eventually, the plots became too convoluted for me to finish either of those stories, so I ditched both and started a new series focused on gods and men.

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A scene from Gorgon: the hero Sparta engages Vae in mortal combat.

The first draft of this mythology story commenced on December 29th, 2009 and was abandoned on February 10th, 2010. I originally planned to write a trilogy of books about a king that rose to power with the help of a dastardly god, but after almost nine years and fifteen drafts, the series expanded to five books. The plot changed completely, characters changed completely, and even the gods changed completely. For all intents and purposes, I wasn’t even writing the same story after a certain point, so why do I consider this first draft the beginning of my journey for Reckoning of the Gods?

The answer is simple.

No matter what iteration I’ve been on, Reckoning of the Gods has always been about the struggle between gods and their subjects. I was raised on a steady diet of Greek epics like The Iliad and The Odyssey so when Troy released in 2004, I was disappointed that none of the Greek gods appeared in the movie. Years later, I decided that I would write a story where the gods were alive and very present in the story, just like the original Iliad and Odyssey. So in some ways, Reckoning of the Gods is a response to Troy.

Over these past nine years, I’ve learned many lessons about writing, story, character, motivation, life, etc., and it is my intent to share these lessons with whomever wants to hear them. Reckoning of the Gods isn’t just a series of books; it’s become a part of me. As I read through old drafts, I can see what state my life was in, what hobbies I had, even what books I was reading. While I may never share these older drafts, rest assured that I will impart any relevant knowledge to you, dear reader.

Of course, I don’t intend to only dwell on the past. I’ve finished reviewing nine of the fifteen drafts, searching for any ideas, themes, plots, or characters that I want to save for my next draft. I hope to start outlining the next draft no later than December of this year, and with only six drafts left to review, I’d say my odds are looking good. If you want to learn more about Reckoning of the Gods, simply stay tuned to this website or to my Twitter account. I’m beyond excited to start writing, and the only promise that I’ll make to you now is this:

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