About Me
Well-met and welcome to Lun, friend!
My name is Dalton, and I'm excited to welcome you into the land of Lun and into the world of the Mhong Chronicles in general. I'm currently publishing the first drafts of The Emperor's Dream, an epic fantasy novella about a man who's trying to protect his homeland from cunning invaders.
By subscribing, you'll get a new chapter each week, delivered to you by ye olde email. And let me say it again: these are the first drafts, which means a couple of things. First, you're getting to see this work and this world take shape from the very get-go. That's exciting stuff (at least to me)! Second, the final published version could go through some changes or rewrites.
If that's not something you're into, though, that's totally okay. You can still sign-up or connect with me on social media to make sure you hear about published projects when they're ready.
Do I have to hand over my gold?
Nope! This newsletter is free, and as far as I can see, I don't see much reason to make it paid. I'm not a fan of paying monthly subscriptions, and I'm also wary of putting myself on the hamster wheel of content creation. What if I need to take a vacation? What if we have a child? What if I'm deep in the process of editing an epic novel and don't have time to write a new chapter for you for a few weeks?
Call me old-fashioned, but I like clear expectations. If you toss a coin my way, you ought to know what you're getting out of it. Sure, it can be the warm and fuzzy feeling you get for supporting an artist, but at some point, it'll look like real things you can actually hold (or download, or stream, or...you get the idea).
But what if I want you to take my money?
Oh, well, if you insist. If you want to support the work I'm doing (and mind you, this the only way to support me for now), you can buy me a coffee here.
And yes, I know I said I'm not a fan of subscriptions, but maybe YOU are. In that case, you can subscribe for the paid membership that I have available. It doesn't get you anything extra, at least for now, but if that's more your cup of tea, I won't stop you.
Either way, please know that I am truly grateful for your support, no matter what format it comes in. Each little bit is such an encouragement to me, and is a blessing to my family.
A little more about me
I'm originally from small-town Kansas, but I currently call Southeast Asia home, along with my wife Hannah and our german shepherd named Ova.
I honestly don't remember when fantasy first stepped into my life. Ever since I can remember, I've loved stepping into other worlds. From Pokemon, to Eragon, Wheel of Time, and Dungeons and Dragons, I've always believed that life would be better with swords and a little bit of magic.
But why do I write? That's a great question. One that I keep circling back to. Every time I pin it down, it seems like it has wiggled around a bit by the time I get back to it. But here are a few reasons I'm pretty confident in:
- The Lord is creative, and He has made us as people to be creative as well. This is something I've known since long before I had words to articulate it. I must create things. Songs, stories, games, whatever it is, there are things inside me that must come out, and trying to dam that river is an exercise in futility.
- I believe magic is real, and art is what helps people see it. No, not in a weird, hippie kind of way. What I mean is that God has given us a beautiful, wonderful world. Yes, there is suffering, but that's a conversation for another time. There really is good underneath the mess, and in this 21st-century hustle and bustle culture, we're rarely able to see it. I think good art can pull us back to what really matters. The longings you feel to be like the heroes in the stories you read? Or to see justice done and evil vanquished? Those are magical longings that your office-job won't stir up in you. I'll say it again. Magic is real, and art is what helps people to see it. And it's this magic in the world that can be one of the first steps in leading people Home.