When you enter the game room, you find that it bustles with as much activity as the ballroom. This masked character invites you to try your hand at cards...
Somewhere in the depths of a business class at the University of San Diego, I decided to become a writer. Now deciding to flip your career plan on its head during a single moment of epiphany isn’t exactly stable ground, yet in a way, the decision was a long time coming. I’d spent much of my childhood digging into stories, and in my teen years, I became even more fanatical over my favorite books. Maybe growing up in the mountains outside San Diego contributed to this passion: A dial-up internet connection and nine acres of raw land left great room for imagination.
When I did decide to try my hand at storytelling, I didn’t know where to start. As a child, I wrote short stories that ran into brick walls. You probably did too. Then I turned back to the works of the authors I admired and came to another realization: All my favorite series were planned out in detail before they were written. That’s when the light bulb flicked on.
I spent my last year at USD plotting a large-scale story—and had a great time doing it. The Card Game series emerged, the four-part tale I’m working to complete. Now more than ever, I appreciate the way characters are propelled through journeys, the way new places and situations can be explored. Even my hobbies reflect that appreciation: Writing a story is a lot like juggling—keeping tension in play up to the very climax—or chess—developing the your pieces in the opening, fighting for position in the middle game, and in the endgame, searching for a solution to checkmate.
I can happily say I have no intention of laying the pen down. Hopefully I’ll be crafting stories for decades to come. My goal is to give readers back the some of the enjoyment books gave me. And if I can do that to any extent, I’ll be content.
Levi's latest creation is...
The Card Game, Book 1
by Levi Stack
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* image source: mask
