#66

Honoring a Mentor

Adults who are young at heart will love these fully illustrated novels featuring black-and-white illustrations drawn by the author, Kristina M. Hoffman. She also designed the beautiful front and back cover paintings. Set in a vast, catastrophic future, the DESTINED EXISTENCE series follows the heart-pounding journey of Troll the warrior and his friends: Jack the cyborg, Rowan the faerie, Corin the space ranger, and John Doe the amateur wizard. Note from the author: The second book in my fantasy sci-fi action-comedy series will be available on September 17th. Why did I pick this date? Because...

I am honoring the legendary voice actor, Peter Cullen, who passed away on August 26th. He brought Optimus Prime to life, and Transformers Day is September 17th. This was not planned. I never thought to do something like this until I saw that Peter Cullen had passed away. He meant a great deal to me, and in 2020, just before the Covid pandemic, I met him and thanked him for all his inspiration and guidance through Optimus Prime.

Optimus Prime inspired Troll, my main character. Troll’s personality, compassion, bravery, and gentleness were motivated by Optimus Prime’s quotes and lessons from the 1984 series. Prime’s speeches also inspired me. I would not be the same author and artist I am today without his encouragement. Especially his quote, “Hold onto your dreams. The future is built on dreams.” There are so many others, but that one reassured me never to give up. That’s why Troll says “never give up” in my books. I wanted Troll to have a powerful, important, and helpful message to my readers, as Prime did for me growing up. I’ve even included an acknowledgment for Peter Cullen on my dedication page.

So, there you have it. Destined Existence: Fight Until Free will be available on Amazon on September 17th. This is my second book. If you haven’t read the first, it’s Destined Existence: The Unique Campaign, and it’s also on Amazon.