Follow the lives of three characters who are caught up in a brutal war on an unforgiving frontier. Antonius, the great warrior whose heart bleeds for Rome, the great leader who is betrayed and forsaken, the great man who may be Rome’s only hope. Celesta, widowed by the actions of a cut-throat, tormented by prophetic nightmares and left to know only tears and sorrow. Marcellus, the one chosen by the gods to bring justice upon the barbarians, to pay back cruelty with cruelty, and to unleash the wrath of the god of Mars.

It might have taken a while, but it all came out beautiful in the end. This piece of work, perhaps my grandest in scope and character development, didn't come without pain. More than once I wanted to trash the work, thinking I'd never get it done. Yet every time I decided I wasn't going to continue working on it, I began playing little scenes in my head and always found myself coming back to the laptop, staring at the screen with my fingers dancing over the keyboard. This is certainly my longest work as well; 36 Hours topped off at around 180 pages. I breached two hundred pages with this beautiful creation. And working in 10-point font, that's quite a feat. I did the math and found its equivalence page-wise with the standard trade paperback is 375-430 pages. So you can see why I am excited. It's simply a huge piece of work and I think it's beautiful all throughout.

The story takes place in ancient Rome and ancient Gaul, following three characters as they live their lives and intersect with one other. It's influenced by several movies I've seen and books I've read (all writers have their influences), but I've managed--just like 36 Hours--to keep it unique and original. The ending especially leaves room for a sequel. If I had to put it into a category, it'd be an ecclectic mix of drama, action and romance: the three essential ingredients for any epic.

Yet with any major accomplishment, there are always regrets. One of the greatest regrets I have is not doing enough research on the time period. My research was extensive for the Roman military machine, yet I did not tackle the culture of Rome as well as I should, and this renders its historical liability virtually useless. I also created a war that, for all my knowledge, didn't really exist (not until later, at least). So this work isn't historical fiction, it's epic fantasy. I would like to write another story set in the ancient world (perhaps Greece?), but I will wait a while and be sure to study up on everything, culture and warfare, so it is historical fiction.

I am a writer at heart, and I cannot simply be content to stop now and call it quits. My hope is that The Sons of Mars is a stepping-stone to even greater-quality works. As of now I already have two chapters done in a story about the end of the world... Except it happens in a way no one has ever imagined. I am also contemplating writing a romance. I have some good material for it, I simply need a good plot line. A dark and depressing romance. It's the way I like to work. I am hoping this eventual romance will pave the road to better dialogue--every time I read Mike's excerpts, I am filled with envy for his skill with communication! I am also writing a series of spiritual works and wish to eventually form a book of my short spiritual writings.

If you'd like to read an excerpt of this story, download it for free, or buy it in paperback, just go here. The publishing house also has some of my other writings for free download or purchase. My hope is this doesn't sound like a sales pitch. I actually make zero royalty off my books. I am simply extremely excited!