Guest Post: Inspiration To Write by Matt Taylor

Something that inspired me to write this book was actually the idea behind both the crazy magic system that I came up with, as well as the idea of having to find and collect the stones of power in order to get to the main goal at the end. Ohh… and I guess you can add in there that the fourteen-year-old boys that I work with in our church group helped inspire me as well. I remember being that age, and from time to time I definitely miss it. I wanted to write a story that could put me back into a fourteen-year-old body again, but this time in a world where crazy magic stuff happened everywhere. To be honest, they are the reason I really did it, not what I said at the beginning haha. 

The characters actually reflect several of them in certain ways, as well as the friends that I had when I was young, and myself a little bit as well. I won’t get into every one, but the main character Sylas is kind of based off of me a little bit. He is a bit unsure of himself and isn’t quite sure how to come out of his box, yet he has friends that are really ‘cool’ all around him, and he wishes that he could be like them. Torren is the really cool friend that he has, and he is kind of a mix of several of my childhood friends. He is funny, outgoing, and just a hoot to be around. It’s funny because as the story has progressed in books one and two, I have actually found that I am starting to like Torren’s story even more than Sylas’s and there are several who have read it that share that opinion haha. Sometimes it’s even a bit frustrating because Torren almost seems to be driving the way that the story is going. I’m like, Torren! I had an idea for how this was going to go, why you gotta be taking things into uncharted waters all the time!? And Samara, she is the really pretty girl that happens to be friends with the two main character boys. Sylas has an obvious crush on her, but she has decided long ago that the three of them are just friends and nothing else will ever come of that. She is sassy and super fun, and a lot of times it is really hard to write her personality because I’m not a teenage girl, but I was lucky enough to have some good friends that she kind of reminds me of which help.   

I really just love this story so much, I know its probably because I am the one writing it, but honest to goodness, it is the exact thing that I wish I could have read when I was a teen. The humbling and mind boggling part about it too, is that I have had several young people, those who know me and those who don’t, tell me that it is among their favorite, if not their number one favorite book they have read, and that includes “harry potter, the hunger games” and other books like that. It just blows my mind that people would say that to me, even if they are saying it just to be nice haha. 

A Light in the Darkness- Excerpt: 

For ten years, the dark mage Maelos has shrouded Evendreil in darkness and oppression. With no hope in sight, many are struggling to survive; others pray that their luck will remain. In searching for answers, Sylas stumbles upon an ancient artifact–a mysterious silver amulet–that confirms the reality of the fabled Vault of Kings. Hoping to overthrow Maelos and end his evil reign, Sylas and his companions set off to find the legendary elemental stones of power that are needed to unlock the door to the vault. If they are to succeed in their quest, they must first learn to master the ancient art of Magick in all of its basic forms: Light, Darkness, Water, Fire, Nature, and Air. Then they must pray that whatever secret is contained in the Vault of Kings will be enough to give them the edge that they need to defeat the most powerful dark mage that the world has ever seen.

Alliance– Excerpt:

Gelendor has fallen. Darkness has descended once again. Despite the danger, Torren has decided to stay in Gelendor to try and form a secret rebellion while the others make their journey towards Sindmyr, the Capital of Light. Once there, Sylas and Samara will need to convince the King of Sindmyr to join their cause and fight back against the armies of Maelos. To be successful, the two young mages will not only need to continue to master the ancient art of Light Magick, but also uncover an ancient secret that has been hidden away beneath the City of Light for generations. A secret that could prove deadly to any who attempt to wield it. Most importantly, Sylas will need to prove that he is worthy to obtain the Stone of Light and unite it with the ancient silver amulet. With two Elemental Stones of power at his side, Sylas will bring himself one step closer to completing the key to the Vault of Kings. One step closer to unlocking the powerful secret that’s been hidden from the world for over a thousand years. Gelendor has fallen to Darkness, but in the Light… there is still hope.

Gelendor has fallen to Darkness, but in the Light…there is still hope. -Alliance, The Vault of Kings Book 2 by Matt Taylor

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