A Reflection on Rage, Resurrection, and the Long Road to Better Writing
In 2012, I received a review that shook me to my core. It began with a quote from my own book:
“It was the most selfless thing I’d ever done, and the most selfish.”
Kill yourself. SERIOUSLY.
For days after finishing this “book” I kept thinking, “Oh, I have to go back and finish that story about that unlikeable guy who was... um... doing things...”
EXCEPT I WAS DONE. And when I remembered I was done, I got angry and disappointed and disgusted with the book all over again.
...
(The review goes on. If you’ve seen it, you know.)
It gutted me. Not just because of the venom, but because I understood where it came from. I could see the flaws. And worse, I had been too close to the material to see them myself.
When I wrote 'The Demon Hunter’s Apprentice', it was during National Novel Writing Month—November of 2009. I sprinted through it with all the enthusiasm and inexperience you’d expect from a young novelist. It was eventually picked up by the now-defunct Double Dragon Publishing (no relation to the game), but the truth is, the book needed more: a firmer editorial hand, a sharper red pen, and a lot more time in the forge.
That70sHeidi’s review on Goodreads broke something in me. But over time, I came to respect it.
The original book was thin. Episodic. Underdeveloped. But instead of walking away, I went back to work. A later revision added characters like Djall, the Twelve Shields, and Shyla Stoddard—threads that would wind their way into future volumes.
Liam Gulban is still a fairly unlikable protagonist—and I like it that way. But now, there’s an explanation for his roughness. He’s no longer just a smirking rogue. He’s a trauma survivor. An orphan. A gladiator. A man trying to crawl out of the pit he was thrown into.
Fynn Danies, his love interest, also got an overhaul. She’s still fierce. Still flirtatious. But she’s no longer just a clinging archetype. She’s a woman running from her own regrets, using Liam as a distraction. In doing so, she becomes layered. Flawed. Real.
The plot has grown darker and deeper. What began as a simple quest has become mythic—tinged with betrayal, blood, gods, and grief. The revised version plants seeds I can now explore through the rest of the series.
And yes—when you boil it all down to the bitter residue... Heidi was right.
The original release wasn’t ready. And I wasn’t ready either.
But today? 'The Demon Hunter’s Apprentice' still has its imperfections—just like Liam—but it finally stands on its own. The story hums. The characters breathe. Even Fynn and Liam’s brief relationship finds its footing in the emotional landscape of the book.
And now, I’m done tinkering.
The final version clocks in at 6 hours and 53 minutes on Audible, narrated by Eric Priessman, who did an admirable job bringing Liam’s world to life.
I’m sorry I released something so raw back in 2010, but I learned. I’ve grown. And I’m still learning. In fact, I gave the book one last revision just last month.
And now, it’s finished.
Let the reviews come. I’m a better writer for what’s come before—and I can’t wait to show you what happens next.
“It was the most selfless thing I’d ever done, and the most selfish.”
Kill yourself. SERIOUSLY.
For days after finishing this “book” I kept thinking, “Oh, I have to go back and finish that story about that unlikeable guy who was... um... doing things...”
EXCEPT I WAS DONE. And when I remembered I was done, I got angry and disappointed and disgusted with the book all over again.
...
(The review goes on. If you’ve seen it, you know.)
It gutted me. Not just because of the venom, but because I understood where it came from. I could see the flaws. And worse, I had been too close to the material to see them myself.
When I wrote 'The Demon Hunter’s Apprentice', it was during National Novel Writing Month—November of 2009. I sprinted through it with all the enthusiasm and inexperience you’d expect from a young novelist. It was eventually picked up by the now-defunct Double Dragon Publishing (no relation to the game), but the truth is, the book needed more: a firmer editorial hand, a sharper red pen, and a lot more time in the forge.
That70sHeidi’s review on Goodreads broke something in me. But over time, I came to respect it.
The original book was thin. Episodic. Underdeveloped. But instead of walking away, I went back to work. A later revision added characters like Djall, the Twelve Shields, and Shyla Stoddard—threads that would wind their way into future volumes.
Liam Gulban is still a fairly unlikable protagonist—and I like it that way. But now, there’s an explanation for his roughness. He’s no longer just a smirking rogue. He’s a trauma survivor. An orphan. A gladiator. A man trying to crawl out of the pit he was thrown into.
Fynn Danies, his love interest, also got an overhaul. She’s still fierce. Still flirtatious. But she’s no longer just a clinging archetype. She’s a woman running from her own regrets, using Liam as a distraction. In doing so, she becomes layered. Flawed. Real.
The plot has grown darker and deeper. What began as a simple quest has become mythic—tinged with betrayal, blood, gods, and grief. The revised version plants seeds I can now explore through the rest of the series.
And yes—when you boil it all down to the bitter residue... Heidi was right.
The original release wasn’t ready. And I wasn’t ready either.
But today? 'The Demon Hunter’s Apprentice' still has its imperfections—just like Liam—but it finally stands on its own. The story hums. The characters breathe. Even Fynn and Liam’s brief relationship finds its footing in the emotional landscape of the book.
And now, I’m done tinkering.
The final version clocks in at 6 hours and 53 minutes on Audible, narrated by Eric Priessman, who did an admirable job bringing Liam’s world to life.
I’m sorry I released something so raw back in 2010, but I learned. I’ve grown. And I’m still learning. In fact, I gave the book one last revision just last month.
And now, it’s finished.
Let the reviews come. I’m a better writer for what’s come before—and I can’t wait to show you what happens next.
No comments have been added yet.
