For Sidney resident Josh VanBrakle, publishing a book has been a decade-long quest.
“I started forming the ideas of my world and characters in high school,” Josh says, “but life intervened.”
Now 27, Josh has achieved his dream. His debut novel, The Wings of Dragons, published by Arboreal Press, released on October 8.
The novel is an epic fantasy featuring a left-handed teenager, Iren Saitosan. The only “Left” in his country, Iren is labeled a devil-child. That reputation lands him a spot on an assassination mission, a suicidal appointment since he has no combat training. To survive, Iren has to master the magic of an imprisoned dragon so dangerous it once sank a continent.
Why the emphasis on a lefty hero? “I’ve always identified with being left-handed,” says Josh. “A lot of stories take the hero’s handedness for granted. I wanted to turn that around and make Iren’s lefty nature a key part of the story line.”
You don’t have to be a southpaw to enjoy The Wings of Dragons though. The book features friendship, betrayal, and revenge one thousand years in the making.
Josh has lived in the Catskills since 2010. He works in Walton as a forester, and his love of the woods inspired several scenes in his novel.
“When you’re surrounded by a landscape like the Catskill Mountains, it’s hard not to let it inspire you,” Josh explains. “I combined my knowledge of trees with my love of this region when I wrote the book. I wanted to make my settings both real and unreal at the same time.”
The Catskills provided more than scenery for Josh. He credits his time here as the reason he published his book. He set the project down years ago, but he decided to pick it up again in 2011 after hearing that a local author, Shannon Delany, was holding a free series of writing workshops at Harris Memorial Library in Otego.
“I just happened to see the workshops discussed in the Daily Star,” Josh explains. “I went, and they changed my life. They convinced me to follow my dream.”
The Wings of Dragons is Josh’s first novel, but he doesn’t plan on it being his last. It’s only book one in The Dragoon Saga.
“I’ll try not to let the second one take another decade,” Josh laughs. He’s currently revising book two and hopes to see it in stores in 2015.
You can follow Josh’s progress, learn more about The Dragoon Saga, and find links to purchase copies of The Wings of Dragons by visiting www.joshvanbrakle.com.
