Today I’m officially revealing the working cover of a fantasy book that I’ll be self-publishing either in 2024 or 2025: Conquest of the Cursed Continent by Timothy RJ Eveland. This isn’t the final version of the cover, but rather something to share while I wrap things up. After I describe the book and show the cover, I want to talk about the journey that led me up to this point in my career.

What is Conquest of the Cursed Continent all about anyway?

Conquest of the Continent is a coming-of-age, action-and-adventure fantasy novel.

Synopsis:

Imagine if the legends were true. Somewhere out in the ocean exists an unexplored continent where monsters roam wild and gold is ripe for the picking. Would you be the first to explore it?

Gold. That’s what King Daniel wants, or so his enemies think. When he chooses Donald Richardson to admiral his fleet to the Cursed Continent, it isn’t because he thinks the lad will do a splendid job. “Nay.” He needs an idiot who will fail miserably…

“Love thy enemy? Faugh!”

By having his enemies invest in a grand expedition that only he knows will never return, King Daniel can prevent war in his kingdom for another twenty years.

Donald Richardson, the man chosen to lead King Daniel’s fleet, just so happens to have lofty dreams of sailing the world, but it’s ironic because he’s a 25-year-old fisherman who never accomplished much due to an unhealthy fear of failure. So when King Daniel’s messengers arrive to change his world forever, of course he tells them they have the wrong man.

How could a coward who’s done nothing but fish in the same spot his whole life possibly admiral a royal fleet to find gold on a continent that’s never been explored before? The only people who’ve ever returned from the Cursed Continent were crazy, diseased sailors who claimed that magical monsters hoard unspeakable amounts of gold there. Their absurd claims are the only evidence that the place even exists, yet their word is enough for kings to keep outfitting more and more fleets that never return all in the hopes that they can be the first to reap the legendary treasure. Knowing it may be his only chance to make his dreams come true, Donald eventually accepts the job. But he never would’ve accepted it if he really knew what lived on the rock that King Daniel kept sending men to die on.

How I Got to This Point in My Career:

Writing books for a living is something I’ve wanted to do since I was 10 years old. I remember sitting on the floor in my foster home with papers spread out all around me, writing and drawing comic books inspired by Dragon Ball Z. By the time I was 11 I was selling these comic books for nickels and dimes to friends in school. When I was 14 I attempted to write my first novel. Between ages 15 and 16 I attempted a few more. Then when I was 20 I became a rapper of all things, and wrote many songs. When I was 22 I completed my first novel. When I was 24 I quit rapping and self-published a different novel for the first time. I quickly learned I still had much improving to do, so I unpublished it months later. Since then I’ve written thirteen complete books, including the one I’m proud to announce today. Good luck finding any of my older books though as I never published most of them, believing I wasn’t yet skilled enough to bother wasting people’s time with what I now call my “practice runs”.

These practice runs include: Zombie and Awake which was written on a typewriter and never digitized; my Gods of the Grotto trilogy which only a madman would read; The Drunken Wizard novella that aptly got 3-star reviews; a book I called Medieval Psycho which was hand-written and never digitized (thank God); and my Siege after Siege trilogy which I also unpublished and may re-publish after vigorous editing one day. There are also writings I published under pen-names. It’s safe to say I’ve written many books, but there’s still a long journey ahead before I can do it for a living. I’m hoping this book that I’m announcing today can help to change that, as I confidently know that I’m now skilled enough at writing stories to publish without looking back and hitting the regret button. Most importantly, I’m now mature enough to write stories that are moral and suitable for young teens as well as adults even though I look forward to writing more mature content in the future.

Conquest of the Cursed Continent is the result of not only decades of practice but also nearly a decade of training and education. When I went to the University of Victoria to take medieval studies at the age of 27, I had a specific purpose in mind. I wanted to learn more about the real Middle Ages so that I could make my fantasy books more rich and realistic, because I think medieval stuff is cool. From ships and castles to horseshoes and arrowheads, I strive to describe things as historically-accurate as I can, even though my books are set in fantasy. And thanks to self-help books like A Writer’s Guide to Fiction by Elizabeth Lyon, Wired for Story by Lisa Cron, and Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Browne and King, I can insert historical realism without compromising the story. Thanks to these books, which were kindly recommended to me by Sever Bronny, I learned that every single word I place into my story should be there for a reason. Even when I’m simply describing the color of the sky, let alone the difference between a bascinet and a sallet, it needs to move the story forward. I understand this now. Even while I enjoy adding cool medieval details into my writing, providing subtle forms of education, my main job is to provide a service to my readers, and that service is to tell a meaningful story. Now, tears are streaming down my face as I write this. Remembering the harrowing story of my own life and seeing the exciting adventure ahead, I can now confirm that writing books is the most satisfying thing in this world that I can possibly do.

Thanks to my late foster mother, my youth worker as a kid, my close friends, my favorite university professors, and all the books I’ve read along the way, I’ve had the wisdom, support, and encouragement needed to push on and keep writing despite my fear of failure. Many thanks are owed to countless others. Thank you so much!

If you knew me and my struggle like the aforementioned, it would come as no surprise to you that conquering your fear of failure is one of the many themes of my book. It’s the theme of my life, the whole reason I drove solo coast to coast across Canada last year to visit the graves of my grandfathers and smell the salt of the Atlantic coast. Courage is not a lack of fear, but the strength to go on despite of it. I’m a soft man with a big heart and it takes all the courage I can muster to share my story with the world. I fear my skin isn’t thick enough. I fear much criticism. I fear set-backs. I fear homelessness. I fear insanity. But even if this book doesn’t set me up to write fiction for a living like I always dreamed of, I’ll never give up, even if all I can do is entertain myself. I’ll write the next book. I’ve conquered my fear!

After working on it for four years, people are now beta reading Conquest of the Cursed Continent for the first time to give me the feedback I need for the final product. Even while there is still much work to do, I feel like a continent has been lifted off my shoulders just by holding the proof copy in my hands, smelling the freshly printed pages, and knowing the story is all there in one tight package, even if I get squished in a car crash tomorrow. The story is all that matters, and it’s been an exhilarating ride to sit back and watch it unfold.

I personally think Conquest of the Cursed Continent is awesome. It’s the book I wish I could’ve read when I needed guidance in my late teens and early twenties, even if the author still has a lot to learn. I wanted to create something exhilarating for adults as well as inspiring for youth. So, all hands, tumble up. Meet me on the deck. It’s time to weigh anchor, hoist the sails, and see what this beautiful world has to offer!

Subscribe to my book launch newsletter and be the first to know when the book is released.