HOW TWO MINUTES OF YOUR TIME CAN MAKE A DREAM COME TRUE
A Personal Request from S.C. Selvyn
Whether you are a fellow author, a reader, an influencer, or just someone who happened to stumble upon this page out of curiosity, I need just two minutes of your time.
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For over seven years, I have poured my heart and soul into writing The Trials of Ildarwood because I genuinely believe it is a story unlike any other. With a diverse cast of characters, a deep well of lore, and a story that will leave you laughing, crying, and on the edge of your seat, this book is my single greatest life achievement.
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But it will only be successful if I can find readers who are willing to take a chance on a first time author.
So I am asking you, dear visitor, please help me spread the word about the Ildarwood. Whether with a quick post on social media, or an e-mail to your friends and family, or even just a few words of encouragement via the feedback form on this site, I could use all the help I can get to ensure that years of hard work were not in vain.
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With just two minutes of your time, you can make my dream come true.
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"The Maiden of the Woods" by Mike Smith.
WHY THE ILDARWOOD MATTERS
When I first started writing the story of the Ildarwood - way way back in 2014 - I had no idea what an impact it would have on my life. What started as a simple story about a few characters who fought to survive in a vast corrupted forest eventually evolved into something deeper and more inspiring.
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As I thought about the types of stories I had read over the years or otherwise watched play out in movies or on TV, I realized that I wanted to tell a different kind of story - a story that didn't just offer a few hours of distraction, but one so immersive that readers could not help but lose themselves inside of it time and again.
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So I spent years working to enrich this world with a level of depth unlike most stories you will ever read. I created dozens of cultures based on real world civilizations with an Ildarwood twist. I crafted entire religions to bring some of those cultures to life. And I forced myself to outline nearly 10,000 years of world history so that I truly understood how my story and everyone in it got to where they are when the series begins.
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But the most important aspect of my story - the one I'm most proud of - is that the characters and their struggles are 100% real. Yes, they may be on an incredible journey and all have supernatural powers, but that is only a sliver of the reason why the story of the Ildarwood is worth your time.
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Looking back at my life, one of the most important lessons I've learned is that our stories are not merely our own. What happens to us and how we interact with the world is the culmination of two things: how we survived our own trials, and how everyone we interact with survived theirs. That is what makes our real world stories so interesting!
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So when you read The Trials of Ildarwood, you are not just getting a story about a bunch of children who are forced to survive in a vast forest. You are getting a heartfelt and inspiring tale about families - parents, children, siblings - fighting for each other, or maybe just themselves, as the Trials progress. You also get to see how little actions early on have remarkable consequences down the road. And you will almost certainly see yourself or someone you love through new eyes by the end.
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After all, the Trials of Ildarwood is a story about all of us, and my greatest hope in life is that it can be more than just an escape for readers around the world - I want to leave at least some of them inspired. To realize that they are never truly powerless, no matter how hard life's trials may become. To be the star that rises in the darkness. Or maybe just to pursue their dream of becoming a self-published author, too.
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As for me, I have one other dream I have not yet accomplished - but I like to hope it is still within reach. I dream of time not too far off from now when I can expand the world of the Ildarwood with stories from other aspiring authors all across the globe. I want to read about their Trials in the Ildarwood. I want to see how their cultures can be better represented in this world. And I want to give even more artists the opportunity to have their work published, just like I've tried to do with nearly a dozen different artists for book one and this site.
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All I need is the opportunity to show the world that this is a story worth their time. You can help make those dreams come true.
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Thank you for reading, and I hope that you have a wonderful day!
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Sincerely,
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S.C. Selvyn
Chapter illustrations by David Perez.
