From D&D to the Written Work: Eric Swett Finds Hope in Fantasy
For one Statesville author, Eric Swett, storytelling began long before his first book was published. It started with Dungeons & Dragons, a long of fantasy and a lifelong desire to turn ideas into stories.
Swett, a Statesville resident for the past 12 years after moving from Oregon, describes himself as “a big geek,” with interests ranging from dragon sculptures and 3D printing to fantasy and writing. He began playing D&D at age 12 and quickly became the person who was always creating stories for the game.
“I was the guy who wanted to play, and I was always coming up with stories,” he said.
That creativity eventually developed into a passion for writing. He began experimenting with short stories and poetry in eighth grade and later took creative writing classes in college simply because he enjoyed them.
“I like writing. I like the creative side of it. I like being able to take a thought and put words to it,” he said.
His first book, “Apocalypse Rising,” began as a writing exercise. He challenged himself to write exactly 100 words every day—no more and no less. What began as a daily exercise eventually grew into a completed story.
When he began editing the manuscript, however, he discovered something unexpected: The opening portion of the book was actually the middle of the story.
“I had this story, and I just ran with it,” he said.
His journey as an independent author has been equally experimental. Publishing, he said, can be expensive and confusing, particularly with the overwhelming amount of advice available online.
“There is so much information online, and everybody has an opinion about how you should do things,” he said. “Trying to figure out what is good advice and what is bad advice can derail you tremendously.”
Learning how to promote and sell his books has been another part of the process. Until last year, he primarily sold his books through Amazon and had little experience with author events. That changed after attending Ret Con and eventually participating in events at places such as Mooresville Public Library and Your Coffee Place.
At his first author event at Your Coffee Place, a reader specifically looking for urban fantasy books showed up, and he sold about six books—his best event sales over the previous year.
“It was really cool,” he said. “Someone actually showed up looking specifically for urban fantasy books.”
Since then, he has learned much of what he knows about author events simply by participating in them and watching what other authors do.
“Everything I’ve learned about events has come from going to events and figuring out what works for future tables,” he said.
Those events also introduced him to a supportive community of authors and readers.
“Some of the book people and authors are the most amazing and supportive group of people,” he said. “There’s this whole vibe of helping each other and supporting one another. I never would have had the courage or self-confidence to do it without that.”
His favorite character, Justin, also reflects some of his own personality. He describes the character as emotional, caring and sometimes overwhelmed by his feelings.
“He’s kind of my favorite,” he said. “There’s a little bit of me in him, and a little bit of who I would like to be.”
That emotional side is something the author embraces in both himself and his characters.
“I’m an emotional dude. I’ll bawl at movies. I get really emotional,” he said. “I like that about Justin. He has a lot of emotions, and he doesn’t always know how to process them.”
At the heart of his writing is a belief in hope, particularly when circumstances become dark.
“I’m a big believer in hope, even when things are dark,” he said. “Things are bleak, but we just have to believe. Sometimes you just have to have hope, or have someone give you hope, to help you get out of a dark place.”
That theme appears throughout his work, including a quiet, reflective scene in “A Murder of Wizards” centered around a chapel. What began as a small side scene grew into something much more significant.
“I love that scene,” he said. “It’s about hope, doing good works and striving for good, even when the odds aren’t necessarily in your favor.”
Now, the Statesville author is working on the next book in his series. He originally began the project about 10 years ago and made it roughly two-thirds of the way through before getting stuck. Earlier this year, he returned to the manuscript, only to decide several weeks ago that he wasn’t happy with the direction.
“I got to the point where I thought, ‘This sucks. This isn’t something I would want to read,’” he said.
Rather than abandon the project, he started rewriting it from the beginning. He is now about 25,000 words into the rewrite and enjoying the process again.
“It’s so much more fun now,” he said.
He hopes to release the book in the spring while continuing to develop a science-fiction story and another fantasy project. For an author whose creative journey began with D&D and a desire to tell stories, there are still plenty of worlds left to explore.
To purchase Swett's book, click here. Follow Swett on Instagram and Facebook to keep up with events and new releases.
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