D.C. McGannon and C. Michael McGannon, authors of the Charlie Sullivan and the Monster Hunters series, are visiting our blog today.
Book 3: Council of the Hunters is coming out! We've been waiting for this ever since we finished Book 2. Check out their website and pick up a copy for yourself.
GUEST POST:
The year 2005 seems like a long time ago, but that’s when Charlie Sullivan and the Monster Hunters really began. Michael and I were working a job together that began at 11:00p.m. every night and lasted until about 7:00a.m. the next morning. I (D.C.) had just walked away from a lifelong, successful career and we, as a family, decided to shift gears and go in a different direction. We left the city, moved to a small town and were focusing on just enjoying each other as a family and looking to the future.
It was hard. Real hard!
We knew where we were going in this new adventure, but just
needed some time to rest, reflect, and get out of the spotlight, so to speak.
When you are used to running on all cylinders, all of the time, it’s difficult
to slow down and “smell the roses”. But those are the times when some of our
best moments can be planted and grow.
It was during this time when the story of Charlie Sullivan
and the Monster Hunters came to life.
Michael and I had been writing all along, for years, but we
started brainstorming while working these nights together and asking some fun
questions.
What if we wrote a story about monsters together? What if we
could breathe a little life into the legends and stories of old again? We’ve
always loved monsters, particularly the classic tales. Folk tales, fairy tales,
and those wonderful ghost stories that get told around the campfire under a
starry sky are some of our favorite things to ponder and share.
We didn’t want to change the origins of the stories of
monsters and legends of old, and we didn’t want to create new ones (at least,
not for this story) but we wanted to honor the history and legends of monsters
from around the world and throughout the centuries.
We wondered, “What if
we could get kids, and parents too, excited about reading by telling those
stories again through a new, modern setting?”
The whole monster idea was really exciting to us, as we love
monsters of all kinds. But that wasn’t enough. Monsters would not be the
heartbeat of the story we were going to tell.
People. Friends. Individuals like you and me. Those would be
the heartbeat, because that’s what really matters at the end of the day.
We continued to wonder out loud, “What if we followed five teenagers through the course of their daily lives?
Their triumphs, heartbreaks, and diverse human experiences? What if somehow
they all ended up fighting for their lives, their families, and their world?
What if this was in a world where the monsters of legend were not the worst
thing someone could face, but rather the obstacles we face in our everyday
lives? Things like bullying, prejudice, loss, betrayal, and often just facing
the questions of life as a teenager…and oh, by the way, there are monsters
attacking, too?”
It was always about Charlie Sullivan, Darcy Witherington,
Nash Stormstepper, and the Russian twins, Lisa and Liev Vadinknov. How they met
and became friends, how they dealt with the pressures of school, relationships,
coming from extremely diverse backgrounds and lifestyles, and how they would
manage when the face of ultimate evil surrounded them and threatened to destroy
everything important to them…? These were the questions and experiences this
story would build on.
And like we said earlier…monsters! Monsters would bring an
extra spice that made the story really fun and tasty.
In Book 1: The
Varcolac’s Diary, the story enjoys the introductions of the five main
characters, how they come to meet, and their experiences with several other
colorful characters, both human and monsters alike, as well as their experience
“meeting” Hunter’s Key – the mysterious and misunderstood mansion that sits
high above Hunter’s Grove (the town where they all live) – which is a character
all to itself. Mystery abounds concerning its shadowy resident, and rumors of
the Dark Prince haunting the quaint, little town, nestled in the mountains. This
is where these five young people really start to come into their own and
mature, putting aside social differences to do something meaningful….namely,
saving the town from the Dark Prince, a vampiric royal who wants to raise a
group of old beings known as the Ancients from their slumber and rule the
world. Saving Hunter’s Grove doesn’t come easy, however, as the very act
ultimately costs the hunters someone dear to them.
After discovering dark secrets in the shadowy corners, and saving
their little town, of Hunter’s Grove, Charlie and his friends find out that all
of the monsters under the servitude of the Dark Prince have been released
across the human world once again, only to settle in their native lands once
more. At the start of Book 2: Witch Moon,
a messenger arrives from the Old Country and pleads for the help from the
Monster Hunters. This messenger comes from Drakauragh, a village that time has
forgotten. It is the location of one of the many portals that lead to the
Ancients, the very same beings the Dark Prince was trying to awaken. In
Drakauragh, three of the most powerful and legendary witches in history weave
sinister plots, and once again, threaten to unleash the Ancients upon the
world. The Monster Hunters agree to the messenger’s request and embark on a
journey that ends up testing the limits of their bodies, their minds, and their
hearts.
Book 3: Council of the
Hunters finds the young Hunters weary from their recent adventures and
looking forward to spending their first year of high school together,
peacefully – a hopeful notion that is shattered when one of their fellow
Hunters is kidnapped by a malicious entity, and when the ancient and powerful “Council
of the Hunters” arrive at Hunter’s Key. Despite the recent triumphs of Charlie
Sullivan and the Monster Hunters, this enigmatic Council calls into question
the young Hunters’ reputations, their methods, and their training, threatening
to disband the group. As the Hunters fight to retain their mantle of
responsibility, they are drawn deeper into a web of betrayal and danger. Book 3
introduces even more unsavory and eccentric new figures in the larger story,
and begins to truly illuminate the grave nature and plot of those working
together to bring the Ancients back to life in order to rule our world once
more.
As we move forward from Book 3, the reader experiences a
maelstrom of events unfolding toward the ultimate end that the Ancients and
their armies have in mind for both our world and the Otherwold – the
fantastical and hyper-physical world on the other side of every portal location
throughout the world.
Book 4: The Dragon
Gate will be released quickly, this summer, with Books 5 & 6, the final
two in the series, being slated for Fall 2014 and April 2015 release dates.
Writing this series has been a distinct privilege and joy to
write as we, father and son, have the opportunity to do something so completely
unique and significant together. Though we each have individual series and
books that will begin releasing later this year, Charlie Sullivan and the
Monster Hunters is near and dear to our hearts and we are excited to offer
readers a unique take on legends of old within the context of the important,
diverse relationships of five unlikely friends.
The story doesn’t end with the books, however. Last year we
also began prototyping a new card game based on the books to groups nationally.
This fast-paced, exciting game has been well-received and is currently in development
for a full release very soon. The mechanics of the game combine several
elements of other card game favorites, while introducing new mechanics unique
to our stories. The art has been compared to the level of artwork produced in
such games as Magic: The Gathering, and others. All of the characters, tools,
weapons, magic, and locations come to full life in unique playing fashion
through the card game. Full extension packs of cards will be released based on
each book and new set of characters, monsters, locations, and storylines.
It is an honor to share with you today and a real privilege
to bring the story of Charlie Sullivan and the Monster Hunters to life through
the written word.
Many have asked what genre and age group the books are for.
Officially, the series is written for Middle Grade and Teens, and grows with
each new book. It is a dark fantasy tale with elements of adventure and science
fiction. Our readership ranges from 8 and 9 year olds all the way to “kids” in
their 60’s and 70’s.
These are stories about life, about overcoming diversity,
and about things that are truly important: things such as friendship, character, and
resilience in the face of difficulty. It’s really cool, too, that the story if
filled with creepy mansions, monsters, fantasy worlds, and spell-binding magic.
Those things definitely help!
Learn more about the books, the card game, and the
characters at http://www.MonsterHunters-TheBook.com.
Other places to hang out with the authors are:
D.C. McGannon is coauthor of the Charlie Sullivan and the Monster Hunters series of books, and
one-half of the humorous father/son duo known as The Monster Guys. When not travelling to conventions and talking
about Japanese and Steampunk monsters, he can usually be found moon-gardening,
hiking, or searching for his next cup of coffee.
D.C. is confident he can still breakdance with the best of
them, but realizes his writing and speaking schedule is probably taking too
much of his time. This is good news for all other break-dancers.
He is married to Holly, father to Michael and
Nathaniel, and they all hang out together somewhere in the Midwest with their
little Maltese puppy, Jewel.
C. Michael McGannon
has been creating characters, writing stories, and chasing dragons for as long
as anyone can remember. After winning an award for writing in grade school, he
decided the best medium to put all his creativity into was the written word.
He’s been writing ever since. Michael believes that the true power of a story
lies in its ability to both entertain and enlighten.
He thinks walking barefoot is grand. This is C. Michael
McGannon’s first series of published novels.
