The Vince Tubbolardi Blog Post!
Wow, this has been a real journey and it’s only the beginning. I have to admit that I was never quite sure I would make it even this far with Bonded: The Arena, but I, and my characters persevered to a full novel. Interestingly enough, Taare inspired me throughout the whole process. Being the main character he felt it was his own duty to keep me on track. Frequently I would at work and Taare would pop up from around a corner and say something like, “When are you going to get to that fight scene? It’s going to be awesome and I can’t wait to fight a dragon!”
And I would respond to him with some dumb excuse like, “Taare, you’re a figment of my imagination. I’m at work and trying to concentrate. Leave me be won’t you?” Darn bugger was always persistent too. So then he learned and became sneaky. I’d be having a conversation about our conversion rates with a co-worker in the middle of the shift and he started throwing images of dragons at me. Dragons flying through the air or devouring a simple gladiator in The Arena. I never knew when he was going to show up and prove to me how his struggles were far more intimidating than my own, but when I was being lazy, or staring at a screen avoiding the story, he would kick me in the butt and say something like, “ Hey! I am sitting in a cage surrounded by hundreds of slaves who treat me like a hero. Get onto the next chapter already so I can be that hero!”
The process was largely that. Sometimes the words would flow so easily that I struggled to keep up with them. Other times my characters would be mid-fight for hours while I researched some minor obscurity or lost myself in a video game. But the result was always the same. Eventually I found myself sitting there having conversations with my characters to find out what drives them and how to maniacally change their lives. One thing is clear to me, especially now that the print is done and I can feel it in my hands; these people of Bonded: The Arena have helped me. When things seemed tough or my personal struggle was hard, they let it be known that I was no wizard, and sometimes just picking myself out of the dirt was enough to smile and get going.
Out of everything that happens in this story, that would be the one thing I hope resonates the most with my readers. Getting up early to go to work, or dealing with people who stretch every single nerve in your poor body are menial trials compared to facing life or death situations every day. Enjoy your ride and be happy you don’t have to square up against a dragon someday.