LJ Ussery

I fell in love with elves, dwarfs, and dragons after watching The Hobbit in 1968. I pretended to be on a great journey in the early 1970’s as a young teenager while accompanying my father on hunting and fishing trips where I learned how to walk in the woods, recognize sounds, determine directions, and read maps. Once I learned about topographical maps, I have never been far from one.

In 1974, Gary Gygax changed everything for me and 50 million other people with the publishing of a series of white pamphlets collectively referred to as Dungeons and Dragons. Armed with maps and character guides, my imagination put together campaigns that crossed continents and took months to play through.

The Priestess of the Mountain City began in 2005, at a ranch house I designed thirty miles east of anywhere, where coyotes outnumber the human population. The first couple of drafts were lost when floppy drives were either lost or destroyed. While learning the craft of writing fantasy my job took me to Houston, Texas, where I was introduced to a writing guild.

I spent over three years in Houston practicing how to write fantasy. During this time, I competed a five-book outline of the Priestess of the Mountain City. Two years later, I finished the first book in the series entitled, “The Heir of Naldukar” and an associated romance entitled, “The Pirate’s Grandson.” Soon I expect to complete the edits on the second book in the series, “The King of Naldukar” and start working on edits of book three, “The Duke’s Daughter.”

These are character driven stories, with ordinary folk and extraordinary folk, where good and evil is defined as much by what you are willing to do to get what you want as what it is you desire. Every character has a history. Every character has a code. Every character has desires that drive them forward to the conclusion. There are several surprises organically folded into the story to keep you wondering what will happen next. These books are written for you to escape into and ride along with friends as they confront challenges and change a world.