Ravenous; My Take on The Fantasy Genre

-A Scrumptious Synopsis-

"Ravenous" is a fantasy novel that takes place throughout the right side of the Block Continent. It follows Jack, a travelling chef with a Medieval foot cart. He is joined by Bleu, his mentor who had been turned into a frog, and Gote, a horse strong enough to pull a whole kitchen behind her.

Jack wants to reach The North Kingdom to join their community of chefs, but along the way he finds himself making new friends and battling an assortment of enemies-including his own father. Over his journey, Jack grows closer with his new friends, but his friends also face the consequences of knowing him.


-Our Catering Cast of Characters-

Jack may be our main character, but he meets plenty of interesting folks along the way.

  • Colby is a mechanic who upgrades Jack's food cart and joins him on his voyage-albeit reluctantly.
  • Pepper is a charismatic thief with the ability to wipe people's memories.
  • Bree is a fairy who's known Jack almost as long as Bleu. She even taught him how to hunt.
  • Camem is a fairy too. She was adopted by Bree and is the closest thing Jack has to a son.
  • Kareem is a lovable, clay giant who was repaired by Jack and his friends. He can't taste things, but desires to cook like Jack does.

There are also a few knights from other kingdoms who are hunting Pepper down. A town of vampires, a squad of goblins, and the bug-themed people of The Fae World.


-Whimsey With a Side of Action-

I had a lot of fun writing the action scenes in this book. Fantasy means swords and sorcery, it means bows and arrows, it means zip-lining across cables and mounting giant monsters! It also means a whole bestiary of creatures.

You got the classics, sure. Goblins, Harpies, Witches, Fairies, Vampires, among others. But you also got unique monsters like The Infinity Duck, The Pk'ledon Serpent, Dog Centaurs, and many more.

The real bread and butter of this story are the cooking segments, where Jack prepares a fantastical meal as if he's writing a book himself. A cook book, I guess.

Here is one example:


Intense Chicken Gruel!


  1. Field chickens the size of hounds, chased down and killed with respect. Thank you for your sustenance.

  2. Broth made from the aforementioned hefty birds.

  3. Spice time. Cumin and oregano sourced from the potted plant gallery I keep in the corner of the carriage. I should really expand that

  4. Veggies fit for a giant! Chopped up squash I pilfered from a horde of Jack-O-Lanterns. Peppers picked from a pesky Pepper-Persephone Plantbeast. Corn from a Minotaur’s corn maze, onion from an Onion Mandala Pit, and, finally, a teardrop from a Living Lime Plant. Sorry, Bruce.


Meal Complete!


-The Main Source of The Main Course-

So, what inspired me to write "Ravenous"? I know you're "dining" to know. Okay, enough of that. At it's core, this book isn't about sword fights and dragons and magic and all that stuff. I would even say up until a couple years ago I was never really into fantasy. All the fantasy stuff is just the mask on the face of the story.


That face is choosing your fate over what you were assigned. You see, Jack isn't just a chef. He's a Prince, he's a soldier, and he's a superpowered, enchanted, very dangerous man in a warzone. But he doesn't want to be those things. He wants to be a chef. He wants to create and make people happy, instead of destroying and making people scared.


This reflects an aspect of my life I'm very passionate about. I am a writer. Not because I was born to be one, trained to be one, or obligated to be one. I chose this. And, dude, it's not an easy ship to steer. I've been publishing books for around five years now and I don't have a lot to show for it. Ten books on my shelf, some extra cash at the end of the month, I get to brag to the cashiers at my grocery store. It's not much.


But still; I choose to be a writer. Choice is the most powerful opportunity there is. Nobody else gets to tell you what you're going to do with your life. If you want to write: write. If you want to cook; cook. Just don't the challenges you're going to face deter you from what you want. Because you made this choice for a reason and if you really want to be what you want; you have to fight for it.


I hope you'll give "Ravenous" a read.

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