Thejourneytofindthe sacrificeforhomelands
WHENTHEDRAWING BECAMEAWORLD
Aftertheeventsof'ThePrinceofNishigake',Jamescontinuesonhisjourneyto findthesacrificeforhislands.Willhebeabletosurvive?
W e l c o m e t o
U
P u b l i s h
Matt Bird is the founder of PublishU, helping first-time and serial authors write, publish and market books worldwide.
Welcome to this edition of the PublishU Magazine featuring Samuel J. Sherwin and hisimaginativefantasyseries,DIM.
One of the things I love most about publishing is seeing authors take the worlds that once existed only in their imagination and bring them vividly to life on the page. Samuelʼs journey is a brilliant example of that. What began as a passion for drawing andworld-buildingevolvedintoanambitious trilogyfilledwithadventure,moraldepthand powerfulstorytelling.
In this edition, we explore the making of DIM: The Son of Riverwell, the second instalment in Samuelʼs growing fantasy universe, and hear more about the creative processbehindit.
We are proud to share Samuelʼs story, imaginationandvoicewithyou.
MattBird FounderofPublishU
THEMAKINGOF AWORLDCALLEDDIM
InterviewwithSamuelJ.Sherwin, author of DIM: The Son of Riverwell
Letʼsstartwithyou,Sam.Tellus alittlebitaboutyourself.
My name is Sam. I'm 24 years old. I live in Staffordshire, England and writing is more of a hobby, though hopefully it can become more than a hobby. I've just really fallen in love with this idea of writing stories. Not just like writing stories, but having aaa
good moral messages in them, character building, arcs and everything around storytelling. Andatthemoment,mydayjobis a landscape and visual impact assessor,alandscapeconsultant. I assess projects to do with their visual impact on the landscape aroundthecountry.
Amazing. And how long have you wanted to write this story calledDim?
I would say we're coming up on aa
two years. It was a very spontaneous thing that came to pass and I just thought I'd give it a go. I started the hobby of world-building to get back into drawing. That is the process of makingupyourownworldwhere you design everything, name the places, what the cities look like, what the people are like. So you just make up your own world, which was a very fun creative challenge.AndIwasjustdrawing onedayandworkedonittotake upthechallengeofwritingit.
It's a trilogy of novels. What happened in the first and the secondseasonsofDIM?
SointhePrinceofNishigake,this is where our story begins. Our hero sets out on a journey to retrieve the sacrifice he needs to restore the river to his land and savethelandfromdying.Andthe second season of this story, I would say it starts a lot more high-paced. After a brief time skip of around six months were dropped right in the middle of it. The protagonist and his friends get a lot closer to finding what they need to. But as they get closer, things get more challenging.
And it's published! How does thatmakeyoufeel?
It's very nice. I'll say the best thing about it is when you get some positive feedback, or you read an Amazon review of someonewhoreallyenjoyedit,or what they compare it to. I had someone on Sunday compare it to Lord of the Rings, which is quite a big compliment in my opinion.
What's your hope for this second instalment on the grand storycalledDim?
Well, I'm hoping that the messagesinitwillimpactpeople in a positive manner, in a way that they can draw inspiration from, in a way that they can model themselves. And I'm also hoping a lot that everyone who enjoyed the first one will see this asanimprovement.
I'mhopingthat everyonewho enjoyedthefirstone willseethisasan improvement.
SamuelJ.Sherwin AuthorofDIM:TheSonofRiverwell
YOUHAVEA BOOKINYOUTOO
There comes a moment for many people, sometimes quietly and sometimes persistently, when a thought begins to surface…Ihaveabookinme.
It may be a story you have lived, a lesson you have learned or a message you feel called to share, something that could encourage, guide or change the life of someoneelse.Andyet,formany,itremains unwritten, held back by doubt, uncertainty ornotknowingwheretobegin.
Thetruthisthis.Youdohaveabookinyou andyouaremorecapableofwritingitthan yourealise.
Writingabookiseasierthanyouthink,but onlywhenyouknowhow.
With the right structure, support and encouragement, what once felt overwhelming becomes achievable, even enjoyable.
That is why PublishU exists, to walk with you from idea to manuscript, from manuscript to book, and from book to opportunities.
“Mattʼs ‘Writing My Bookʼ programme gave me the framework and tools I neededtowritemybook.I recommendthiscourseto anyonewhohasabookin them and need some coaching to get it to the world.ˮ
IsabelleBryan
“Matt has been nothing short of exceptional. In direction, focus, guidance and inspiration. There is a bookineveryone,butonly if untapped correctly; and this untapping is Mattʼs special skill amongst many. Everyone, should write a book in their life. ThankyouMatt!ˮ
ChristianCox
“Ifyouwanttogetabook outofyourheadandonto the written page, but worry you lack the drive, discipline and detailed knowledge needed to do so, then this course will showyouotherwise.ˮ
SylvieNichols
www.PublishU.com