So…I wanted to share some good news!
Last month, I entered The Knights with No Lords: The One Called Gawain into the Reader Views Literary Awards. The entry included a professional review of the novel, and when the email arrived with the results, I almost didn’t want to believe what I was seeing. Five Stars Baby!!!
The reviewer called the novel:
- ⚔️ “A modern masterpiece.”
- ⚔️ “The most glorious prose.”
- ⚔️ A book with battle scenes written with “a precision rarely seen.”
And then came the line that absolutely floored me:
“Chances are, this will be the best fantasy book you read this year.”
You can read the full review here: https://readerviews.com/reviews/the-knights-with-no-lords-kitaro/
By now, most of you know that writing and publishing my own novels…it’s not exactly new. I’m already preparing to publish another book by December, and that one has been more than ten years in the making.
So, I get it. Rock published another book. Big deal, right?
In fact, last month I wrote an entire essay that I ultimately decided not to publish. It was about how being able to say, “I published a book,” doesn’t feel as special as it used to.
“What makes you say that, Rock?”
Two strangely timed things happened around the launch of The Knights with No Lords.
Friday, July 3, 2026, was my official launch date. I had planned to announce across Facebook and my other platforms that the novel was finally available. I had even contacted someone from my high school alumni group to ask permission to share the announcement there.
Then, the Sunday before my launch, almost out of nowhere, a former high school classmate posted that he had published a fantasy novel.
I had been Facebook friends with him for more than a decade, but I could barely remember seeing him post anything. He had never interacted with my previous books or shown much interest in my writing.
Still, one week before I was preparing to announce my own fantasy novel, there he was announcing his. I gave the post a heart because publishing a book is still an accomplishment, and I genuinely wanted to show support.
But I would be lying if I said it didn’t sting a little.
I had to check myself. “You’re not special, Rock. You’re not the only author in the world. You’re not even the only author from your graduating class.”
Then, one week after my official launch announcement, another older friend from high school posted that his daughter—a high school student—had written and published a fantasy novel. He encouraged everyone to support her. You really cannot make this stuff up.
That’s not to bash him or his daughter…But those announcements forced me to confront an uncomfortable question. If seemingly everyone can publish a book now, what makes my accomplishment so special?
I’ll be 40 years old on August the 18th. Since I was 23, back in 2009, I’ve literally sacrificed nights, weekends, vacations, and holiday time when it comes to my pursuit of becoming a published author. That’s over fifteen years.
And when I say I “sacrificed,” I literally mean that I chose not to go to clubs or travel the world. I didn’t prioritize getting laid, blazed, or attending whatever party was coming up. That’s not to slight those who did indulge in all that…but at the same time, a lot of my peers and even close family members slighted my efforts.
You have no idea how many times my peers called me arrogant or accused me of bragging, all because they asked me how I spent my weekends and I told them the truth, that I spent them working on a book. Not to lord over them or imply that I was better. But the problem was, a lot of them called themselves writers as well.
So, when they’d inadvertently (and subconsciously) hear that I don’t just write “whenever I have free time,” but that I actually MADE time to pursue my craft…yeah, they didn’t respond kindly to that.
None of them understood that I simply enjoyed writing stories.
That’s not to say that I never had any encouragement or praise over the years. There are so many people in my life who’ve shown support, who’ve uplifted me, believed in me, and told me my work was good…and while that’s nice to hear, I’m sorry, but deep down it’s like… “how do you know they aren’t just saying that to be nice?”
And given the doubt and cynicism I’ve had to contend with when it comes to my peers, who also called themselves “writers,” you really can’t blame me.
What if my peers were right? What if I just wasted my life? What if I let life slip by on this trivial pursuit, having missed out on all the party, fun, and experiences they indulged in.
I could’ve been a father sooner. I could’ve been a husband sooner. What if pouring all that time and devotion into my writing was pointless? For most of my peers to doubt me…my work could actually be straight-up garbage and all the praise I got was just from people who didn’t have the heart to see me sad or discouraged?
Those are the thoughts I have to contend with every time I publish a book.
Even when I announced “The Knights with No Lords” last month…a huge part of me felt sad more than celebration. In the back of my mind, it was just another work that amounts to very little.
Then, I got the results back from the Reader Views Book Contest I entered last month which included a professional review for “The Knights with No Lords” and they didn’t just say “enjoyable story with interesting characters…” they were RAVING ABOUT IT! FIVE STARS BABY!!!
I couldn’t believe it! After absolutely getting destroyed by professional reviews for my last novel, I honestly didn’t expect much. But they loved it!
An independent professional reviewer—someone who did not know me, had no reason to protect my feelings, and had nothing to gain from flattering me—read The Knights with No Lords and called it “a modern masterpiece.”
I’ll let you read the review for yourselves. But bottom line…if I win the prize in November, that’s just icing on the cake. Because today, it feels like the real battle was won.
No, I’m not suddenly declaring I’m the greatest thing since sliced bread. And please, continue leaving your own reviews on Amazon, because those reviews genuinely help strengthen the book and encourage new readers to give it a chance.
But the battle I won today was personal…it was a battle against the fear that maybe—despite all the work, all the years, and all the belief—I might not actually be good enough.
Now…I know.
I had to explain that distinction to my father, because he reminded me that his coworker loved my last book and wanted to take it home. And he was right to remind me. Her praise mattered. Every reader who has genuinely connected with my work matters.
But there was something different about this. An unbiased professional reviewer who had nothing to gain or lose by providing an honest critique.
Not to mention…what made the review especially meaningful is the fact that I haven’t read most, or any of the contemporary best-sellers that’s dominating the market. I don’t know what my competition is, other than the stories I see Hollywood adapting to movies.
That’s why the Professional Review means something. They confirmed that my belief in myself wasn’t just “all in my head.” It wasn’t just delusion, arrogance, or conceit. She described the writing as “superb!”
She said the prose was “glorious!” She said there was a good chance it would be the best fantasy book someone reads all year.
My friends…I was almost brought to tears reading that. That’s why I said winning the prize in November would just be icing on the cake. Today, simply KNOWING that I am that good and having an unbiased professional confirm it…it’s like a massive weight finally lifted from my chest.
I won.
I fucking did it!
Stage In The Sky 