About the Author
Hi! My name is Casey Sutton.
I am a longtime reader and have always avidly enjoyed fantasy books and series. I had always distantly dreamt of becoming a writer myself, but never followed through with my goals. Life has a funny way of reminding you what is important to you. A few years ago, a near-death experience in South Africa gave me the push I needed to finally sit down and follow my dreams of being a writer!
A little while ago, I finished the first draft of my grimdark fantasy novel: Malfus - Necromancer Unchained. It is currently being edited by a fantastic editor who has worked with Dan Abnett and Brandon Sanderson before. Once the edits are completed, Malfus - Necromancer Unchained will be released later in 2023! You can check in on the status of the release on the website, follow me, or subscribe to stay tuned for updates on when the book will be available. It will also be recorded as an audiobook with Tantor Audio.
Anyway, enough about that. Here is a short story about me.
I was born in Virginia into a Navy family. Like most military families do, we moved around a lot. My childhood was spent from the East Coast in Virginia to the West Coast in California, and even all the way out in the middle of the Pacific to a tiny island called Guam for a couple years.
Being shy and always the perpetual “new kid” from all the moving around, most of my childhood was spent with my nose buried in a book or playing video games. I especially enjoyed fantasy books from an early age. The first fantasy series I fell in love with was Lloyd Alexander's The Black Cauldron series, followed shortly after by the Drizzt series by R.A. Salvatore. In addition to fantasy books in general, I’ve always had a special interest in animal books including Animal Farm, The Secret of Nimh, Watership Down, and the Redwall series, which have all had an influence on my writing as well. I am also a huge fan of the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson, The Blade Itself and the First Law series by Joe Abercrombie, and the Eisenhorn series by Dan Abnett.
I discovered Dungeons and Dragons when I was in the sixth grade and all my friends looked to me to be the “Dungeon Master.” The person who doesn’t get to play a cool hero and instead I was the storyteller, leading my friends on adventures in worlds that I created myself.
After high school, in 2002, I joined the Army. I deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan in an airborne unit as an IT specialist. I continued reading a lot of fantasy and science fiction novels and dreamt back then of becoming a writer myself one day. I discovered Dan Abnett and Joe Abercrombie and was drawn to their punchy, gritty writing styles. I read Mistborn and loved Brandon Sanderson's imaginative magic systems.
After eight years in the military, I went back home and went to school for psychology. In psychology, I discovered Carl Jung, Joseph Campbell, and the Hero’s Journey, which rekindled my interest in writing and the psychological aspects of storytelling.
After college, I joined the workforce as an IT Project Manager, and as one easily does, I lost sight of my dreams and put being a writer on hold. Then, in 2019, while visiting my girlfriend’s family in South Africa, I had a near-death experience that reminded me how important writing was to me. I finished the first draft of my novel less than a year later! I am working with just as much passion to get through the editing process now.
I currently live in Athens, Ohio. I have many different interests in addition to writing. I am also an amateur mycologist, who enjoys getting lost in the woods while looking at moss and mushrooms. I’ve also grown a few myself! I have four cats who keep me company while I write. One in particular, August, keeps a close eye on me as a I write. You can see her keeping me on task here.
Thanks for reading! And I look forward to sharing some of my stories with you soon!
