I get asked a lot about how I came up with Stiger’s Tigers.

My family and I take an annual road trip to Florida. Imagine 3 little girls in a car for many… many hours. LoL We make the trip more about what we see and do along the way rather than just getting to the destination. There are plenty of stops along the way… We see and do a lot, everything from alpine slides, to aquariums to military museums, like the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum in Savanah. (That one was for daddy!) It becomes quite the adventure!

I do nearly all of the driving and while I drive, I think. I have a very strong background in history and host a successful history podcast: 2centhistory. (check it out) At the time, I had been reading and doing a great deal of research on Rome. This was in preparation for a show. I was also reading a fantasy novel and I thought… “Perhaps I should write a fictional book set around some of the roman wars! That could be fun!” Then it hit me. “What if I write a story about the roman legions and added in dwarves, elves, magic, etc.???”

In all of my reading, I could not ever recall it being done! That night I jotted down some basic notes. I knew that writing a novel would be a massive undertaking and before I began I wanted to be sure about it. I thought on it for a few more months, fleshing out ideas and thinking along various story lines. Finally, I made the decision to commit to the project and the serious work began.

From the beginning I intentionally set about to write a fantasy novel that was different from the norm and did not rehash much of what others have done before me. The story had to be fresh and far from predictable. It also had to include surprises and most important keep the reader guessing until the very end. To accomplish this I put my history show on hold and spent a tremendous amount of time mapping out the world, cultures, history, etc. I then came up with a number of story lines taking place on this fantasy world. Some of those storylines are very cool and I plan to revisit them at a later date, particularly one about General Treim. (If you recall Treim is Stiger’s patron and taught him a lot of what he knows about war and leading men.) In the end I elected to tell the tale of adventures belonging to Stiger and Eli. It was then that I realized I had more than just one book. I had the makings of a series, perhaps even an Epic!

Back to work on Book 2!

I thought for my first post… I would touch on Stiger’s character a little and give some background to help my readers better understand the man.

Ben Stiger:

Stiger is a man who has been hardened by war, and the politics of the Mal’Zeelan Empire. He is a gifted fighter, a bastard of a man, master manipulator and a born leader of men.

Though many of his peers would wish he had not, Stiger has made the legions and service to the empire his life. He comes from a very powerful, yet infamous imperial family. (You will learn a little more about this in The Tiger) His father was one of the empire’s great generals… who made a poor choice… Stiger is living in his father’s shadow or really a dark cloud. (I don’t want to give too much away here… more coming on this in Books 2 & 3)

Stiger takes his honor seriously, even though most of his peers question it. He has already been tested in the fires of combat and suffers as a result… at times running hot and others cool. (If you have not yet guessed… he suffers a little from post-traumatic stress.)

The first book picks up in the middle of his story after the conclusion of a major campaign in the forests of Abath that dragged on for years. Think of the forests of Gaul with a more determined and organized enemy and you have some idea of what he has been through. (I plan on telling this story someday)

Stiger and Eli’s friendship began before the campaign in the Forests of Abath. I expect I will tell that story as well.

The empire has endured many centuries but is now threatened by multiple wars and a major rebellion in the South. A nobleman from an infamous family, imperial legionary officer, fighter and a right proper bastard of a man… Captain Ben Stiger finds himself reassigned from a crack legion to the rebellion simmering in the South. Placed in command of a truly terrible company, the 85th Imperial Foot, he is unknowingly sent on a suicide mission to resupply an isolated outpost, the garrison of Vrell. Along the way he must rebuild his new company, gain the respect of the men he leads, survive an assassination attempt, fight bandits, rebels, and an agent of an evil god. His companions on this journey of discovery and adventure are one of the few remaining elven rangers and a paladin on a quest for the High Father.

The battle to save the empire and the world begins here in the first book of this exciting new series!