Hi, I’m Tessa McFionn author of the Guardian series and I’m your host for this stop in the Hunt.

 

If you would like to find out more about the Hunt, please click here – http://vfcscavengerhunt.weebly.com/

Somewhere on this page is a hidden number. Collect all the numbers from all the authors’ posts, and then add them up. Once you’ve added all the numbers, and if I am your last author, please head to the official website and click on the ENTER HERE page to find the entry form. Only entries will the correct number will qualify to win.

 

The author I’m pleased to be hosting for Virtual FantasyCon’s Blog Hop Hunt today is Sci-Fi author, Richard M. Mulder.

Richard M. Mulder isrichard-mulder the author of Conquest: Rise of the Fifth Horseman. He is also at the leader of the SciFan Society, a collective of authors rallying for the debut of the Science Fantasy (SciFan) genre taking the world stage. Science Fantasy is a genre that blends fantastic and scientific elements into a coherent worldbuild to tell a story in a more interesting and flexible way. To learn about the SciFan movement, go to SciFanFic.wordpress.com for more information.

Richard began his writing career on accident. He was a twelve-year-old who was keen on keeping an accurate journal, and one day he ran out of writing space. So, he turned to his computer and created a password-protected document entitled “The Secret Journal”. After several months he had written a sufficient amount of content about a girl he was crushing on, and made the colossal mistake of allowing his best friend the exclusive ability to read a portion of it. Rumors began to fly around his Junior High School that Richard was writing a novel about the girl he was crushing on, and then the fateful day came when said girl confronted Richard about it. He tried to dispel the rumors, but was unsuccessful. She demanded the ability to read the content he had written.secret-journal

Mortally embarrassed, Richard spent the next week painstakingly editing the content and changing the names in “The Secret Journal” until he had created a mini novella with a fun little story. When Richard finally delivered a copy of the novella to his crush, she broke the news to him that her family was moving out of town the following week. Heartbroken, he turned back to “The Secret Journal” to express his feelings metaphorically.

As the years passed, Richard discovered his passion for writing as “The Secret Journal” underwent hundreds of content edits until it became a two hundred and twenty eight-page novel with an entirely different storyline about entirely original characters. After receiving multiple rejection letters, Richard opted to self-publish through a vanity publishing house. In November of two thousand and three, Richard became an eighteen-year-old published author.

Several articles were written about him in local newspapers, and Richard hosted two book signing events at local bookstores. His novel had been garnering a modest royalty for a year, when his publisher contacted him and explained that they were being acquired by another vanity publisher. They further explained to him that under the terms and conditions of the new vanity publisher, Richard would be required to pay a sum of five hundred dollars per year to keep his book on the shelves.

This announceconquestment couldn’t have come at a more inconvenient time. His parents had recently divorced, and all of his income was being swallowed up by his struggles to support himself and his two younger brothers. Because of his unfortunate circumstances, Richard opted to let “The Secret Journal” expire.

As the years passed, Richard never gave up his dream to be a successful author. He continued to write whenever and wherever he could. Another fateful day arrived when he met the woman of his dreams. Her brilliant red hair and dimpled smile made him swoon, and Richard couldn’t get over the fact that her name “Alicia Ann” was strikingly similar to the love interest in his expired novel, “Alicia Brianne”. Unable to hold in his exuberance, he showed her the passage in “The Secret Journal” where Alicia Brianne was first introduced. Feeling intimidated, she proceeded to ignore him for the next three months. Richard was persistent however, and obtained an invitation to her brotwarher’s birthday party. While there, he made his move. One week later they were engaged, and four months later they were married. Today, Richard and Alicia Ann have been married for seven years and they now have two beautiful little boys. Richard continues to write, and in June two thousand and fifteen he published the first book in The Fifth Horseman Series: Conquest: Rise of the Fifth Horseman.

Seven years ago Richard began plotting out the Fifth Horseman Series. The genre can only be properly classified as SciFan. The plot contains government conspiracies regarding a futuristic tracking system in our modern world intertwined with an ancient primeval darkness in a distant world that is determined to consume the souls of all mankind. Several characters are given superhuman powers and strengths, allowing them to transport between worlds and wield great powers. These powers include: divination, telepathy, body jumping, mind control, self-healing, and incineration to name a few.

In his story, the worlworld-of-zion-mapd of Zion has been plagued by the destructive will of the Leviathan for centuries. He has fed off of the souls of men, and his fodder has become scarce. He now turns to Earth with an insatiable hunger. Only a woman from Earth who discovers a divine inner power can challenge Earth’s Apocalyptic fate. The second installment, War: Tomb of the Fifth Horseman will be released next fall.

Although Richard’s 1 story could also classify under the subgenres of Metaphysical, Visionary, Dystopian and Sorcery, ultimately it classifies primarily under the genre of SciFan. Please pick up a copy of his book on Amazon at http://amzn.to/2dnsH6R.scifan-logo

Do you have a SciFan story to share with the world? Can you think of existing stories that should be properly classified as SciFan? Let’s revolutionize the publishing industry and clamor for the debut of the SciFan genre taking the stage! Come join our SciFan Society at Facebook.com/groups/SciFanSociety to learn how you can participate in this growing movement!

Did you find the number? If you did, then click on Richard M. Mulder’s link – https://scifanfic.wordpress.com/ to continue Virtual FantasyCon’s Blog Hop Hunt.