About the Author

Bryant Reil was raised in rural Alberta and currently resides in beautiful Kelowna, BC, only a short walk from Okanagan Lake. He frequents many of the local hiking trails, and can often be seen deep in thought wearing his large headphones.

Bryant's attraction to the fantasy genre began when he was four years old and went to a play in the high school gymnasium in the village of Rosemary where he lived. The play was about a young man looking for a dragon's tear, and included a talking wall which provided the hero with information. At first disturbed by this wall, little Bryant became fixated on it, and became awed by the mad creativity behind such a bizarre concept. This led to a childhood reading series such as C. S Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia, Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain, and a now-forgotten Forgotten Realms novel he found while snooping in his older sister's room. He also devoured myths and legends from around the world, as well as classical literature, which all have influenced his writing.

As an adult, Bryant has felt the pull of various creative endeavors such as writing, 3D modelling and printing, and dabbled in oil paintings and digital art. These endeavors could only be pursued in short bursts, as Bryant worked as an ESL instructor and then a federal employee. The trilogy Elf Mastery (consisting of three books, Elf Mastery, Elf Doubt, and Elf Righteous) took six years to complete as Bryant concurrently alternated between employment and work on a Master's in Integrated Studies.

Initially determined to follow the road of traditional publishing, Bryant was dismayed early in the process as agent submission guidelines consistently required various tropes for the genre, with one outright stating that a love triangle was industry standard and would be required for any submissions. This inspired Bryant to investigate the challenge of self-publication, which included a lot more legwork in editing, formatting, art commissions, and marketing. The highlight of this experience, beyond the valuable education, was a review of each book by Piers Anthony for his monthly newsletter.

In addition to creating the ebook and paperback formats, the first book of Elf Mastery (also titled Elf Mastery) has been created as an audiobook narrated by popular Booktuber Merphy Napier.

Bryant's dream would be to create entertainment for young people, where creativity can be explored and appreciated and life lessons can be expressed. He believes the imagination of the heart and mind can be best expressed through reading and media that can express joy and hope while simultaneously not shying away from dark and difficult themes.

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