Tales of the Republic

How the World of Tales of the Republic Was Born

Some stories begin with a quiet idea. Others begin with a conversation.

Tales of the Republic began with both.

Years ago I started sharing early ideas for this universe on Discord and in shared documents. At first it was just pieces of a world—fragments of history, characters trying to survive a collapsing society, and the shadow of a virus that would change everything. I would write something, post it, and people would respond. Those conversations slowly turned into something bigger.

Before long a group of us began playing a video game together that carried the same kind of atmosphere I was trying to build in the books. My wife and I were there. My brother. My sons. Veterans, writers, everyday working folks, and a few rough characters who had lived hard lives. People from all walks of life gathered in the same digital space.

What started as a game quickly became something more.

While we played, we talked. Stories were shared. Personal experiences shaped characters. Moments from those late-night sessions found their way into the world I was building. Slowly, those voices and personalities began weaving themselves into the fabric of Tales of the Republic.

Some of the characters readers will eventually meet in the later European arc of the series were born in those conversations. They were inspired by real people—ordinary men and women who brought their own perspectives, humor, struggles, and strength into the story.

The result was a world that feels lived in.

In the pages of Tales of the Republic, you will meet ordinary heroes doing their best to survive in extraordinary circumstances. Some fight the virus. Some resist the power of the UCN. Others simply try to protect the people who can no longer fight for themselves.

Along the way you will also meet villains. Not monsters without reason, but people shaped by the same broken world as everyone else. In this universe, the line between hero and villain can sometimes be thin, and understanding why someone chooses the path they do is part of the journey.

Through these stories we see compassion and cruelty, loyalty and betrayal, love and loss. And we see the heavy cost that often comes with trying to do what is right when the world around you has fallen apart.

This universe didn’t grow from one mind alone. It was shaped by conversations, friendships, and shared imagination across many late nights and long discussions.

Now those stories are ready to be told.

If you want to step into this world and meet the people who inhabit it, the journey begins with:

Tales of the Republic: Kentucky Blood

This is where the road starts.

The rest of the saga has already been written and secured through the U.S. Copyright Office, and those books will be released in the future as the story continues to unfold.

For now, the first step is waiting.

Welcome to the Republic.