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From a Random Idea to The Mentu Prince: How Ezra’s Story Began

authorzkstone
Aug 13
2 min read

As an author, I never really know where my stories are going to take me.

Usually, it starts with one random idea—a scene that pops into my head that I think would be cool in a story. Then my brain starts pulling it apart. Who are these characters? How did they get here? Why are they doing this? What happened to make them who they are?

Before I know it, that one scene has turned into an entire story.

That’s exactly how The Mentu Prince: Shadows of Destiny began.

Spoilers Ahead

The original idea was actually for a character who becomes an assassin and will eventually assassinate someone very prominent in the end times.

But then I started wondering: Who is this man? What could happen to someone that would lead him down that path?

So I started working backward.

Eventually, that assassin became a boy named Ezra, growing up in a desert nation devastated by a major war. The rest of the world has been told the land is uninhabitable, and most of its citizens have fled. Those left behind have formed tribes—including the Mentu.

The Mentu have developed a deeply twisted idea of what it means to be a man. Their beliefs aren’t based on any real-world religion. They are the teachings of brutal men who have convinced boys that cruelty, violence, and domination are what make someone strong.

And those boys grow up believing it.

That’s where Ezra comes in.

As the chief’s son, Ezra is being raised to one day become a Mentu man. His father is teaching him one definition of manhood, while his mother has quietly spent his life teaching him another.

Ezra is caught between the two.

He has to decide whether he will become the man his mother believes he can be—or the monster his father is raising him to become.

And ultimately, the choices he makes and the world that shaped him will set him on the path toward becoming the assassin we meet in future stories.

Why I’m Sharing This

I’m sharing all of this for two reasons.

First, I wanted to give you a glimpse into my writing process and how one random scene can slowly turn into an entire world, characters, and story.

And second…

The Mentu Prince: Shadows of Destiny is FREE on Kindle August 14–15!

If you haven’t met Ezra yet, this weekend is the perfect chance to discover where his story begins.

Read The Mentu Prince: Shadows of Destiny on Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Mentu-Prince-Shadows-Destiny-ebook/dp/B0CGPLLZRY/

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Believe in God. Believe in yourself. Believe in your dream.

 
 
 

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