Deputy writes fantasy novel

Local readers rejoice.

Jesse Anderson, a New Rockford resident known to many as Chief Deputy with the Eddy County Sheriff's Office, has authored a new novel published this year.

Under the pseudonym, "M.C. Presler," Anderson has released the first installment of a new fantasy book series called "Not a King."

The series' first book, titled "The Mage," follows the epic journey of a young girl named Alexandria, who is revealed to have powerful mage blood in a world where having magical powers can get her killed.

The book was published in March of this year, and for Anderson, it's the culmination of years of writing, yet just the beginning of an epic fantasy adventure saga.

The second and third books in the series are also complete, and he has recently started on a fourth. The full series – which is recommended for young adults and adults – promises to immerse readers in the world of Pilanor, where a new king has wiped out most mages on the continent who might threaten his power.

Every child in the kingdom must get their blood checked at the age of 16, and those found to have mage blood are "removed from the population."

When Alexandria, just months away from her 16th birthday, discovers she has powerful Dragon Blood, she must embark on an adventure to survive and learn how to use her newfound powers.

It's an exciting story, especially for those looking for an occasional escape from reality and who want to immerse themselves in a fantastical new world.

Anderson said he's always enjoyed reading fantasy adventure novels such as the one he's now authored. He said he's a fan of all the Game of Thrones books and of an author by the name of Lindsay Buroker, whose work helped inspire him to start writing his own stories.

Anderson also wrote several unpublished short stories when he was young, and even his new book series was first intended to be a short story meant just for his children.

"I started just kind of writing it as a short story for my kids, and as I started writing it just got bigger and bigger, and I thought I'll just write this as a three-book series just for them," said Anderson.

"It took me almost four years to write the first two books, and then in 2023 I just thought maybe I should get these books published."

The series won't be sticking to just three books either, said Anderson. He's already working on a fourth and he doesn't expect the saga to end there.

In fact, Anderson said he enjoys sometimes surprising himself with the path his story takes as he writes, and he hopes readers will enjoy the story as much as he enjoys writing it.

"The Mage" is now available online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and pretty much anywhere books can be purchased online.

Librarian Susie Sharp said it will soon be available at the Eddy/New Rockford Library as well. And it won't be long before readers will get to read the second book in the series, "Dragon Blood." Anderson expects it to be published next spring.