Tuolumne, CA — Daniel Atkins, who is a teacher at Summerville High School, is releasing a book that will be the first in a series of at least two others.
The Lightseeker Series, Out of the Darkness, is a middle-grade fantasy fiction novel, aimed at readers between the ages of about 10-15.
Asked about how the idea for a book series came about, he says, “I was camping with a good friend of mine, who I often discuss creative endeavors with, around four years ago, and he challenged me to write a story. In my tent that night, I had an idea for a story called The Lightseekers. The words sort of just popped into my head, and I had an image of a young boy deep underground, sort of groping in darkness, and then a light appeared. That was all I had to start with, but I knew it was the beginning of a meaningful story.”
Providing a short synopsis of the book, he says, “Sky and Fin’s lives, deep in the Underground, are turned upside down by a series of strange encounters that propel them on a thrilling journey—dodging giant snakes, outwitting the shadowy Order, and uncovering long-lost secrets in the depths—as they search for answers and seek the light.”
The Lightseeker Series Original artwork on the book cover was done by Aedan Peterson, who has worked on projects like the animated Wingfeather Saga series.
Atkins, who was born and raised in Tuolumne, launched a Kickstarter campaign for the book over the summer and raised over $13,000 with 200 backers.
The novel, which is self-published, is currently available through a website developed for it here. He notes that it will be available on Amazon after the first of the year. He is also doing a book signing, with copies for sale, at the Revive Café in downtown Sonora on Saturday, December 13, from 2-4 pm.
