North County author releases fifth book in nine-part fantasy series

One day, while on a walk, Torrey Pines High School alum and North County resident Matthew Wolf was struck by an overwhelming urge to write.

It was a cold, blustery afternoon and, at the time, Wolf was working in an unrelated field. As he raced back to his home to put pen to paper, his imagination ran rampant, creating a world of goblins and ghouls in his head.

100 words later, Wolf decided to trash the writing and start from scratch. It was this second attempt that landed him to where he is now, releasing the fifth book in his bestselling nine-part series The Ronin Saga.

Book five, titled Heart of Flesh, follows the series about trio Gray, Ayva and Darius, three friends in the world of Far Haven, who discover they are reincarnations of ancient elemental warriors. With plot twists, dragons, battles and more, the series intertwines classic fantasy elements while following each character closely on their personal journeys.

“I always had a desire to tell stories. I think what helps is that I can create a world that people can stumble upon,” said Wolf.

Just like the world he is creating for readers to stumble into, Wolf himself stumbled into his role as writer. With a wild imagination and ability to story tell, this chosen career did not come as a shock, but it certainly was not his plan either.

“I did not know I wanted to be a writer. I was a kid who liked to tell stories, but didn’t ever have an end to my stories. In college, I ended up getting an astrophysics major. I did that for about two years,” said Wolf. “I was always reading fantasy books on the side, as a way to almost escape the math. When I was living in Oregon, I began writing and I got possessed by the idea of writing.”

Ten years later, Wolf still feels that pull to write.

“The first two books did well. At that time, I was still working a side job and then once they really started taking off, I decided to publish them via audible and they hit the algorithm in the right way and continued to grow,” said Wolf.

Connecting with his readers is a primary way Wolf continues to grow the series. Listening to what they want and understanding what the age demographic looks for in writing are tools he uses to amplify his work.

“I am immediately invigorated when I meet fans and readers. It is very cool. I feel beholden to them and seeing their excitement always makes me eager to dive back into the world and keep on writing,” said Wolf.

Falling into the Young Adult category, Wolf can both teach readers moral lessons while also creating work that he would have loved to read at that age.

“As long as you have fascinating characters, you can pull them off the page and do anything with the story. There are themes of honor and courage, and that part is my favorite. Being able to create stories that are very approachable but also intertwining morals,” said Wolf.

Inviting new readers into the world is another motivator for Wolf.

“I have met people who are not readers or even people who are readers but have never read fantasy. I met someone at a trade show, and he had never read before, his girlfriend even joked that he didn’t know if he could read. I pitched him on the series, and he loved it and ended up reading the first couple chapters that night. Now he has two tattoos from the series and even named his kid after someone from the books,” said Wolf. “I think what hooked him, and other people, is the relatability of characters. Also, the scope and scale of the series is fun. It is all about legendary heroes and powers. It brings in aspects of history and lore and myth.”

While primarily for young adults, the series is inviting to anyone, said Wolf.

“People who are young adults can easily get immersed in the series, because the characters are 18 to 24. This said, I think the themes of these characters and stepping into the shoes of legendary heroes is something anyone can relate to,” said Wolf.

Book five, Heart of Flesh, will feature life and death battles, limited powers of characters and a turn of arc for the series.

“The premise is very fun and interesting. I am a character forward person and that is the heart of this book. I want characters that are very real and believable,” said Wolf. “As I have evolved and grown, it has been fun to lean into things and watch my work grow and have the dialogue and humor and characters get more evident on the pages.”

Looking ahead, Wolf anticipates four more books within the Ronin Saga series.

“People often ask, because it is a nine-book series, do you lose passion? My answer is always no, because I can see these characters so vividly in my mind and everything else fades away,” said Wolf.

The full Ronin Saga, as well as Heart of Flesh, are available on amazon, audiobook, hardcover, eBook and paperback now at https://www.matthewwolfauthor.com/collections/the-ronin-saga