St. Catharines author puts new spin on famous tale
He didn’t spend his childhood searching for the Holy Grail or pulling mythical swords from stone, but Sean Bell has weaved his own upbringing into a new fantasy take on the Arthurian legends.
Bell released his debut novel, “The Grandfather Chronicles,” last July, and is in the midst of writing Part 2 of his planned trilogy. It’s based on a story he originally wrote as a manuscript for a movie, combining his love of storytelling and the fantasy genre. The book follows a grandfather and grandson who are connected through the Pendragon bloodline of King Arthur lore.
“And my story is about a dark secret that the grandfather has helped protect from the world with respect to Excalibur,” Bell said.
After the grandfather dies, the grandson inherits his legacy and must protect the secret to overcome evil.
Bell went to Sheridan College for media arts, with an eye toward film and television. He initially followed the documentary route, including to produce a piece on Montreal Canadiens legend and cancer survivor Saku Koivu.
The idea for “The Grandfather Chronicles” has been with him for about a decade, but his decision to turn it into a young adult fantasy trilogy was made a couple of years ago just as COVID-19 was starting to hit.
“I knew we were going to be home for a while and I wanted to do something. I think also it helped me escape the negativity of what’s going on around me,” he said. “The book allowed me to escape into this fantasy world where I could just work on that.”
Bell said his story is unique in that, while it’s a fantasy tale with magical powers and mystical realms, incorporates real stories from his childhood. He grew up with a single mom and developed a very strong relationship with his grandfather.
“Especially at a young age, I didn’t have a lot of male role models. My grandfather was my hero. He still is,” Bell said.
He recalled important life lessons being passed down to him while listening to his grandfather read the sports section of the Montreal Gazette or getting up with him at 6 a.m. on Christmas, waiting until 8 a.m. when they were allowed to open presents.
“As I wrote this book and I thought back to those great days with him, it was just amazing to be able to share that. But that was a tough decision … did I want to share these close memories that I have with my grandfather with the world?” he said.
Bell took the self-publishing route, opting to work with FriesenPress. The process was challenging — the editing period itself took months of hard work — but in the end Bell is happy with the result.
He’s working on the second book, with plans to have it out before Christmas. Book 3 should be out next year.
For more information on the book and how to buy a copy, visit thegrandfatherchronicles.com.