It’s not personal

Actually, it kind of is. I want to spend a little digital ink letting you get to know me a bit better. Some of you have been around for four years and some of you joined the team today. So who is the demented mind behind Anuka Sandbar?

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I was born in Elliott County, Kentucky. It’s the birthplace of Country Music Legend Keith Whitley. His mother, Faye, and my mom were friends, though I was too young to remember ever seeing Keith. I’m a cousin to Rocky Adkins, the political figure, but have only met him once. Also, I’m a distant cousin by marriage to Carrie Fisher. She never knew I existed.

All this to say, I’m a man of humble beginnings. My dad got sick when I was in 4th grade and we moved to Fleming County, Kentucky where I would eventually graduate from high school. Dad passed away shortly after we moved and I kind of recoiled into myself for a while. It was during that time that I wrote my first story: The Big Wind of Wallingford. If you guessed this story was about a kid a new school who roamed the halls in search of a place to pass gas where his new peers wouldn’t hear, you’d guess right. It was a harrowing tale. And, yes, the main character did find a dark room to release his burden, only to discover he was in a dark lounge full of teachers taking a break.

I loved to read. You could say I was an award-winning reader.

Those were the days! I was a poor kid and I still remember eating my first pizza that I earned. My mouth burned (they were hot for some reason) and tears of joy streamed down my face.

It wasn’t until middle school, following a car accident involving me on a bike and a tan Dodge Aires, that I met the world’s craziest human. Robert Lewis said, “Hey man. I’m Robert. Why do you have gauze wrapped around your head?” We’ve been best friend ever since. Robert introduced me to Dungeons and Dragons and, eventually, the novels that would change my life.

Robert went on and on about a book called Darkwalker on Moonshae by Douglas Niles (go get it: https://amzn.to/40HEvKz). The next time mom went shopping I went along and walked to the Walden Books in the same strip mall. No Darkwalker books in stock. Bummer. Something did catch my eye.

This beauty changed my life forever. I fell in love with the characters and R.A. Salvatore’s incredible fight scenes. I know this series is much maligned and has drug on for thirty years, but these books have been a joy for me since I was a teenager. (Get this one, too: https://amzn.to/4frDdHD). While Homeland (4th book in the series, kind of) is my absolute favorite. Maybe my favorite book of all time.

Read my article about that book here: https://authorjackadkins.com/a-bad-book-review-homeland-by-r-a-salvatore/

After filling my brain with dozens and dozens of fantasy novels, I started writing again. I wrote a rambling forty nine page story (printed on a dot matrix printer) about a warrior’s fight against evil dark elves!

I’ll do this again sometime and pick up with the next phase of my life. It only get’s wilder from here!