Some say freshman year is a time to discover new passions, but freshman Sean Fay Wolfe found his passion at the age of 14.
Wolfe, a double major in English and elementary education at the University of Rhode Island from West Kingston, Rhode Island, is a teen author in the making. He published his first book in 2014 as the start to his trilogy, “The Elementia Chronicles” that takes readers on a journey through the world of Minecraft.
“When I saw all the potential that this world had, I just thought of it as a story, and since I’ve done some writing in the past I decided to write it down,” he said.
Wolfe said he had always been a creative person who wrote short stories in the back of his notebook when he was in elementary school. In middle school he stopped, because it “wasn’t cool enough.” In his freshman year of high school, after he discovered Minecraft, he had this idea for a story that was evolving more and more as he played the game, so he knew he had to get this story out.
He started writing the first book, titled “The Quest for Justice” shortly after a friend showed him the world of Minecraft. It was supposed to be a standalone, Wolfe explained, but as he wrote, he discovered how much potential each character had and how the story had other places to go. He decided to expand the series into a trilogy.
In the beginning, Wolfe said that it never occurred to him that a story like this would be something that people would want to read. His family became his biggest supporters during his time writing.
“The first people I shared my writing with was my mother and my younger brother,” he said. “Basically, I showed them what I had and they read the first 10 chapters and immediately demanded that I keep writing because they wanted to know what happened next.”
Based on his family’s reactions, Wolfe and his mom decided that the book would be something that others would like to read. Wolfe said he also knew how important it was based on how his mom had never played any video games before, but still became the biggest fan of his first book. He said that his grandmother also became a motivator for him based on her outlook while reading “The Quest for Justice.”
“After months and months of convincing, my mother was able to get my grandmother to read the first book, but originally she felt that she would never understand it,” he said. “She would say things like, ‘Oh, I’m sure Sean did a great job, but I don’t think I’ll be able to read it,’ but once we finally got her to read it she became my biggest fan.”
Each of Wolfe’s books have been marketed for 8 through 14 year olds. In his opinion, he feels his series can be for ages 8 to 88 years old. His biggest inspiration has been J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, based on her creation of another world for her readers to dive into.
Wolfe’s second book is titled, “The New Order” and was released this Tuesday for readers to buy. The third book, “Herobrine’s Message,” will be released on Jan. 27.
All of Wolfe’s books gives readers a chance to understand the world of Minecraft whether they have played the game or not. He said that the three main characters in his books take readers on a journey through the world of Minecraft, exploring its different areas.
Currently, Wolfe has been preparing for the release of the second book to “The Elementia Chronicles.” He’s been able to give presentations to schools, libraries and organizations around New England, and outside of it through his publisher and his mom’s help. This past summer he went to San Diego Comic Con and spoke with a panel of children’s authors about his book.
Wolfe said he has plans to continue to write books, not only about Minecraft, but also on action adventure for both kids and young adults.
To follow Wolfe’s adventure, like his Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/ElementiaChronicles/timeline
To purchase any of his books, check them out on Amazon at: http://www.amazon.com/Sean-Fay-Wolfe/e/B00HMUTS04.