Official Website of Keith Ahrens, Writer
The Underhill Chronicles
September 15, 2020
Trapped in their world. All stats against them. It’s fight or die.
When Caleb reported for his normal shift, he never expected to go from the front seat of his ambulance to a bloody battlefield in a medieval Fey Realm.
Kidnapped and beaten unconscious, he wakes up with a concussion and a fresh tattoo. While this might not be totally unusual for him, having the tattoo project the image of his stats and equipment like an old school tabletop RPG kind of is.
He finds himself thrown into a cell with three strangers who’ve also been abducted. Even worse, they’re all from different time periods due to the disjointed flow of time between the real world and this realm, hardly able to understand each other.
They’ll have to learn to work together. Months of training will lead to a yearly battle they were kidnapped to fight in. It’s law.
But Caleb has other plans. Outnumbered and under-armed, but lured by freedom, he can either stay and fight in the games, or try to lead the escape to the only gate back to their world. Either way, it’s live or die.
Don’t miss this epic new LitRPG/GameLit Saga, perfect for fans of Spartacus, Eric Ungland, and Aleron Kong. Available in Digital and Audible.
Bio
So, bios are a rough thing. Most people don't read them, but if they do, they usually find the author is just some guy or gal and nothing super special. Or maybe they go with the classic humble brag and list their various achievements and try not to sound like a jerk while doing so.
Maybe I can attempt to be funny and witty. The challenge there is that can easily come off as mildly amusing but devoid of any real information at best or nonsensical and clinically insane at worst. Maybe there is a happy medium, but damned if I can find it...so here goes something.
I was born at an early age and was completely illiterate for the first several years. I overcame that and became an avid reader of all things sci/fi, fantasy or murder mystery. I grew up playing a lot of contact sports (the concussions weren't a thing when I was a kid and it shows), rode dirt bikes, shot guns for target practice, did a lot of camping and logged a few thousand hours playing Dungeons and Dragons, with a minor in video games. Over the years I have held many, many different jobs, sometimes at the same time. Anything from amateur blacksmithing and leatherworking, to bouncer at a pool hall, to trumpet player in various bands (marching and stage). I spent a forgettable summer learning to make microfilm and microfiche (a dead medium by now) before spending a few years as a Vet tech and dog trainer. A logical step later, I became a paramedic with a major fire department and spent almost 20 years in that role. Then I broke my spine and had to figure out what to do when I grow up. I dusted off a few notebooks filled with terrible short stories and ideas and tried to hone the craft of writing into an actual career. I'll let you know how it goes.
If you’re still reading and really want to know, I live in NY with my wife and son and an ever-rotating menagerie of pets.
Writing and Works in Progress
This is some of the things I am either working on or have already published. Check the blog for other works
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The Underhill Chronicles, Book 1, Stolen Lives
Available September 15th 2020, Digital and Audible
Action packed adventure mixing modern day and a fantastical world of Underhill. Its kinda like "Third Watch" in a Tolkienesque prison. Its got magic, ogres, elves, moral dilemas, sword fights and fire-fights.
My first full length novel. Steep learning curve to get here, but well worth it.
"The Underhill Chronicles, Book 2 Drawing the Line"
12/15/2020
Back in their own world, but still on the run… the Fey can be a vindictive lot and all the levelling up may not be enough.
Picking up right after the brutal climax of their escape from Underhill, Caleb and company find no solace in their return home. After losing decades to the Fey realm, they find themselves lost in the world they should know with no direction or plan. Until an ill-fated trip to a pawn shop changes everything, again.
Arrested and turned over to the Sheriff of a small, strange town, the group is roped into another bad situation. With time running low and Dullahan marshalling his forces intent on regaining his property, they have no choice but join up and fight back.
The group, dealing with the sudden loss of another of their own, elects Caleb as the man in charge. Tasked with defending a small, incomplete fortress against overwhelming numbers of Fey, Caleb is forced to trust their new allies, even with their obvious other agenda. Despite all this, the group may have finally discovered the link between them and the game of The Underhill Chronicles.
The full moon is rising… time to sharpen some swords, load some guns and level up.
Out on 12/15/20 through Amazon, published by Aethon Books
1st Published Short Story
Widely Available
Special thanks to Robin Praytor for giving me my first break into being a published writer. This is a fun anthology written from the point of view from cats, feral or domesticated. A lot of talented writers in here. My story, of course, has cats fighting goblins who are terrorizing a young family.
Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.