English teacher Mr. Scott Hertrick has known he has wanted to write a book for quite a while. His dream is now about one third of the way there.

Hertrick said he came up with the idea for his novel Heir to the Crown with friends. “I said something, and my friend said that would be a great opening line for a book, so I went from there.” This still remains the opening line for Hertrick’s book:

“It had rained and rained, but it wasn’t raining now”

In Heir to the Crown, a kingdom’s emperor is assassinated by an outsider. To find a new ruler, a young person from each of the kingdom’s regions steps up to try and prove himself or herself worthy of leading.

Hertrick’s book is a fictional history.

“It is set in an empire that doesn’t really exist, although it is based on a number of different places from history as well as different motifs and cultures,” he said.

Hertrick said he has always liked the idea of gathering together a large group of different and interesting people. He said the first part of two of his favorite movies, The Magnificent 7 and The 7 Samurai, are about different types of people coming together.

He said he has put a lot of time into “putting groups of characters that represent different ways of looking at the world and what it means to be a leader, as well as trying to have characters that support those different ways and then make a country that supports those characters.” he said.

Hertrick said he thinks it is difficult to write about things that he is not familiar with, and for this reason he draws on personal experience.

For Hertrick, the idea of this story came from a book that he enjoyed reading, The Once and the Future King by T.H White. The novel is a lot like the sword in the stone, and it deals with training to be the king that the kingdom needs.

Hertrick said he has always been interested in philosophy, which also plays a role in his novel.

“There [are] so many different ways to think about how different countries should be ruled, how people should be ruled and what it means to be a leader. So, in [my book], I wanted to share my thoughts on these and raise questions, particularly for young readers, about what it means to be a leader,” he said.

Hertrick said he loves getting feedback on his book and said, “I’m writing this book to share it with people, and as long as you are okay with a rough draft with typos then I’d be happy to e-mail a copy to anyone who’s interested in reading it.”