"Before Life Through the Eyes of a Wolf... Before The Werewolf of the Castle... Before A.T. Pike Studios... I was just a guy who wrote in his spare time. And really, I still am."

...The Backstory: What Almost Stopped the Book From Happening When COVID hit and the lockdowns began in 2020, I very clearly remember thinking to myself: "If the world really is about to end, I should at least try to put my manuscript together." So I did.

...At its heart, the collection is about survival and reflection. It is about examining where we have been, recognizing who we have become, and continuing forward even when the path remains uncertain.

...The details of our lives may differ, but the emotions beneath them often connect us. Most people understand some form of love, loneliness, fear, loss, hope, regret, or perseverance. The wolf’s story may not be that different from our own...

For me, the goal is not only to write one story and stop. The goal is to keep building. To keep learning. To keep sharing. To keep reaching for something meaningful.

Those things are wonderful, of course. But that is not the only way writing lasts. Sometimes our writing outlives us because it helps someone. That is the heart of it for me. Write something that helps people. That help can take many forms.

I've said this before, and I suspect I'll say it many more times throughout my writing journey: The goal is not perfection. The goal is progress.

[...] Make the audience feel something. Help them see something differently. Leave them with something worth carrying forward. For me, poetry is the most direct route to that destination. [...]

This is one reason I enjoy writing darker fantasy. Darkness creates conflict, and conflict reveals character. [...] The darkness itself is not what interests me. The response to it is.

*While I am not a therapist, counselor, or mental health professional, I am someone who has walked through difficult seasons and come out the other side. Along the way, I learned a few things that I wish someone had told me sooner.

FAQs about A.T Pike and his debut poetry book, "Life through the Eyes of a Wolf".