Tales of Halziyon Book One: The Wizard's Mistake

The Wizard's Mistake is a delightful tale of a young boy named Yoder thrust into the adventure of a lifetime when a mysterious wizard comes knocking on his door. Join Yoder on his destined journey and discover that a hero can be found in the unlikeliest of places along this madcap adventure of self-discovery and heroism. 

The Tales of Halziyon Book One was written to start a trilogy of books that bring back the original morality of an epic hero tale. An unlikely and awkward boy given the opportunity of a lifetime to find and prove his worth with a few nudges from the enigmatic wizard and a lot of mistakes. Inspired by the modern teenager and young adult's insecurity about themselves and their place in the world they live. It doesn't take a smart, beautiful, wealthy person to make a change. Sometimes, all it takes is walking out your front door into the unknown.

In The Tales of Halziyon, there is an element of Faith. Magic in Halziyon is born of Faith in God and the practice of belief. From the prophecy that sets off the story itself to each character's personal crisis, Christian Faith and Moral Values play a big part in an understated yet profound way. This is a traditional sword and sorcery story for young readers exposed to all manner of things at early ages, with the aim to inspire everyone, big or small, short or tall, overweight or just plain weird to choose valor, honor, and loyalty in friendship and society. Anyone can be the hero.

About the Author

My name is Daniel P. Riley. I’m a lifelong nerd of the gaming, roleplaying, anime-watching, novel reading variety. I’ve wanted to be an author all my life, but never felt the confidence to try. I never took that first step out into the unknown until now that I’m in my 40s. I’ve been a single father for 15 years of my daughter’s 18 years on this planet, sole provider and supporter. She even created the cover art for “The Wizard’s Mistake” for me. I’ve watched her grow into an accomplished, creative, and amazing young woman suffering the same insecurities that her friends do. Where they belong, what they do to find their place, and the difference between how she responds to these things through my guidance and how her friends do.

I am a 16 year educator, earning an associate’s degree in Education in the Early Years. I’ve worked with children 2-12 years old over the years in a private education and child care center watching young learners come in uninspired and leave with a zest for learning and stars in their eyes. We read chapter books every summer and I realized that, despite what public school educators say, the classic formats of literature hold sway to this day.

While my books are written for the Young Adult genre, The Wizard’s Mistake contains a few profanities with intention. These are things so many young people are exposed to and I wanted to touch on them so I could course-correct the thinking that if everyone says them, it must be okay. It’s not and that’s the purpose. Nothing I write will be controversially “woke”. I do not believe in that culture and though I have characters and concepts that feature aspects of this culture, they are written with morality in mind.

About the Book

This book is about being true to yourself. Each character, with the exception of the perfectly perfect tiny dragon Perrixstar, struggles with an aspect of who they are and who they want to be. It’s for the teenagers and young adults who can’t figure it out, feel like they’re fumbling in the dark, or just don’t know if they’re good enough to realize their dreams. They are. And like Yoder, the first step is simply to -go- and do it.

The Wizard’s Mistake and the Tales of Halziyon in its entirety was written because I believe in the power of Faith, Friendship, and Honor. Many of the stories I’ll be producing over the next few years touch on these three concepts including the second series of Halziyon books. In Tales of Halziyon, Yoder Hals grows from bumbling, insecure, spoiled brat to the leader of his band of uncanny friends trying to change and save his world from danger. How he makes those friends and proves his worth comes from the inherent goodness inside him, his untapped empathy and strength of character.

I chose to write these fantastical stories because I feel that moral values have become lost to the torrent of unchecked and unsupervised information that children are exposed to every minute of every day. I hope that watching Yoder learn to relate, to support, to cherish and protect his new family of weird and unique beings inspires a little more empathy, a little more honor, maybe even a little more Faith in God. Most of all, I hope Tales of Halziyon inspires some laughter, smiles, and good conversation with you and your family. Anyone can be the hero, all you have to do is try.

Heroism starts with a single step onto the path of righteousness.