When he's not writing fantasy novels, Brad A. LaMar works as an author and educator in the Indianapolis Metropolitan area. He has worked with middle school age students for over 25 years and loves the enthusiasm they can bring to learning. Sure, he enjoys long walks on the beach at sunset, but it's hard to beat getting into a great story whether he's writing it himself or enjoying the fruits of someone else's imagination. Brad especially enjoys the way a story makes a reader think, laugh, and react.
He works hard to deliver those experiences in his bestselling YA fantasy series, Celtic Mythos, which begins with The Obsidian Dagger. See why his fans say “his words play out like a movie in your mind,” and that “fans of Percy Jackson will devour” his books.
Splash magazines recently spotlighted one of our featured authors, Brad A. LaMar, who has recently published not one, not two, but three exciting new titles—showcasing his remarkable range and dedication to storytelling that resonates with readers of all ages.
In a recent video interview, author Brad A. LaMar delves into his journey as a writer and discusses his acclaimed young adult fantasy series, Celtic Mythos. LaMar, who balances his writing career with over 25 years of experience as a middle school science teacher in Indianapolis, shares insights into his creative process and the inspiration behind his work.
In the latest episode of Talking Books, host JT Crowley sits down with Brad A. LaMar—award-winning author and creator of the bestselling Celtic Mythos series. Known for his vivid storytelling, rich mythological backdrops, and unforgettable characters, LaMar opens up about his creative journey, his inspirations, and the magical worlds he's built for young readers and fantasy lovers alike.
My writing career began by a happy, unintentional circumstance. I am a teacher by trade and education and gave an assignment to my eighth-grade science students which entailed detailing a day in the life of an alien. Seems weird? Not really since all of the classes needed to help support ELA and Math in any way possible. At the time we were learning about human body systems, so I had my students create an alien with six body systems and then the story. As any teacher should do, I provided a model of the project.
They were blown away by my simple story! “Is this a picture book?” “Is this published?” I was surprised by their enthusiasm for the story, but it got me thinking. Why shouldn’t it be a book?
I began querying agents (the old-fashioned snail-mail way) and got a bunch of nothing back from these prospects. Until, one agent took the time to write back and said that she liked my writing style and could see me as a published author, but I would need to write a novel. “Children’s and picture books are for already published authors and celebrities.”
That was it. I looked at some of the stories that I had been writing for my own children and one stood out. I wrote about a trip to Ireland (fictional, of course) where we found and observed Leprechauns collecting magic sparkles from a rainbow. My own children liked it, but I morbidly thought, “What if I have a griffin tear through the rainbow and kill a bunch of Leprechauns while stealing the King?”
Celtic Mythos was born and I wrote The Obsidian Dagger. Thankfully a small but awesome publisher saw my vision and the rest is history…or is it?
The odd thing is that this wasn’t the first novel that I completed. As a matter of fact, this wasn’t the second novel I wrote. My first book, Angler Island, just became a published novel and is available everywhere you can buy books.
Enjoy the story, folks.
Recent video interview
