CRANFORD, NJ — Sean W. Bagan, a French teacher at Cranford High School, just published his first book.
“On Ravens & Riddles: From the Shelves of the Noktern” is the story of a post-apocalyptic world where most of the survivors are half-human and half-animal. A 17-year-old, very introverted, boy – Gideon Thrush – learns to navigate himself in this world. Prophecy calls for a champion and fate has chosen him. But he’s not very strong, nor brave. How can he be a champion?
Bagan sees a lot of himself in the main character and thinks a lot of people would find Gideon Thrush relatable, as well as other characters in the book. To give authenticity to the female characters, Bagan sought assistance from his mother and female friends.
He draws inspiration from a lot of different places. His mom read to him when he was a child and he used that experience for his main character. He also grew up watching cartoons and video games. “There were anime that led me to the creation of humanoids,” said Bagan. “Students get to learn something new and see something in them.”
Never seeing himself as an author, Bagan loved reading. And he never really thought about writing, but he’s always had stories in his head. Now that he’s an author, he feels it’s a childhood dream come true, that he never really thought about.
Bagan is a French and political science individual who taught himself how to write during the pandemic via videos and online communities. He also had a friend who edited. “I had help as I went along,” he said. “It’s a real adventure.”
He decided to self-publish because he feels fully in control of the story. “I enjoyed the learning process,” he said. “There have been setbacks along the way, I challenged myself to do. At the end of the day, I put it together. I feel a huge sense of accomplishment doing it on my own.”
“On Ravens & Riddles: From the Shelves of the Noktern” is the first in a trilogy. Bagan is almost finished with the second book which he plans to have out by Halloween 2025, “Just to show people I’m a brand-new author and I’m serious about getting these books out.”
His advice to aspiring authors is, “I would tell them, ‘Do it.’ For so long, I had this story in my head. Just get it down one bit at a time. Write to the end. Don’t get so bogged down in word choices. Get all of your ideas out and make it better as you go.”
An avid reader, Bagan has been pushing himself. “I challenge myself to read 60 books for 2025,” he said. Some of the more popular writers who inspire Bagan included JK Rowling and Suzanne Collins. “I love her writing and would read anything she wrote,” he said.
Originally from upstate New York, Bagan moved from the Catskill Mountains area a decade ago. He’s now living in Roselle Park. “It’s really a beautiful area,” he said. “There’s so much to do. Everything is 10 to 15 minutes away.”
When Bagan isn’t reading, writing or teaching, he likes to be physically active and “go hiking, hang out with friends, go to dinner, go to the movies.”
He also wants his readers to know the main purpose of “On Ravens & Riddles: From the Shelves of the Noktern” is to be yourself and love yourself.
To learn more about Sean W. Bagan, visit https://www.instagram.com/sean.w.bagan/.
Photo Courtesy of Sean W. Bagan