Wrestler and Coach Publishes Fourth in Award-Winning Epic Fantasy Series

West Jordan, Uta. — W.D. Kilpack III, a native of West Jordan, Uta., had his fourth fantasy novel, Rilari: Book Four of New Blood, published on Amazon.com. This is the fourth in the award-winning New Blood Saga, which also includes Demon Seed: Book Three of New Blood, Order of Light: Book Two of New Blood and Crown Prince: Book One of New Blood, all three receiving multiple awards.

Kilpack has been coaching wrestling in Utah since 1999, in freestyle, Greco-Roman and folkstyle, at Mountain Top Wrestling Club and at West Jordan High School. Previously, he coached at Copper Hills High School and Jordan High School, as well as the junior-high programs, Victory Wrestling Club and Jordan Junior Wrestling. As a coach, his team has earned three national championships and three national runner-up finishes.

As an athlete, he was an AAU National Champion, a seven-time national runner-up and qualified for international competition in Greco-Roman. He said, "My experiences as a wrestler and coach taught me the importance of work ethic and never giving up. Life can throw you curves and you just have to keep working and fighting, no matter what comes at you."

Rilari is the fourth of the eight-book New Blood Saga, which centers around Natharr, the Guardian of Maarihk; Nathan (Vikari), the crown prince of Maarihk; and Darshelle, who started out as Nathan's wetnurse and became so much more. In the absence of the Guardian of Maarihk, the Usurper's venom has extended beyond the Gulf of Braag, seeding unrest and hatred for all things. Maarihkish. Natharr and the Knights of Ril must overcome malice and the ramifications of Ellis the Elder's boundless past that even Sight cannot reveal. The Rilari stand alone in a world in turmoil as they discover the tremendous reach of the Usurper's vizier. Even the endowments of the Daemons of Order are unable to withstand the ravages of fighting to survive on Rilari loyalties. Meanwhile, Nathan and his summoned companion must rely on the teachings of both Natharr and Quiet One to carve out their place in the Maarihk Empire. Skill with a sword is only the beginning of their treacherous path, as fraught with peril as Darshelle's as she flees the animus of the ancient wood.

The rest of the New Blood series, in order, consists of Vengeance Born, Usurper's Might, Dark Guard and Guardian. "They're all written, and have gone through the bedtime-story stage, but are still going through the editing stages," Kilpack said. Demon Seed was published in December 2021, Order of Light in December 2020 and Crown Prince in June 2019.

"For as long as I can remember, I've been a writing and telling stories," Kilpack said. "Before I learned how to write, I would draw pictures of space ships, then act out the battles, drawing in the laser blasts and explosions after erasing parts of the ships that were blown away by enemies. I've blown up the U.S.S. Enterprise 10,000 times." After learning to write, he had his first poem published at the age of 9 and he was first hired to write professionally at 15.

Kilpack is an award-winning and critically acclaimed internationally published writer, with works appearing in print, online, radio and televisionHis first three novels each received the Firebird Book Award, while Crown Prince received The BookFest Award. Demon Seed was recently an Editor's Choice on BooksShelf and, previously, Order of Light was a Top Pick. He also received special recognition from L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future Contest for his novella, Pale Face. He has been editor and/or publisher of 19 news and literary publications, both online and in print, with circulations as high as 770,000.

He received both his bachelor's and master's degrees from Westminster College of Salt Lake City. As an undergrad, he double-majored in communication and philosophy, while completing the Honors Program. As a graduate student, he earned a master of professional communication with a writing emphasis. He is happily married to his high-school sweetheart and is father to five children, as well as helping to raise five step-children. For more information, go to www.Kilpack.net.

Praise for Demon Seed

RedHeadedBookLover.com: Demon Seed is "thrilling and fast-paced ... [a] brilliant tale that is poignant, sensational, and captivating ... where the stakes are as high as ever and the story will enthrall, captivate and excite ... full of twists that will keep you on edge from beginning to end! Demon Seed is an incredibly suspenseful novel ... a wonderful fantasy tale that will keep you hooked!"

OnlineBookClub.org: "I love the values taught in [Demon Seed, such as] loyalty [and] the true meaning of love! Events in the story come to life! Demon Seed is well recommended to lovers of adventure and suspense ... the story will keep [you] till the very end!"

Praise for Order of Light

RedHeadedBookLover.com: "What an incredible story! A brilliant followup to an amazing first book ... One of the most well-written and well-developed stories I have ever come across ... A poignant, sensational, and captivating novel that will take [you] on a turbulent but fantastic journey full of ups and downs and shocks and thrills galore! Order of Light is compelling thanks to the enthralling moments as well as the unpredictable nature of the book that will have you turning the pages with haste from beginning to end ... The reader is taken on an exceptional journey that is continuously evolving and changing ... Order of Light is a remarkable, fascinating, and addictive read with a unique premise as well as the excellent literature ... A phenomenal novel that captivated me ... W.D. Kilpack III is an incredibly talented author who clearly knows how to write unique-but-engaging stories ... What I loved the most about Kilpack's writing is his remarkable descriptions because they genuinely amazed me! Order of Light is a marvelous, stellar, and supreme book that will entertain, delight readers from start to finish and so I, of course, have to award this book five stars!"

BooksShelf.com: "Order of Light by W.D. Kilpack III is a fabulous book. It is magical and captivating. I was immersed in the story from the beginning till the end. The characters and the plot were both so well-written that [it] made me feel I was with them. A wonderful novel that I enjoyed 100% and recommend to all. "

Praise for Crown Prince

OnlineBookClub.org: "Crown Prince stands out with amazing descriptions, complex characters, and intriguing supernatural elements ... book one in the New Blood series, the storyline is incredibly promising ... the author has a flair for setting the scene and creating memorable characters ... I absolutely loved the descriptive prowess of this author, the thing I enjoyed most about the book ... W. D. Kilpack III genuinely takes the time to help us immerse in the fantasy world, no matter if he describes a battle scene, a peaceful moment, or a mythological creature like a Hamadryad or a Manticore, he always manages to conjure the best images in our minds ... the author does a great job of incorporating the supernatural elements in a general atmosphere of myth and legend ... there was nothing I disliked about this novel ... I am rating Crown Prince by W.D. Kilpack III 4 out of 4 stars ... fans of sword and sorcery fantasy will definitely find this novel a delightful read ... the series has the potential to acquire epic dimensions ... I am looking forward to reading the sequel, Order of Light."

Caly Vermulm, Host of Sinister Soup Podcast: "Kilpack delivers a stunning blow to the belief that Indie-Fantasy is worth any less that its salt. Crown Prince is a well-crafted epic with unique plot mechanisms, well-developed and believable characters, and a world grounded in the visceral and the real. I could not recommend this series any higher!"

BooksShelf.com: Crown Prince is "a fantastic world of swords and magic! A very strong start to the series! W.D. Kilpack III does know how to draw a reader into a world of swords and magic. I found myself unable to put the book down, diving deeper into the fantastic world. I can say, that I am a fan of his work and will soon be reading, Order of Light, the second book from the New Blood series."