The Last Archide

Chad R. Odom was born in June of 1982 to Daniel and Rebecca Odom in St. Charles, Missouri.

From an early age, he wanted to be a writer. Between the ages of eight and ten, he submitted comic book characters and storyline ideas to publishers such as DC and Marvel. He was given a polite rejection but was persistent in his efforts.

It was in this time that he had a dream that stuck with him and influenced his writing for years to come. “I had a simple dream. In the dream I saw a man standing in a snow-covered valley. Suddenly, thousands of people came storming into the valley all around this person. There was a crackle like thunder and then a ring of blue light that shot from the person in the center and decimated all those who had come to harm him.”

That dream took on many different story-lines. Some were fantasy based and others very futuristic. The only common thread was that the main character was named Archide. Each story that developed led him to only one conclusion: the story was not original. His father taught him that the most powerful stories are written by those who have a personal stake in the events and characters, even if the story is entirely fiction. Eventually, near the beginning of high school, he abandoned the development of the story in favor of wrestling and dating. However, the dream remained in the back of his mind.

After high school, he entered the Army National Guard and his experiences there gave him some inspiration about different aspect of the story. From there, he served a two year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Las Vegas Nevada.

It was there that the pieces all but fell into place. “I must have met ten thousand people in my two years. My message was simple: no matter what your past has been, there is always redemption and as long as there is redemption, there is hope. Inevitably the response came: ‘I have done so many bad things, there is no way I can be forgiven.’

“That answer plagued me for a long time. I had made many mistakes in the past, but I knew that I could (and had been) forgiven for them. I knew that no matter how bad these people thought they were, they were their own worst critic. It was only their guilt and regret that convinced them they were ‘beyond forgiveness.’”

This idea moved Chad’s storyline in a totally new direction. Instead of trying to come up with some new revolutionary idea that no one had ever heard before, why not write about something personal? Why not write about those themes that make human beings continue to press forward even when times are bleak? “No matter what your religious beliefs, there are two common threads in every human heart. One: that we are all imperfect beings. Two: since we all make mistakes, there must be a way to be forgiven. It is in these two common beliefs that we find our greatest strength and our greatest hope.”

Though the theme resonated with Chad and others he spoke with, he had only a name and a dream to elaborate on. After several more storylines that he could not complete, he once again abandoned the project.

In that time, he was married to his wife, Katie and adopted her then seven year old daughter, Melissa. The small family moved from Las Vegas back to Missouri where they had three more children: Brandon, Lucas and Ethan.

One night, Chad and a friend stayed up late into the night discussing another of his passions: movies. They determined that what made a great movie was not the special effects, or the action sequences, but the characters involved within the story. Fundamental themes such as loyalty, courage, friendship and others were best delivered through the people who were involved in the tale.

The final piece snapped into place. The author scaled back his vision from grand vistas and stunning visual sequences to a focus on a small cast of characters and their struggle to find the redemption each one sought. Instantly, characters took on lives all their own.

With the theme solidly in place and the heroes and villains loosely envisioned, Chad began to write. He did not have a title or even a name for the main character. However, he pressed forward with the idea and it was not long before the details became clear, the characters more defined and the entire universe was taking turns that not even he predicted. What had taken him almost twenty years to think of took only two years to write.

“It has been a joy. When you read the book, I hope that you find a character that represents you. I hope that my readers see past the sci-fi/fantasy world that I have created and see the message that makes the tale of The Last Archide such a personal one. Like so many inspiring stories that I have heard in my life, I hope it inspires others to be better and to remember: There is always hope.”