A Preview of THE ALCHEMIST'S RING

I'd like to introduce you to the 3rd book in the Alchemist Chronicles: THE ALCHEMIST'S RING. When I began working on the Nicollet book, I quickly realized how easy it would be to make a four-book series. Nicollet was obsessed with blue earth and used the alchemy word UNDINE on his map, so that was pretty easy to make the cover blue. Next, LeSueur dug his famous copper mine, so he obviously became the green/earth symbol. While I wanted to have two other explorer stories, I quickly picked Baron Lahontan and a potential Pal Knutson story about the Runestone (those plans were later modified). So as you can see, book #3 is the AIR element in alchemy with the symbolic gold/yellow to match.

But pirates? You thought this was about Minnesota?

Well, both of my heroes in THE ALCHEMIST'S STONE had real-life connections to the Golden Age of Pirates. Baron Lahontan becomes a fugitive from the law and evades authorities for the next two decades by living on the Sargasso Sea. Nobody really knows what happened during that time period, so...(rolling up my sleeves)I get to connect some dots. Pierre-Charles LeSueur was abducted by English pirates (privateers), which led me to the Tower of London, Isaac Newton, and Captain Kidd. So yes, my Minnesota explorers walk right into a world of pirates.

I began this adventure four years ago on a trip to Aruba. In the picture above, you can see me filling a notebook with names and places involving pirates. 2020 was just learning the pirate lore, which brought me from Aruba all the way across the world to Madagascar. Of course, I first heard about the name Captain Kidd when I was researching about Oak Island, so in a way, I've been working on this book for almost a dozen years. (That's me on Oak Island in 2012)

By 2021, I had an outline, and that November, I wrote the first draft for NANOWRIMO. Considering all the stuff I'd learned, it was an easy first draft. After writing the first draft of THE ALCHEMIST'S TOMB in 2022, I revisited my pirate story again and felt pretty confident.

Then...delay, delay, delay.

Luckily, all that time helped me see what wasn't there, and in the fall of 2023, Raven got ahold of the manuscript, and with my explicit instruction, she read it without knowing the previous two books. While that was hard for her, and then a challenge for me, we fixed up this tale to be a self-contained story. I ended up adding a ton of information for readers who don't know the lore. Finally, the manuscript was tight.

In early 2024, Caryl began the proofing process and challenged each and every sentence. I had to shop for a new graphic designer, and found Mark down in Florida. He crushed the cover design and I had to dial him back a bit to help the book fit into the series style. I'm excited to work on new projects with him in the future.

As of today, the book is getting formatted for eBook and print distribution, so the price and release date aren't quite set. I'll be sharing more in the days and weeks to come.

For now, here is the blurb and author notes:

After locating a mysterious treasure out on the frontier, Louis-Armand Guerin leaves North America to report his discovery, but when an English privateer attacks his ship, he is thrown into a maelstrom of mystery, murder, and mythology.

Taken to the distant Indian Ocean, Guerin discovers connections to his prior quest—a legendary ring created by King Solomon, which is capable of commanding spirits and transforming matter. As a trained scholar with frontier grit, Guerin survives his pirate captors, who are hunting down rogue Madagascar pirates with links to the enigmatic Templar Knights. Torn between his discovery on the frontier and the possibility of acquiring the ancient ring, Guerin must battle wits with an alchemist with powerful connections to the English throne who is capable of summoning mercenary fleets to do his bidding. With a ship, a motley crew, and a magic ring, Guerin stands between powerful secret societies bent on global domination. Can one captain stand against empires? Or will an ancient evil fall into the wrong hands?

Author Blurb

​​Imagine the love child of Rambo and Ma Ingalls. That’s Jason Lee Willis. Overly nurtured by his Vietnam War veteran father and Lutheran church secretary mother, he grew up in the fantasy realm of South Dakota before his exodus brought him to mysterious Minnesota for college.

His love of mythology and storytelling led him to a career as a high school English teacher, and now, he works as a journalist and blogger as well as a full-time novelist . As a professional storyteller, he’s done historical lectures, book talks, radio segments, podcasts, and a video channel on YouTube, The Minnesota Alchemist.

Willis currently lives in Minnesota, where he lives the life of a hobbit by gardening, writing, walking around barefoot, wearing vests, fishing, and going on adventures with his wife, Julie.

Author’s Note

So after spending a whole lot of time in Minnesota in The Alchemist’s Map and The Alchemist’s Stone, this tale is about to take the reader around the world. The real lives of Pierre-Charles LeSueur and Baron Lahontan led my research right into the golden age of pirates. Like my other novels in the Alchemist Chronicles, this story will be rooted in history with equal parts fantasy.

Think of it this way: I had hundreds of historical stones to help build this structure, and with a bit of mythological mortar, I was able to piece things together. Just like the other stories are inspired by Indiana Jones, the Davinci Code, and National Treasure romps through history, this story followed my love of Pirates of the Caribbean, Master and Commander, Black Flags, and even Treasure Island. Yet my storytelling style requires that the fantasy elements could be possible, so that means I enjoy the real history as much fun twists.

So have fun, but if you want to learn some lore, check out the index and do your own deep dive into history. 

I’d like to thank John and Ron for being sounding boards for my earliest drafts of this story while I’m still exploring. Next, Raven rolls up her sleeves to bring a bit of sanity to the story, and after I adjust the course of the ship, Caryl challenges each comma and clause. I’m indebted to this team.

Special thanks to the Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council for their support of this project. It’s a few months behind schedule, but this larger-than-life tale is possible due to their funding.