Novels & Short Fiction
* all em dashes belong to the author
When Erik arrives in Norway with his diplomat father, he expects another new school and another year of trying to fit in. Instead, he finds a world that feels fractured beneath the surface.The panic he has carried for years is not weakness—it is awakening.As the World Tree begins to falter and chaos seeps through the Nine Worlds, Erik and his friends uncover a hidden war managed by forces that prize balance above all else. But restoring the Tree will demand more than courage. It will force Erik to confront inheritance, grief, and a love that was never meant to survive the systems built to contain it.Before the Thunder Answers is a mythic dark fantasy woven into the modern world—where ancient gods move in silence, and even love can destabilize empires.
About Kellum RitzI’ve been writing for as long as I could hold a pencil.The first story I remember finishing was in second grade--ten handwritten pages. My teacher thought I must have copied it. When she realized I hadn’t, she told me to keep going. I never forgot that.I never set out to become a published author. I write because I have to. Stories build up inside me until they demand a way out. Writing isn’t a hobby, it’s a release.As an adult, my words shifted toward the academic and professional. The work mattered, but it never carried the same electric thrill as fiction. Creative writing has always been the truest version of my voice.Now, I’m sharing it.I’m completing my first novel, a YA epic dark fantasy rooted in myth, loyalty, sacrifice, and the dangerous cost of love. I love these characters fiercely. Maybe too fiercely. But I suspect most writers understand that feeling.I’ll be self-publishing and self-promoting this journey. If you’re willing, I’d love for you to come along.All updates for current and future projects will appear here and on social media @kellumritz.Thanks for being here.
NEWSLETTER COMING SOON!