Readers often ask where my characters come from.
Some are inspired by people I've met.
Some evolve entirely on their own.
And some arrive in the most unexpected ways imaginable.
Pathfinder is one of those characters.
Long before The Crimson Legacy became a book series, my husband and I were exploring the world of ATLAS, an online pirate adventure game filled with vast oceans, hidden islands, and endless possibilities.
Like most players, one of the first things we had to do was create our characters.
I already knew what my character's name would be.
For years, I had used the name CeresAmbrosia for my business, and I had always loved the name Ambrose. Somewhere between the two, my character became Ambrose.
My husband, on the other hand, had decided to name his character Pathfinder.
Or at least that was the plan.
In the excitement of creating his character, he accidentally misspelled it.
Instead of Pathfinder, he became Pathfider.
At first, we laughed.
Then we laughed some more.
What seemed like a simple typo suddenly became something neither of us wanted to change.
In fact, we liked it.
So much so that "Fider" eventually became our shared surname within the game.
He became Pathfinder Fider.
I became Ambrose Fider.
At the time, neither of us had any idea that a simple spelling mistake would eventually find its way into a book series.
But that is often how stories begin.
Not with grand plans.
Not with carefully crafted outlines.
But with small moments that somehow refuse to be forgotten.
As the years passed and The Crimson Legacy began to take shape, those names stayed with us.
Pathfinder remained Pathfinder.
Ambrose remained Ambrose.
And Fider became more than a gaming surname.
It became part of my author identity.
Even today, my husband still names our tribe in ATLAS The Crimson Legacy.
Our main galleon proudly carries the same name.
His fighter ship is almost always named The Devil's Lace, after Pathfinder's vessel in the books.
What began as a game slowly became something much larger.
A world.
A story.
A crew.
A series.
When readers encounter Pathfinder in the books, they see a loyal friend, a trusted companion, and someone willing to stand beside those he cares about when the seas become rough.
What they don't see is that behind the character is a memory that still makes me smile.
A typo.
A shared laugh.
A moment between husband and wife exploring a virtual ocean together.
Those are the moments that often become the strongest foundations for stories.
Not because they are dramatic.
But because they are real.
Perhaps that is why every great adventure needs a Pathfinder.
Not simply because heroes need guidance.
But because every journey is built upon the people who travel beside us.
The ones who help us find our way.
The ones who make us laugh.
The ones who turn ordinary moments into lasting memories.
And sometimes, if you're lucky, those memories become part of a story that sails far beyond the horizon you first imagined.
Have you ever had a small accident, coincidence, or unexpected moment that became something much bigger later in your life?
I'd love to hear your story in the comments.
Until next time, Lovelies!
Always-
Ambrose Fider