Riding With Larry: Correia Road

Or Something

In 2013 I got my CDL and started long-haul trucking for an American carrier. Because I had a passport and no criminal record, they sent me on runs into Canada and paid me a little extra.

When I did my final Canada run in November of that year, I was listening to MONSTER HUNTER ALPHA by the esteemed Mr. Correia. It’s a book about a supernatural werewolf outbreak in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

The timing was pretty cool because there’s a scene where a magic blizzard hits the small town where it takes place, and just as that scene happened, I was barreling down a two-lane highway in a diagonal snowstorm that made the pavement look like the surface of a river. Call it a rather immersive way to read.

This wasn’t my first such experience with a Correia book. That year I also listened to The Grimnoir Chronicles, an alternate history/fantasy set in the 1930s, where America goes to war with Japan and also there are wizards and magicians and stuff. If you’ve ever played C&C’s Red Alert 3, you’re gonna want a piece of this action.

That summer I spent a lot of time making deliveries all up and down the west coast, with a couple of forays into Modesto and Fresno, California. Those are north and south of El Nido, California, where the series kicks off.

I first read MONSTER HUNTER INTERNATIONAL in 2009 while recovering from a motorcycle accident, so I struggled to accept the main character’s ability to shrug off road rash, but it didn’t ruin the book for me. Not every encounter with a Correia book has paired up with my trucking adventures, but his production over the years has kept me thoroughly entertained as I switched from long-haul to construction, to demolition, to HazMat, and now to manual delivery. As my fandom turns sixteen and nags me about its driver’s license, and Larry Correia is about to launch a new series.

Yes, he’s already established Monster Hunter, Forgotten Warrior, Grimnoir, and a few dozen short stories, among other things. This year he’s not only kicking off a new book, he’s kicking off a new publisher.

I told you about Ark Press’s launch back in January. Their first release is AMERICAN PALADIN. In Larry’s own words, it’s his version of a Jack Reacher-type character, going around and solving problems, only these problems are specifically of the Mountain West/Southwest Desert variety, with that flavor of lore at its back.

This speaks to me personally. I’ve been all over that desert. I pulled a mining drill out of Ballarat, California, a town I know you’ve never heard of. I’ve run HazMat tankers through Moab, Utah at 2AM. In one night I drove almost the entire longitude of the state of Nevada under a full moon. I’ve had to fly down the 80 through Wyoming in a January whiteout, flanked by oil trucks who just didn’t give a damn about the weather. My work has taken me to fascinating places, remote locations, and isolated wilds.

I have seen things in the dark and barren corners of that side of the continent. Whether it was on the frozen peaks of Highway 6 through Spanish Fork Canyon, the quiet shoulders of the road in Pyramid Lake, or over the ghost of a riverbed in Barstow, there are…well. There are things. Maybe if Art Bell were still around I’d have called his show. No I will not elaborate.

Suffice it to say that between my familiarity with the region and my affinity for Correia’s books, AMERICAN PALADIN sits firmly at the intersection of my interests, and if the protagonist Mike Spears shows up to kill a crossroads demon in that intersection, I’m going to be insanely hyped.

Ark Press is doing a Kickstarter for this first book. The editors, Dave and Dave, have talked about it on their channel Gopher Wood Lounge. They won’t do all their books this way, this one’s just special.

The Kickstarter launches this Tuesday, Sept. 9th, at 9AM Mountain (10C, 11E, etc). I can tell you that I’m going to have a very conveniently-timed DOT break when it happens so that I can get my pledge in for this first book. There’s also a graphic novel illustrated by Alex Wisner, who’s doing the ALWAYS WITH HONOR books for Passage Press. He’s an incredible talent.

Check all the links below and whatnot, you know the drill online.

The American Paladin Kickstarter launches next Tuesday (Sept 9, 2025) at 9:00 AM Mountain.

Here’s the video –
(Facebook:) https://www.facebook.com/larry.correia/videos/1312170756944683
(X/Twitter:) https://x.com/ark_press/status/1963599904678220017

Here’s the KS page – https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/886820401/larry-correia-american-paladin-series-launch-from-ark-press?term=american%20paladin&total_hits=1&category_id=47

Here’s the sign up for notifications – https://ark.press/pages/kickstarter2025correia

I am super excited for this one. Please tell your friends. 😀

[That’s from Larry’s own site, MonsterHunterNation]

As for this pic, it’s from WesterCon in 2014. Shout-out to the late great Kate Hatcher, a fellow (former) trucker who organized the con, and shoehorned me onto the stage with three titans who punch way above my weight. That’s me, Larry, Dave Butler, and cartoonist Carter Reid (who illustrated my Engines of Liberty covers).

We were playing “Nerd Jeopardy!” and Larry smoked us, but I held my own. I’m always going to be grateful to Kate (RIP) for making this moment happen. 11 years later and I still couldn’t touch the boots of any of these guys in terms of production, they’re all so good at what they do.

Anyway, stay tuned for more on this, and check out the livestream this Tuesday at GWL. Drive safe, see you out there.