In every industry, there are rules you’re expected to follow.
Paths you’re expected to take.
Gatekeepers you’re expected to appease.
And when you don’t?
They notice.
That’s what happened to me between 2001 and 2005, when my fantasy series Ruin Mist quietly broke through barriers no one expected an outsider to cross.
It was never just about the books.
It was about where those books were going — and what it meant that they were getting there without permission.
What Was Actually Happening in 2001–2005?
Let’s go back to that moment in time.
Harry Potter was growing but still finding its readership in the U.S.
Game of Thrones and the Song of Ice and Fire series had loyal genre readers — but no cultural domination yet. The HBO series was still a decade away.
Brandon Sanderson hadn’t debuted. His rise was still to come.
Meanwhile, Ruin Mist was:
- Charting on early bestseller lists.
- Being picked up by librarians and educators across the country.
- Building a grassroots readership across both YA and adult audiences.
And it was doing all this without a traditional marketing machine.
Without a major publisher campaign.
Without permission from the literary establishment.
That’s what terrified them.
They Weren’t Afraid of the Failure — They Were Afraid of the Success
The myth they tried to sell was that Ruin Mist was a fluke. Or a hoax. Or worse — a scam.
But the truth?
They were scared it might be the next big thing — and they’d have no control over it.
Because if one author could do that on his own terms, what did it say about the system?
- That readers didn’t need permission to love something?
- That authors could chart their own path — and succeed?
- That innovation and originality didn’t have to be filtered?
The idea that a fantasy world like Ruin Mist could become the next cultural landmark — without the blessing of the industry — was unacceptable.
So they did what systems do when they feel threatened:
They mocked.
They ridiculed.
They discredited.
Not just the work — but the person behind it.
What Was Really at Stake?
- They didn’t want Ruin Mist to be taught in classrooms. But it was.
- They didn’t want it on reading lists or library shelves. But it was.
- They didn’t want kids asking for the next book. But they were.
And more than anything?
They didn’t want other writers seeing that it was possible — and deciding to try.
Because that would break the illusion of control.
- The illusion that success only comes through the approved pipeline.
- That innovation is only valid if it’s endorsed from above.
- That stories only matter if they’ve been vetted by the machine they built.
But the Story Didn’t Die
Even after the smear campaigns.
Even after the gaslighting.
Even after the erasure attempts.
The story endured.
- The books kept selling.
- Readers kept sharing.
- Teachers kept recommending.
And today, as we prepare to launch the 25th Anniversary Edition of Winds of Change, we’re not just celebrating the books.
We’re celebrating the truth:
- That it mattered.
- That it resonated.
- That it survived.
What You Can Take From This
If you’re a writer, a builder, a creative, a teacher, or anyone who’s ever done the work outside the lines — this is for you too.
Because Ruin Mist isn’t just about fantasy stories. It’s about what happens when you dare to do it differently.
- When you publish before their machine says you can.
- When you reach audiences they said didn’t exist.
- When you matter — and they didn’t see it coming.
This Time, We Own the Narrative
You want to know what they were terrified of?
They were terrified that Ruin Mist might actually become the next Middle Earth, the next Hogwarts, the next Westeros.
Not because it was fake.
But because it was real — and they didn’t make it or control it or own it.
That’s why we keep telling the story.
That’s why we’re still here.
That’s why the 25th Anniversary Edition matters more than ever.
Winds of Change – 25th Anniversary Legacy Edition
Coming February 10, 2026
Because this time, we write the ending ourselves.
—William R. Stanek
