As a reader of fantasy fiction himself and having "cut his teeth on Lord of the Rings", Korie Massey, dairy farmer of Dannevirke, said he had always wanted to write one himself.
His short bio reads: "Forever day dreaming, he has been creating stories his entire life. From poetry to songs for his heavy metal band as a teenager, writing has been his lifelong passion."
Now his passion is a reality, having launched his first fantasy novel called Berserker printed by Xlibris in Dannevirke at his parents' shop, Derek's Electrical, on Saturday, November 18.
For Korie, just the satisfaction of having "my own book in my own library" is reward for all the hard work that goes into self-publishing.
He said writing the book was the easy part - getting it published and marketed was far more demanding.