BY ELLEN ROSSOW
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After graduating in 2012, theatre department alumnus, Alexander Holmquist, has put his degree to use in a unique way.

Holmquist has just published his first novel titled, “Left to Wander.” A novel which, according to Holmquist, is a “dark fantasy” in which the three main characters wake up in a “dark and dangerous world” and are forced to fight off various monsters and terrors in their efforts to escape.

Holmquist graduated from MSUM in 2012 with his degree in theatre arts with emphases in acting and directing. While this degree doesn’t tie directly in with creative writing, Holmquist said he  puts what he learned during his experiences with acting to work when he writes.

“With acting training, you learn  to understand the character you’re  portraying,” Holmquist said.

Holmquist believes this deep understanding of a character’s motives and feelings is very important in writing as well.

“If you understand the character, you can make them act in a way that makes sense,” he said.

Holmquist said his having to read a plethora of scripts throughout his schooling at MSUM helped him become a better writer, as well as various creative writing courses he took during his last couple years as an MSUM student.

Holmquist’s novel is available on Amazon.com right now as an e-book. He published his novel with Amazon Kindle Direct and encourages others wishing to publish works to do so.

“It’s a free way to publish e-books, and you can get away with 70 percent of the royalty,” he said.

The only downside he found with going through Amazon was that authors are forced to do all of their own advertising.

“It can be a challenging process. I’m a writer, not a salesman,” he said.

While having his book available as an e-book is good enough for now, Holmquist plans to go through a print publisher eventually.

For now, “Left to Wander” is available on Amazon.com for $4.99. While the publication is intended for reading on a Kindle, Holmquist assures future readers that they will still be able to read it.

“Amazon Kindle for PC offers a free ‘virtual kindle.’ You can enjoy all the e-books you want on your personal computer,” he said.

Amazon Kindle is also available for most smartphones.

“Left to Wander” is not going to be the end of Holmquist’s writing career. He is currently in the process of writing his second novel which, according to him, takes place in the same universe, but is not a direct sequel to his first book.