The courtyard walls of the secluded Dundas Castle was buzzing with activity Saturday afternoon as author Charles Marinaro prepared to launch his latest book – “Reign of Grandeur”.

The event was backdropped by the castle itself, which stands tall along Beaverkill Road in Roscoe.

Attendees of the event were warmly invited to bring their cameras to capture photos of this unique opportunity of venturing into the carefully-watched property and the changing leaves of the mountain.

The first 50 attendees also received a “swag bag” which included a variety of goodies such as a bracelet with the book’s title, candy, a magnet, metal swords and dragons befitting the theme of the book.

“Without you guys, to who am I telling the stories?” said Marinaro. “You guys are reading my stories, and some of you here have read my past books...thank you so much.”

Marinaro describes the book’s synopsis as: “In the dead of night, the royal family of Mermac’s Kingdom is ruthlessly attacked and scattered across the treacherous land of Commodus. Desperate to reunite, each family member embarks on a perilous journey, only to be drawn deeper into a web of chaos and deceit. As long-buried secrets begin to surface, alliances are shattered, and the line between love and vengeance blurs. In a kingdom where nothing is as it seems, will the royal family find their way back to one another, or will the truth tear them apart forever?”

Marinaro wasn’t the only author at the event, however. Joining him were fellow authors and friends Pedro Tweed and Andrew Matthews.

Both authors also presented their own latest works. Tweed showcased his latest book “Freeway”, a book about self-evaluation for teens and young adults, and Matthews discussed “My Dad Goes to Meetings”, a book for children about parents in recovery.

“Most of the time, the mind is set based on your feeling or emotion,” said Tweed. “I started writing about how to reset the mind.”

Tweed cited one of his inspirations for writing the book to be his daughter.

“If you have a story in your head that’s not conducive to where you want to go, then you have the ability to reset it and change your mind,” stated Tweed.

Matthews told that his book’s inspiration comes from “maybe my entire life”.

Matthews explained his early life in much detail and several hardships he’s endured, especially during a period of alcoholism.

“Once I started to find people my age [after not believing I was], I could finally relate and to say ‘you know what? I am an alcoholic too and that’s not so bad’,” said Matthews.

“I just wonder what would’ve happened if I knew this stuff [in my book] back then. What my life would’ve been like.”

He referred to the book’s target audience as being for kids who have a father who’s an alcoholic and watches him drink, and then watches their father become sober.

He promised that, through all the book’s heavy subject matter, there is a happy ending.

Marinaro describes his book as a true labor of love.

In describing the contents of “Reign of Grandeur”, Marinaro considered it a swing in a totally different direction from his previous book “Metamorphosis”.

“It was harder because I had to create my own world. I had to make characters that you want to believe in and care about,” stated Marinaro. “Writing the Reign of Grandeur allowed me to push boundaries of my imagination, venturing into worlds I hadn’t dreamed of before.”