Maxwell J. Hammond is a self‑published sci‑fi and thriller author whose work blends emotional depth, supernatural tension, and character‑driven storytelling. His imagination was shaped early by the authors who first opened doors to other worlds — especially J.R.R. Tolkien and George Orwell, whose influence still echoes in his writing. He also grew up reading C.S. Lewis and Rick Riordan, whose sense of adventure and heart helped fuel his love of fiction.

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Before he ever wrote a novel, Maxwell was a musician. By age twelve, he had written his first song on guitar — a simple, Beatles‑style progression with earnest rhymes. Between the ages of twelve and seventeen, he wrote around sixty songs across two homemade albums. Music became his first creative outlet, a place where he could express emotion, curiosity, and the stories forming in his mind.

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Maxwell’s childhood was full of movement — living all over the greater Sacramento area and the greater Portland area (mainly in Beaverton). Those constant shifts shaped his perspective, teaching him adaptability and giving him a wide lens on people, places, and the feeling of starting over.

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As an adult, he eventually settled in Modesto, California, where he now lives as a proud husband and father. But his path wasn’t simple. At twenty‑one, Maxwell’s life changed forever when he lost his father in a tragic incident. The experience reshaped his reality and deepened the emotional core that now runs through his writing. Not long after, he joined his brother’s band and spent about a year playing live gigs. The band grew quickly, but a falling‑out between the frontmen brought it to an end. Maxwell continued writing music, but without a clear purpose for the songs, he shifted his focus toward building a stable career.

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He spent years working as a machinist, studying relentlessly, taking classes, and working long hours of overtime to build a better future. That dedication paid off when, at age thirty, he earned his first engineering position — a milestone that reflected not just skill, but persistence and grit.

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Still, something deeper kept calling. By twenty‑seven, Maxwell felt the pull back toward creativity — a reminder that storytelling wasn’t just a hobby, but a part of who he was. He had always been talented with a pencil and paper, though he’d mostly used that skill for songwriting. This time, he felt drawn toward something bigger: writing a novel. Not just any novel, but the novel — the story that had been quietly forming in the background of his life.

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That decision marked the beginning of a seven‑year journey. Draft after draft, revision after revision, Maxwell shaped and reshaped the narrative until it became the book he always knew it could be. His writing now stands as a testament to persistence, imagination, and the belief that stories — like people — can evolve into something powerful when given time and heart.