On one late fall day, as most high school students were shuffled to and from sports practices, band rehearsals, and gatherings at friends’ houses, 15-year-old author Brandon Bauer was hard at work at a local Barnes & Noble signing copies of his first book, the Greek mythology-inspired A Hidden Myth. It’s a process that’s been more than four years in the making, but one that didn’t come as a surprise to the diligent teenage scribe.

Brandon, a sophomore at Elkhorn High School, released his first book of seven in his series, Heroes of Light, through Tate Publishing this October. The first entry, which will be available on Amazon and in some Barnes & Noble stores, follows the three main characters of Perseus, Hercules, and Athen, as they are pulled back in time by Kronos, the Lord of Time. The rest of the series will follow other characters in Greek mythology as they attempt to defeat the three Dark Prophecies set forth by the evil Kronos.

Despite the intense amount of work creating such a complex series entails, Brandon never had any doubts that he would finish his book. If there’s one trait that Brandon has, it’s focus, says his mother, Cathy.

“Even when he was a baby, you could put him in one spot, and he could play for hours,” Cathy says. “He had an imagination—he wasn’t all over the place like some other kids were, but he was focused.”

It’s this focus that has kept Brandon consumed with writing even as his life is constantly sidetracked by health issues. Brandon was born with a cleft palate, and has had approximately 10 to 15 surgeries to fix it during his lifetime. This December, he is also receiving surgery to treat his scoliosis. However none of these surgeries will set back the timeline of the release of Brandon’s future books.

According to Cathy, Brandon was bitten by the writing bug around age 9. While Brandon has written piles and piles of short stories over the years, he didn’t begin writing the Heroes of Light series until he was in sixth grade. Brandon had enjoyed reading Greek mythology and thought he had enough ideas that he could actually put together a book. But not just one book—Brandon knew from the beginning that he wanted to do a series of seven.

“I like long, complicated plots more,” Brandon says. “They keep me guessing more, and you’re more into the story.”

After numerous edits, Brandon and Cathy began reaching out to publishers in January. They heard back almost immediately from Tate Publishing, and signed a contract in February. After five more rounds of edits and selecting cover designs, Brandon received the first copy of his book in September. Now Cathy and Brandon are in the process of setting up book signings and presentations to schools to promote the series.

Brandon hopes to continue writing or to go into film production. He’s coy about what lies next for him—“I have some ideas”—but doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon. He is already editing the second book in the Heroes of Light series, writing the third one, and has outlines for the fourth and fifth.

“Brandon is pretty laid-back, and he kind of goes with the flow,” Cathy says. “But it’s an accomplishment; I would never have been able to do this at his age.”