Former Pocatellan DaVaun Sanders, who left behind a career in architecture and recently released the electronic version of his first novel, said it’s important to follow your passion.

    He said giving up the career he chose out of high school was not an easy decision.

    “Four years and over six figures invested in my education and then to think about becoming an author, that was something to really consider,” Sanders said via telephone from his home in Phoenix. “But at the end of the day, you really have to go where your passion is.”

    Sanders grew up in the Gate City, graduating from Pocatello High School in 1998. That’s when he left Idaho bound for St. Louis, Mo., and Washington University, where he earned his degree in architecture in 2002.

    He then moved to Phoenix, where he spent his time volunteering for AmeriCorps, organizing a charter school tutoring program and helping immigrant families assimilate culturally.

    It was during this time that Sanders honed his writing skills, immersing himself in Phoenix’s vibrant poetry scene.

    Sanders eventually left the nonprofit work for opportunities in his degree field, ultimately founding a small Phoenix design firm with other partners. That move showed early promise, but ultimately the firm succumbed to the mortgage crisis in 2008.

    He found work after three months in a position that also allowed him time to pursue his passion for writing. That led to his working for a website, covering Phoenix area events from the perspective of an African-American.

    With moderate writing success, Sanders decided to put his efforts toward a novel. The result is “The Seedbearing Prince, Part I,” the story of a farmer’s son, Dayne, who finds an artifact with great power.

    “It can essentially destroy or create worlds,” Sanders says of the artifact.

    By create, Sanders elaborated, he means the artifact has the power to revitalize a dead world.

    “Kind of like terraforming,” he said.

    Dayne’s world is called Shard and there is also an antagonist, Mordos, who’s trying to get the artifact for himself. It’s part science fiction and part fantasy.

    “As far as fantasy and science fiction goes, that’s always been a passion of mine,” Sanders said. “Fantasy is fun because you can use your imagination.”

    But character development is also important to him.

    “You can have a story with all these elements, these doomsday devices but if you don’t have characters people care about, you don’t have much of story,” he said.

    Sanders’ electronic book has been available at Amazon.com since Sept. 1, and will only be available there through November as part of an exclusivity agreement with the Internet retailer. Cost is just $2.99.

    He said the book will likely become available through other retailers in December. If all is going well with sales, that may also be the point at which Sanders offers a hard copy of the book.

    He is currently working on editing of “The Seedbearing Prince, Part II.”

    For more information on Sanders, or to keep up with the latest information on his upcoming offerings, see his Facebook page or follow him on Twitter @davaunwrites.