Where our story began…

Lathan & The Tower Guard

On family road trips to the beach and mountains, Lathan and Cana would point out and count water towers as we drove. Somewhere along the country roads and highways, I started to wonder - what if those towers were more than they seemed? What if each one was quietly standing guard, watching over the town below, with a personality and a story of its own?

Every good tale starts somewhere. A little imagination, embellishment and time help it become something worth sharing.

This blog will follow the journey from the first spark of an idea to the characters and scenes now taking shape on the page.

I’ll be giving readers a sneak peek behind the curtain - sharing scene concept sketches, snippets from the story and character design development along the way.

Early concept sketches of our heros and supporting characters. (circa 2018 - 2024)

As the story began to take shape in my mind, the characters started finding their way onto the pages of my sketchbook and iPad. Early character sketches and a rough outline grew into full scenes, bringing the adventure to life - one character, one page at a time.

I’m excited to finally complete this story and introduce each character. They have been near and dear to me for quite some time - inspired by life, personalities I’ve encountered and family. I hope you will love them as much as I do.

©2026, TRP Design Co.
Written & Illustrated by James W. Pruitt II