As part of a high school writing project, Senior Airman Daniel Henderson was asked to step into the role of a Civil War Soldier and write a letter to his wife back home describing the war effort and what he was going through on the front lines.

Henderson - still a Civil War buff to this day - nailed it, producing a detailed letter that blew his teacher away.

But there was one problem.

"They thought I plagiarized it," said Henderson, who turns 28 next month.

Because the story was so detailed and written in the era's prose, Henderson's teacher thought it couldn't be original. But it was, as the 86th Aerial Port Squadron Reservist had just begun to start molding his craft.

Fast-forward to today and Henderson is using his gift to write a series of fantasy novels.

He started writing his first book three years ago and recently finished it while he was deployed to Kirkurk Air Base, Iraq, working as a cargo processor. In between working 12-hour shifts, seven days a week, Henderson put his nose to the grindstone and got it done - all 86,000 words.

"It's something I'm proud of," said Henderson, a traditional Reservist who is in the midst of completing a bachelor's degree in computer science at the University of Washington Tacoma.

Shadow Assassin: First Blade tells a tale filled with magic, mythical creatures and epic battles in faraway lands. Henderson has woven bits of his life and his experiences in the Air Force into the novel. Interactions he witnessed between personnel on the flightline with aircrews even added extra layers of personality to certain characters.

"The different interactions between people definitely help out with character development," he said.

And Henderson is planning on running with the series.

"If it all plays out, there will be nine books," he said. "The story has taken on a life of itself."

While he is still looking for a publisher for the first book, Henderson has already started on the second, entitled Call of Duty. He's even started a Facebook page (search: shadow assassin first blade) to keep fans involved in the process.

"Writing is something that keeps me on the straight and narrow path," said Henderson, who plans on staying in the Reserves as long as he can.

It will likely give him more than enough material to complete the series.