Austin here. What’s up, man?

Last email, I told you something new was coming, now I can finally introduce you to him.

His name is Calder Coldwater, and he is the lead character at the center of an epic new saga we’re building with Mighty Morning Coffee.

But Calder did not begin with coffee. We didn’t decide to launch a coffee company and then start looking for a character to place on the front of the bag, the character came first.

This story grew out of years of trust between me, Olivia Blair, and the Fanward team. Olivia asked me a simple question: If I could step into a character and live with him for the next five to ten years, who would he be?

I did not have to think about it.

Vikings. Norse mythology. A world of warriors, gods, sacrifice, and survival.

That was the story I wanted to tell.

Then our friend Cody Redd, Fanward’s creative director, told us about a character he had been developing for more than a decade.

Calder Coldwater.

Cody is a published author with three books behind him, and he had been carrying Calder’s story throughout his career, waiting for the right person and the right moment to finally bring him to life.

That was when everything began to connect.

Building Calder is not only about learning his story. It is about finding the pieces of myself that belong inside him.

I’m building this guy in my mind and in my core. I’m connecting him to the experiences, instincts, losses, and convictions I understand from my own life.

Calder is not simply a warrior going to war against the gods.

He is a father searching for his son.

He is a husband who has lost his wife.

He is a mortal with a mission of his own, even as the gods continue to interfere with his path. They need something from him, but Calder is not fighting their war. He is fighting for the family he has lost.

That tension is what makes him interesting to me. The gods may be powerful, but Calder has something stronger driving him forward.

What also makes this different from anything I have done before is that I am not being handed Calder’s entire story in advance.

I do not know every turn his journey will take. I get to discover him the same way you will, piece by piece, as the story unfolds.

For me, this is more than the creation of a new character. It is a journey of self-discovery. As Calder learns who he is and what he is capable of, I will be taking that journey with him.

And so will you.

Next email, I’m going to show you the part of Calder that has been living in my head for months, his sacred tattoos.

Much love,

Austin

▶ His world: Vikings, warriors, and Norse mythology.

▶ His mission: Find the son he has been searching for.

▶ His conflict: The gods need him, but Calder is pursuing a mission of his own.

▶ His journey: We take that every day one step at a time together.