‘It Feels Very Surreal’: Cranford High School Teacher Publishes His First Novel

It’s been an emotional journey for Sean W. Bagan. His students and colleagues are some of his biggest supporters.

When the box arrived containing the proof copy of his first novel, a moment five years in the making, Sean W. Bagan propped up his cell phone and began recording.

The video shows Bagan, a French teacher at Cranford High School in Union County, fighting back tears as he cuts the tape, pulls open the flaps,and takes out the proof. Sweeping his hand over the cover and turning it toward the camera, he finally breaks down.

“That’s my book,” Bagan says in the clip posted to Instagram and shared by many of his current and former students. “Oh my goodness. It feels very surreal.” In “On Ravens & Riddles: From the Shelves of the Noktern,” Bagan, 33,takes readers inside a post-apocalyptic world where most of the survivors are half-human and half-animal. The story revolves around a bookish teen who becomes an unlikely hero.

Bagan conceived the idea as a child and finally began writing during the pandemic. When finding a literary agent proved difficult, he decided to self-publish on Amazon. He hired reviewers to give editorial feedback and a professional artist to design the cover art.

Bagan’s supervisor and fellow teachers surprised him with a certificate just before the May 1 publication date, and today his students welcomed him to class with cupcakes and macarons to celebrate his achievement. They also signed a copy of the book, giving their teacher a keepsake—like a school yearbook—to remember the moment. In this Q&A, Bagan talks about the book, the overwhelming support he’s received, and what it’s like to self-publish in 2025.

How did you develop such a passion for reading?

Like my main character, Gideon, my passion for reading started with my mom. Growing up, she used to read to me and my brother before bed. Our first dive into fantasy was Harry Potter. She would put on different voices for each character and did full theatrical productions to make the story come to life for us. From there, I couldn’t stop consuming literature: “Eragon,” “The Maze Runner,” “The Hunger Games,” “Six of Crows.” The list just kept growing.

After reading so many books throughout your life, what inspired you to write your own?

I’d had the outline of this story in my head since I was 10 years old, but I never had the time or agency to bring it to life. I kept waiting, hoping someone else would write something close enough. Then the pandemic lockdown happened and suddenly I had the ability to write.

By the time the world opened up, the bones of the book were there. I knew I had to see it through.

What is your book about and what makes it such a unique story?

The story is deeply character-driven. I worked hard to make sure every character sparks a real emotional response, whether you love them, hate them, or feel everything in between.

At its core, the book follows the classic hero’s journey. Gideon, a shy, bookish boy, doesn’t fit the mold of a “champion,” but it’s his love of stories and imagination that make him exactly what the world needs. It’s about learning to embrace who you are, even when you’re not what others expect.

But what truly sets the book apart is the world built within. Long ago, a cataclysm known as the Great End devastated humanity, wiping away the old world and giving rise to something entirely new. From the ashes, new species of humanoids emerged. “On Ravens & Riddles” focuses on the Avians, a collection of skybound tribes who fly through the air with the same wild freedom they bring to their lives.

What is the Noktern?

When building my world, I wanted to weave in real places wherever I could. The Noktern is inspired by the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway, a secure facility that stores a wide variety of plant seeds. It’s a safeguard against natural or man-made disasters, ensuring that the world’s agricultural biodiversity can be restored after a crisis. Remote and mysterious, it felt like the perfect place to house the Owls, the tribe that wants to rebuild civilization after the Great End.

What was the process of getting published?

It took five years of writing, revising, querying agents, facing rejections, deciding to self-publish, and learning every step along the way. I used the freelance platform Fiverr to hire reviewers and a professional artist to design the cover. By the time I held the first copy in my hands, it was overwhelming in the best way. You can see that in the video. It wasn’t just a book, it was years of work, hope, and resilience, all made real. I’ll never forget that feeling.

What’s it like being a teacher and now an author?

I’m very fortunate to have an amazing community of students, parents, and co-workers in my school. While I didn’t really share much during the writing process, my students have been some of my biggest supporters now that the book is out. It has been incredible to have them support me and be proud of this moment in my life, and I’m so grateful for them every day.

Where can readers get your book?

You can find the book on Amazon! I’m hopeful it will make its way into local bookstores and maybe even bigger retailers like Barnes & Noble one day. That would be a dream come true.

I’m thrilled to say there are two more books already in the works for this series. I am hopeful to get the second book, “On Hawks & Harpies,” out by early next year! Beyond that, the world is wide open— Bengalan Cats, Aligaidan Crocs, lost continents across the sea. There’s so much more. I’m thrilled to say there are two more books already in the works for this series. I am hopeful to get the second book, “On Hawks & Harpies,” out by early next year! Beyond that, the world is wide open—Bengalan Cats, Aligaidan Crocs, lost continents across the sea. There’s so much more. I’m thrilled to say there are two more books already in the works for this series. I am hopeful to get the second book, “On Hawks & Harpies,” out by early next year! Beyond that, the world is wide open—Bengalan Cats, Aligaidan Crocs, lost continents across the sea. There’s so much more to discover, and I can’t wait to see where the journey leads.