Through the Portal is the beginning of a fantastical trilogy, that I have absolutely loved to write. Jem and Oliver depart from their own world of Earth to the magical world of Callisto, where they encounter not only encounter a strange bear-like creature called a roxnoar, but also a legendary beast, the Red Dragon. In their adventure across this strange new world, our heroes come across all sorts of bizarre creatures and incredible forms of magic. That was my favorite part of designing this book: creating the creatures and inventing new uses for magic, like sylph, which is a physical manifestation of magic that is a semi-liquid meant to perform whatever task the user needs with minimal energy exertion. Don't expect regular magic or regular animals!
What's the worst part of falling through a portal to another world and not being able to get back? When the first person you meet almost gets you killed by a ferocious, fire-breathing dragon. Luckily, Jem and Oliver, two boys who were about to start their first year in high school, are saved by Sierra, a farm girl who is itching to get out of her small town. Together, the three of them set off on a quest to defeat the evil Veroci Regime that is stealing all the magic from the world, but can they do it before the Dragon catches up with them?
Through the Portal is the first book in a planned trilogy.
Approx. 104,000 words