Introducing... 'Beyond the Ocean Door', a brand new coming-of-age fantasy novel debuting on Amazon this December.
This young adult fantasy adventure is inspired by great prison escape movies like The Shawshank Redemption, The Great Escape and (ahem) Toy Story 3, as well as stories focused on the inner workings of the mind like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Inception, Remedy's Control, and Fx's Legion. I was also really inspired by the young adult adventure stories that defined my teens like Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Maze Runner, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Percy Jackson.
Read more about the book below!
What is Beyond the Ocean Door About?
In every mind there exists an Ocean Door, a hidden gateway to one’s subconscious, a realm of possibility and manipulation. And there are only two people in the world who can find it.
A young telepath named Kallista wakes up in a beautiful, secluded valley called the Vale with no memories of her early life. For the next decade, she trains as a soldier for the Vow, an enigmatic military organisation led by the once legendary warrior, Valeria Reed. Years after an escape attempt that ended as a miserable failure, Kallista resolves to try one last time.
But strange things are afoot in the Vale: pipe-smoking spies that disappear from one’s memory, a red-haired ghost who wanders the west woods, the arrival of an odd new boy with strange powers, and murmurs of conflict outside their borders. Kallista discovers that escaping is going to be more difficult than ever. To pull off her daring plan, she must unfold the mysteries of the Vale and master a powerful new ability to infiltrate the subconscious through a peculiar blue door.
Will I enjoy this book?
If you like stories featuring any of the following, this book may be for you!
Telepathy-based powers: psychic-plane battles, illusionists, memory manipulation & more!
Female friendship
Coming of age stories
Daring prison escapes
Sword-fights
Memory loss hijinks
Mysterious conspiracies
Encoded letters
Fourth wall breaks
The recommended age group for this book is Young Adult (16-25), but anyone can enjoy it.
How long is this story?
About 145,000 words. (Longer than the first three Harry Potter's but shorter than the rest.)
Can you explain the magic system?
Beyond the Ocean Door takes place in a world where certain people have telepathic abilities. Here's an excerpt from the first chapter to give you a glimpse into the world:
"The more seasoned readers will likely be familiar with the gift of telepathy. The land brims with it, from detectives with the ability to compel witnesses to tell the truth, and pirates that exchange unspoken messages across the sea, to explorers that traverse the depths of dreams. However, the ability to create psychic landscapes called Veils is lesser known… and extremely rare. Indeed, you would be forgiven for knowing nothing of it at all."
These psychic landscapes, Veils, can only be created by special telepaths called 'acolytes', who follow the particular lineage of one of nine mythological kings and queens. For example, our main character's best friend, Maya, is an acolyte of Queen Lilura with the ability to create fantastical illusions. Kallista and her teacher, Valeria, are acolytes of King Eldrik: they have the power to manipulate the subconscious and 'control' people's actions. There may be a few other kinds of telepath that crop up in the story too...
What are some of the main themes in the book?
Beyond the Ocean Door is a coming of age adventure story, which sees the main character Kallista on a journey to find the courage to defy the people that control her. One of those people is her cold, calculating yet brilliant teacher, Valeria Reed. As Kallista gains more and more agency, she ends up veering a little too close to the conniving methods of her morally grey teacher.
The telepathy magic system itself also plays an important part in the themes of the book. How does one know if their actions and desires are their own? What's the difference between using one's powers to manipulate people versus doing it directly? What does it take to break free not just of a physical place but from the constraints of your own mind?
Where can I read it?!
Beyond the Ocean Door will be available to buy as an e-book on Amazon this December, as well as on Kindle Unlimited! Don't have a Kindle? You can still purchase and read the e-book through the free Amazon Kindle app, and get the exact same experience.
You can follow me on social media to find out exactly when the book drops, and I'd love to know what you think when you do read it... unless you hate it because my delicate ego can't handle that ;)
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