Ethan & The Reign of Fear

Nine-year-old Ethan is having the worst year of his life. His mum has remarried, his new stepfamily is unbearable, and the kids at school have turned on him. So when a rampaging Minotaur kidnaps his only friend in the middle of a thunderstorm, Ethan dives through the glowing portal in his bedroom to rescue him.

The portal hurls Ethan into a swamp world besieged by Thunder Hoof, a storm lord who feeds on fear and commands an army of monsters. Hailed as the kingdom's last hope, Ethan is forced into an uneasy alliance with the queen's sharp-tongued advisor, Runa. Together they must cross a treacherous swamp teeming with creatures eager to devour them, and infiltrate Thunder Hoof's mountain fortress.

But as Ethan's courage is tested, he learns that Thunder Hoof's true weapon isn't the storms he wields. It's fear itself. To save his friend and the kingdom, Ethan must confront the darkness within him, or risk becoming the very monster he is fighting.

A middle-grade fantasy adventure. 80,000 words. Standalone with series potential.