A Modern-Classic Novel Series
East Bay, Maine has always been a small, sleepy fishing village. Seasons come and go, so do the tourists, but the town doesn't change. Here, a story about three friends begins when the doors to an old observatory are opened.
The coffee at Mel's Over Easy has been fresh since six a.m. Dock workers sit at the counter, Mrs. Maple and Ms. James share the paper over omelettes, and the bell over the door jingles every time someone walks in.
Up the hill on the west side, the observatory has been watching the harbor since before anyone can remember. Charles arrived in late July. He met Anna and Todd at Mel's. They came for coffee and stayed for everything else.
The Series
Book 1
In quiet East Bay, Charles Mandrake’s discovery of a mysterious observatory leads him, Anna Ko, and Todd Baskerville to Skelderheim—a shadowed city of iron and law. For readers seeking immersive fantasy worlds, this atmospheric, slow-burn tale masterfully builds a rich, tactile reality. It is a compelling exploration of loyalty and found family that lingers long after reading.
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Book 2
Leaving behind the comforts of Maine, Anna Ko, Charles Mandrake, and Todd Baskerville face the grueling realities of life among the Central Steppe’s nomadic tribes. For those seeking immersive fantasy, this story prioritizes tactile, daily survival and communal bonds over grand spectacle. Discover a poignant exploration of identity, displacement, and found family forged within a harsh, unforgiving landscape.
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Book 3
The Charles Mandrake arc concludes as the barriers between East Bay and Skelderheim collapse, forcing a final reckoning. Confronting their manufactured destinies, Anna, Charles, and Todd must navigate the heavy burdens of legacy. This patient, atmospheric finale prioritizes the texture of daily life, offering a profound, grounded meditation on loyalty, identity, and the meaning of home.
Learn MoreCOMING JUNE 21, 2026! – Azaya’s Skelderheim, Book 1:
Azaya is seven winters old, runs messages in Merchant’s Ward, and holds the Operator’s personal seal in her satchel. The adults around her are building something: a new city, a new time system, a new way of doing things. Azaya is in the middle of all of it.
This is Skelderheim at street level. Family dinners. Civic problems solved over coffee. A child who grew up on the docks learning what it means to have a home.
Azaya and the Streets of Skelderheim is the first book in a new Skelderheim series, a found-family story set in a city that never stops moving, told by the one person who knows every shortcut.
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Azaya and the Streets of Skelderheim is done, and it was surprisingly easy to write. Once I got started, the story seemed to create itself, and one chapter just flowed into the next. – View the Streets of Skelderheim site Azaya has a long arc that begins at the end of Charles Mandrake and the […]
Read MoreOriginally it was called “The Pibbles Place” or “The Observatory on the Hill” by people in town, the property sits on a hill on the west side overlooking the town and the bay. It’s been there as long as people can remember, and is the town’s only historical site. The white dome of the observatory […]
Read MoreA Place for Friends and Food King Crabber’s Pub sits near the bridge, one block off Main in Damariscotta. I’ve been there a couple times, most notibly with Charles and Todd before we crossed the Portal. It’s a tall brick place that you can see from the road when you come down towards the river, […]
Read MorePier Street Market is every bit a small town grocery store that you might expect to find in, well, a small town. Mrs. Beasley usually stocks it with things tourists come in looking for during the season, like Land ‘O Lakes butter, and Folger’s coffee, but during the winter, or if you look behind the […]
Read MoreA Packrat’s Dream Dockside Salvage is probably best described as a “packrat’s dream shop,” at it sits on dock 9. You get there by walking down Pier Street from the three-way split at Mel’s, past the market. Our town is small enough that you can see Dockside standing at the doorway of Mel’s. The place […]
Read MoreA Town That Feels Real East Bay, Maine is a fictional coastal town and the primary setting of the Charles Mandrake Compendium, a portal fantasy book series. If you searched for East Bay and found nothing, that’s by design. East Bay doesn’t appear on any map, but it was built to feel like it should. […]
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