Welcome to
the Unusual
World of Um
After sliding off the highway in a surprise blizzard, Theodore and Grandma Betsy find themselves in the land of Um, a world with strange inhabitants and different rules for technology and magic. Following floating beacons, they travel with a talking mannequin, a polite robot, and a good-natured bigfoot as they seek an audience with the Grand Luminary. In Um, humans are treated like mythological creatures, and not everyone is excited by the Earthlings’ arrival.
In Wisconsin, print copies are available at The Local Store.
The links below represent other ways for readers to connect with this novel.
Listen to the first two chapters to get a taste for the feel of the writing! A work of portal fantasy, this book draws inspiration from the brilliance of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and its straightforward plot: unusual events whisk characters away from normal lives, forcing them to venture out and make friends as they attempt to journey home. Our tale begins in Wisconsin, and we move to a winter evening…
As the series continues, summer has come to Wisconsin, but Theodore and Grandma Betsy quickly find themselves tumbling into Um’s frozen Northlands. Hard times have come for the kindhearted Boffins, and conflict between Centrum City and the elven governors remains a cause for concern. Antique golden rings give passage to strange lands, dropping grandmother and grandson into puzzling situations as they encounter ancient technologies and attempt to find their way homeward.
A dimension that bridges many worlds, the land of Um surrounds the Tree of Life, which grows at the very center of the four quadrants with roots that extend hundreds of miles through soil and bedrock. To the east, Trogs hunt in an eternal springtime; to the south, Zard yurts pepper the Eternal Desert. In the north, blasted by snow and ice, Boffin communities live in perpetual winter, while elves claim the lands to the west, bathed in constant autumn twilight.
Over the last hundred years, Centrum City has grown from a settlement at the base of the Tree of Life to a thriving, self-governed metropolis free from the rule of the elven council and its governors. Led by Eb the Luminary, droids and drones have spread his human influence throughout the region. From fiery crags of Mount Xu to the foothills of Mount Fels and past the floating lake of Ken, things are changing…
Book Art!
I’m including a few examples of the black-and-white drawings I’ve done as illustrations for those…
Website Goes Live!
After no small amount of effort, the website is up and live! There will certainly…
About the Author: I’m writing for kids ages 9-12 and younger children being read to by their parents (as I was). Fans of the Oz books also need apply. Children deserve works that are as cozy as they are exciting (classics like Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe have inspired generations), and unforgiving times can be a source of mirth and silliness and novelty. During 2024 and 2025, I worked with 3rd graders at a number of Eau Claire schools writing fractured fairy tales. We also read The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. As inspiration, I wrote my own novel for young readers taking the framework of The Wizard of Oz but with my own characters, setting, and sets of events. I did all the illustrations and gave copies of the resulting book to the students I worked with. Onward! Upward!