Adelaide in Ozghard

Somewhere… down the rabbit hole, over the rainbow, and behind the curtain of mundane existence… there is a world beyond the one we know. It is a small island of life, an insulated bubble in a vast, frozen desert. These “Lasting Lands” are home to diminutive gnomes, gargantuan trolls, spellbinding elves, and a secretive family of goblins pulling all the strings. And living among them is an underclass of “Shadows” who look a lot like us.

Adelaide Batiste is a girl with two souls. Her other self—her secret self—is a restless spirit named Ada. Together, the pair make their way across the lightbridge to Ozghard, where a dangerous chain of events is set into motion. Between two worlds, the girls uncover the truth of their past, which leaves them tumbling headlong into an uncertain future.

This story is a loose retelling of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, but heavily influenced by Norse mythology.

In Book 2, Adelaide has left “the Lasting Lands” and crossed back over the lightbridge to Earth, but it’s not quite the Earth she remembers. Meanwhile, revolution is brewing in Ozghard, and it may fall on her and Ada to put things right before it’s too late.

This continuation blends elements of The Emerald City of Oz, Through the Looking-Glass, and the Cthulhu Mythos into a mind-bending tale reminiscent of Philip K. Dick.

• The Wee Free Men (Terry Pratchett)
• The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (Catherynne M. Valente)
• The Graveyard Book (Neil Gaiman)
• Howl’s Moving Castle (Diana Wynne Jones)

Length: 77,900 words, 312 pages

• Watty Award Winner (2015, “Hidden Gems”)
• Fairytale Retelling Community Award Winner (2016, “Terrific Twists”)
• Wattpad Featured Story (June 2015)
• Wattpad4 Contest Winner (May 2015)

• Book 1: Down the Rabbit Hole
• Book 2: Over the Rainbow
• Book 3: Behind the Curtain (in progress)

Discord

Before Adelaide crossed the bridge to Ozghard, King Nemban of Yomba Country makes a journey west to see his wife Zendalda, the Gowee Empress, and their son Roqash, who is to become the legendary Gnome King. This tale sheds a bit of light (just a bit) on the origin and purpose of the mysterious silver boots.

Length: 4,700 words, 19 pages

Editing for inclusion in Book 3.

Distance

With her husband gone, her daughter missing, and her mother on the way out, Sylvia Batiste struggles to make sense of it all. This story follows Adelaide’s mother as she passes the years back on Earth.

Length: 3,500 words, 14 pages

Editing for inclusion in Book 3.

Dominion

Before Vanon became known as the Mountain King in the southern Highlands of Gowee Country, he was a student of the infamous Widow Queen. Here he applies her arcane lessons to subdue his rival, the ogre Ghilmir, only to find a greater threat lurking in the Wildwood and beyond.

Length: 5,500 words, 22 pages

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