'...And Remember, We're Always Accepting Admissions at Gristholme College...'
-Dylan Derringer, Gristholme College Radio Show Host
In the mysterious and shadowy world of Gristholme College, forces of good and evil clash in a battle that has been hidden from view for decades. Perched on a plateau above the quiet town of Newton Falls, surrounded by dense pine forests, Gristholme is home to powerful entities both mystical and menacing.
At the heart of the conflict are the Artificers, a secretive group led by Resin Kirkbride, a campus safety officer with mysterious eldritch powers. The Artificers are dedicated to protecting the students from arcane threats and ensuring that dark magic does not wreak havoc on the campus.
Opposing them is the sinister Gredalia Council, which seeks to use Gristholme's students as pawns in their grand scheme to establish a new world order through dark magic.
Lucia Frey, a young witch and student at Gristholme, finds herself caught between these two powerful factions. As a member of both the Artificers and the Gredalia Council, Lucia faces a harrowing choice: remain a key player in the Council's plans or embrace her role in protecting the innocent from the encroaching darkness.
Blending elements of Sci-Fi, Horror, and Fantasy, Grishtolme offers a richly woven narrative in the vein of Ransom Riggs, Leigh Bardugo, and Joseph Fink/Jeffery Cranor.
LJ Byers is an author, soccer enthusiast, avid reader, military veteran, musician, significant other, and father who lives in central Ohio.
Gristholme is his first novel.