https://www.doorsofafterlater.com/home daily 1.0 2025-02-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6033250f4da2f359a62fa440/6f7cdf90-95b1-4552-a817-c3fbfb748621/new-doors-for-gif-smaller.gif https://www.doorsofafterlater.com/contact-me daily 0.75 2021-02-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6033250f4da2f359a62fa440/1614110605779-LFUFGG5X8SYJ0DGQVBIX/Me+final.png Contact Me https://www.doorsofafterlater.com/about-5 daily 0.75 2026-02-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6033250f4da2f359a62fa440/1620581744444-7H9MV1JXWJ1A191EM9TS/IMG_3469+copy.jpg About https://www.doorsofafterlater.com/where-to-buy daily 0.75 2025-10-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6033250f4da2f359a62fa440/1618059235254-SMF1W8P47QYQN2QVB8DO/GMID-Book-Buttons-03-1.png Purchase https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6033250f4da2f359a62fa440/1618057716382-AI3DR5FFMV4ZE6UXSQQ1/amazon-kindle-logo-wallpaper.jpg Purchase https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6033250f4da2f359a62fa440/1618057740108-5PIREYWDV0W51F3I809R/Nook.png Purchase https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6033250f4da2f359a62fa440/1619700477381-TMARR3ULW2O1TI3RI2AI/Unknown.png Purchase For those of you who would rather have a physical copy to read… https://www.doorsofafterlater.com/new-page daily 0.75 2022-03-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6033250f4da2f359a62fa440/1634609359642-7T6NMQ5QGPZ7JB1YME3F/The+Burrow+Door.png Art Prints The Burrow Door https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6033250f4da2f359a62fa440/1634609928754-742NUS4IZZEVITW6B4V6/The+Wizardling.png Art Prints Aggie’s Room https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6033250f4da2f359a62fa440/1634610325587-CDYKMGPELJ6SRUC7XBKO/A+Decision+is+Made.png Art Prints Jack and Gran https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6033250f4da2f359a62fa440/1634610430672-5CDKAFM111UMGTHKF9LU/Preparations.png Art Prints Taking Measurements https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6033250f4da2f359a62fa440/1634610650841-4W8DVT5HT2SBE5KR21C8/Mice.png Art Prints Palmer and Hargrove https://www.doorsofafterlater.com/reviews daily 0.75 2022-06-20 https://www.doorsofafterlater.com/portfolio-3 daily 0.75 2023-07-31 https://www.doorsofafterlater.com/portfolio-3/new-portfolio-item monthly 0.5 2021-02-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6033250f4da2f359a62fa440/1614181829108-G6VGMZGH9SJUJS301ET2/In+the+Winter+forest.png Portfolio - Gallery 2 When Hudson first opened the door to Winter, Jack had felt a sensation of comfort and promise. Now he was feeling a whole lot more. He was feeling the place. He was in Winter. Winter with a capital ‘W’. It wasn’t winter slowly pushing out a waning autumn. It wasn’t winter resisting the advances of a strengthening spring. This was the perfect Winter, eternal Winter, Winter as you always imagined it: solemn and unrelenting; beautiful, cold and crisp; majestic, grand and enduring; frosty, piercing and sharp, but not punishing or cruel. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6033250f4da2f359a62fa440/1614183167275-Q98V5ED8J161URQHYG7I/The+Winter+Den+copy.png Portfolio - Gallery 2 Standing in the doorway was a bear. Not a toy bear, like Hudson, but a real, shaggy brown bear. Wearing a dress and an apron, her face and paws dusted with flour, she had obviously been busy in the kitchen. Behind her stood a hedgehog wearing a dress and a mop cap, and behind the hedgehog was a tumble of furniture. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6033250f4da2f359a62fa440/1614182497079-O9C0YLFWN57WE7Q0K8F2/In+the+parlor.png Portfolio - Gallery 2 Sitting in the chair by the fire, Jack alternately stared at the flames, and looked at Hudson out of the corner of his eye. What was he to do with this bear? He wasn’t so bad, he supposed. He had helped in the woods, but Jack still felt a little funny about having a teddy bear for a friend. He was a most unusual teddy bear, to be sure, and Jack reasoned that, in a place like AfterLater, a teddy bear friend was as normal as talking mice and walking furniture. But it was frustrating. Jack had a hundred questions to ask, questions about AfterLater and magical things… and Gran. He was sure that Hudson had answers to all of these questions, answers that the bear would not share. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6033250f4da2f359a62fa440/1614182952851-G2OLCULKKOJPOQAIGZXP/Andrew%27s+dinner.png Portfolio - Gallery 2 Dinner, as usual, was lumpy and muddy. They ate in silence, prodding larger clots until they separated, stirring smaller bits until they congealed, swallowing with no particular satisfaction. “Bed time,” his father ordered when only a smear was left in his bowl. “Wipe up in the morning.” He retired to his bedroom, taking the candle with him, leaving Andrew at the table, in the dark. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6033250f4da2f359a62fa440/1614183686109-X5CE6OV7PNCSVA2YD7U7/LIsten+to+the+door.png Portfolio - Gallery 2 Jack put his hands back on the expectaport, and he closed his eyes. He heard Hudson take a quiet step towards him. “What do you see?” “I see the Gazebo,” said Jack. That was easy. He took another deep breath and let it out slowly. In his head, the picture of the Gazebo became clearer. He saw doors with carvings on them representing the four seasons. He saw an open space, and through it he could see broad steps and a green lawn bordered by a brick wall, with a river, forests and tall mountains beyond. He saw the door to the attic, and a door that went to… a big space with lots of doors. The last door, the seventh door, was different. It was dark in his mind, and he couldn’t tell where it led. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6033250f4da2f359a62fa440/1614184144629-7QHF9O0B0MA978TBT620/Opening+doors.png Portfolio - Gallery 2 Boom! In the far, shadowy corner of the hall, the lights from the open doors revealed a lone, dark door, barred and chained. Something was pounding on it, trying to get out… or in. “We need to go, Jack,” said Hudson in his softest, most serious voice. Jack finally got it. He wasn’t ready for this. His imagination was out of control. There were things in his imagination that he would never want to meet, especially if they were behind a dark, locked door, trying to get out. The very idea was terrifying. He picked Hudson up and ran for the Gallery door. Behind him, the pounding continued. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6033250f4da2f359a62fa440/1614184282486-9WB8CI0AR6IM2GRWN16G/Climbing+the+tree.png Portfolio - Gallery 2 "Come on up," said the bear's voice from somewhere in the leaves. "You can see better from up here." Jack put his hand on the lowest branch. It didn't look very sturdy, and he wasn't convinced that it would hold his weight, but Hudson was calling him, urging him on. “What are you waiting for?” “Hold on,” said Jack. He sat down and pulled his shoes and socks back on, just in case. He double-knotted the laces, then stood, reached for the branch, and pulled himself up. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6033250f4da2f359a62fa440/1614184439217-HOCZR9UD94GKG95PDSBZ/The+Wizardling.png Portfolio - Gallery 2 Jack found himself standing in a bright, cheerful room bursting with color. Colors and patterns danced across the walls, the ceiling, the floors, even the furniture. On one wall, a wide set of French doors opened onto a porch with a sun-filled view of summer in AfterLater. Birds were singing and a cool, fresh breeze blew in. And standing in front of him was a girl. A girl otter. A girl otter who was dressed in overalls and a red and white polka dot scarf. “Hello again,” she said, grinning mischievously at Jack. “I’m Aggie.” https://www.doorsofafterlater.com/portfolio-3/project-three-k4met monthly 0.5 2021-02-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6033250f4da2f359a62fa440/1614179396080-KNCIJ76QZY0M4E8WKLT4/Attic+hallway.png Portfolio - Gallery 1 How do adventures begin? Some people seek them out. Other people do everything they can to avoid them. But the truth is, it doesn’t matter what you do, because adventures, big or small, will come to all of us. And they almost always begin simply, by turning right instead of left, by saying yes instead of no, or by just walking through a door. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6033250f4da2f359a62fa440/1614179522832-3SDHEI0OQJYWFS1IB0EO/Jack+in+car.png Portfolio - Gallery 1 After a long, sleepless night, Jack and his parents packed the car and set off on the 10 hour drive to the farm, not knowing what to expect when they arrived. What they found was a quiet, empty house, with the shades drawn down and one light burning on the porch. Out in the fields, the corn was high and beginning to silk. The chickens in the coop were content, calling to each other softly in their nests. The gray cat on the porch was lazy and watchful. But there was no sign of Gran. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6033250f4da2f359a62fa440/1614179808361-AXRSWCBH5XAJ57Z9KA0Q/In+the+kitchen.png Portfolio - Gallery 1 Jack walked into the kitchen and his heart sank. Mom, who looked like she had been crying, turned quickly to the stove and busied herself flipping pancakes. Dad’s face, as he looked up from his newspaper, was a combination of “I told you not to be long” and “Help me out here, buddy!” Jack took his seat wearing a half-hearted smile and eyes that begged his parents to please be quiet. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6033250f4da2f359a62fa440/1614180326001-SWS1HO7XFJXKMSWHO4P7/The+sampler.png Portfolio - Gallery 1 Jack crossed the room to push back the curtain. The sampler was going to answer his questions. He knew it would. At least he hoped it would. It had to. Why else would it have changed? Would it be a message from Gran? Or would it be a clue? Jack hoped, if it was a clue, that it wouldn’t be too difficult to understand. Gran wouldn’t do that to him. She couldn’t. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6033250f4da2f359a62fa440/1614180453894-VXWKECWD3T7K1KFPTL7A/In+the+attic.png Portfolio - Gallery 1 Jack stood on the threshold and carefully scanned the room with the light from his flashlight. The air in the room was still and dusty. Motes floated in the dim sunlight pressing through the thinly curtained windows. There was an overwhelming smell of oldness, the only word Jack could think of to describe it. He sneezed and entered the room to continue his search. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6033250f4da2f359a62fa440/1614181214019-VXBOJIT71Y3X3NRRARHT/Mice.png Portfolio - Gallery 1 On the table there was a scattering of objects, the sorts of things that go missing and yet are not missed until you look for them; blocks, spools, matchboxes, thimbles and such. As Jack got closer, he spotted some pieces of dollhouse furniture, and realized that everything had been arranged to form a sort of office, or maybe a sitting room, with a desk and lamps, a small bookcase and a battery operated fireplace. He could even see the shapes of two small dolls sitting by the fire, reading newspapers. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6033250f4da2f359a62fa440/1614181358652-DD5UZOS1NP3978I3BMPO/Hudson.png Portfolio - Gallery 1 "What’s next on the list?” repeated Jack. "We just told you. Get Hudson.” Palmer pointed up at the dusty teddy bear Jack ignored him. “I mean, next after that.” Well, after you get Hudson, we..." "You showed me the bear. I don't want it. What's next?" Palmer frowned. Hargrove blanched. ”But you have to get it." "No thank you." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6033250f4da2f359a62fa440/1614181494777-5VHMFHM9K89JVJ6OB5FJ/Opening+the+door.png Portfolio - Gallery 1 Jack looked up and saw that the doorknob was still on the wall. As he watched, the doorknob began to glow. The glow spread and the wall began to change. A sparkling golden tracing began moving out and around, as though someone was drawing on the wall with a pencil of warm summer light. Inside the line, the wallpaper faded, and as the golden light spread, a door appeared. Jack gaped at the door. “Magic!” he exclaimed. https://www.doorsofafterlater.com/portfolio-3/gallery-3 monthly 0.5 2021-02-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6033250f4da2f359a62fa440/1614184912472-F2GAVFXDE49SH8U0BK89/Craftsbears+3.png Portfolio - Gallery 3 “Aggie!” The bear slapped his thighs with both paws and stood up, grinning a big, toothy grin. “Good to see you. And this must be Jack.” He leaned down and extended an enormous, furry paw to Jack, who took it and shook it while staring up at the very large bear. “You’re a lot bigger than Hudson,” said Jack. “Really, Jack?” Hudson objected. “That’s how you say hello?” He covered his face with his paws and shook his head. Albert laughed. “Yes, I guess I am. Bigger. But not nearly as old, or nearly as smart. Right, Hudson?” He gave Hudson a friendly nudge with his elbow. Hudson staggered back a step, recovered, and then made a small bow. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6033250f4da2f359a62fa440/1614185087839-X7PCOX1KRUGCZLMBZXFT/Enjoying+summer.png Portfolio - Gallery 3 “We’re going to start with a fishing lesson, down at the creek. After that, you can choose between swimming in the pond, or croquet here on the lawn. If you choose the pond, there is a stone skipping demonstration scheduled for this morning… Do you know how to skip stones?” Jack nodded yes. “After that, we’re going berry picking. Fresh berries, picked right from the vine, are the best, don’t you think? Lunch will be a picnic under the Wizardling’s tree (with or without ants), with watermelon for dessert, and a seed-spitting contest afterwards. I think there is a summer rain shower scheduled for 2 this afternoon, so we will spend some quiet time back here on the porch, reading and listening to the rain on the roof. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6033250f4da2f359a62fa440/1614185275055-2UQOJ30G20Y2SQ1KJVLE/Autumn.png Portfolio - Gallery 3 Maestro Softwhistle turned to the audience and gestured, beckoning for all to join in the dance. “C’mon,” cried Aggie, pulling Jack along. “Now it’s our turn.” “I don’t dance!” Jack protested. “Then don’t,” Aggie laughed. “Walk. Stomp. Just do it to the beat.” She pulled Jack to into the growing crowd in the center of the glade. She held Jack’s hands as she began lifting her feet and stomping down, stomping to the beat. “No one’s watching,” said Aggie. “No one cares. Just feel it.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6033250f4da2f359a62fa440/1614185449829-ASJNRXJCX5Z59D5VFMU8/Spring.png Portfolio - Gallery 3 “I’m running,” said Jack. He dropped Hudson’s paw and trotted off. “Keep up if you can,” he shouted over his shoulder. “Oh dear!” said Hudson. “I guess we’re going to run.” He tucked his chin down and took off after Jack, his short legs pushing as hard as they could. As Jack was busy looking at the unfolding landscape, loping along at an easy pace, it didn’t take Hudson long to catch up. “Hello, Hudson,” said Jack, taking the bear’s paw again. “I never liked running before, but this is fun!” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6033250f4da2f359a62fa440/1614185585031-68B76VPVQRF58ZVK3ZOO/Looking+for+Answers.png Portfolio - Gallery 3 Jack threw back the covers on his bed and sat up. It wasn’t any use, he was never going to get to sleep. His mind just wouldn’t settle down enough to allow it. He crawled out of bed and shuffled out to the porch, hoping that a good long stare at the night would help. He curled up in one of the chairs, pulled a blanket over himself, and sighed. “What’s wrong?” Jack jumped, startled by the sudden, silent appearance of Hudson next to his chair. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6033250f4da2f359a62fa440/1614185703569-A1T7T1PJ9JELIHG31VT8/The+Library.png Portfolio - Gallery 3 While they were chatting, Jack quietly removed the Keeper from his backpack. Luckily, Connie remembered that they were in the library, so he was able to retrieve Gran’s book without Miss Ida noticing. He quickly settled into a Reading Chair and opened the book. “Stop that!” insisted Miss Ida, who had turned and saw what he was doing. “You can’t. You mustn’t. You don’t have a permanent card yet! I have to check you in!” But as soon as he started to read, her objections stopped. The globe of light appeared, just like when Miss Ida had read. But this time, instead of merely encircling Jack and his chair, it slowly expanded, filling the room and pulling Hudson and Miss Ida into the experience. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6033250f4da2f359a62fa440/1614185851753-4SM4F173DU2X3MQD9G1T/The+Last+Place+You+Look.png Portfolio - Gallery 3 The darkness was complete. Moments, minutes, hours… it was hard to tell how much time passed as Jack sat, hugging his knees. And then, he heard something. A chill ran up Jack’s spine. Hearing something in the dark is almost never a good thing. And, it was very close. Then, he heard tapping. Something moving and something tapping. His brain was almost too empty to respond. The tapping became more insistent. In the dark, Jack turned his head, afraid, looking in vain in the dark. But it wasn’t dark. There was a light. His backpack was glowing. Sparkling light was pouring out through the unzipped opening. And then the backpack began to shake. Jack thought he heard his name. He reached inside and touched the Keeper. There was a brief flash of light, like lightning in the night. Jack flinched, reacting to the sudden blast of light in the darkness. And then he heard a familiar voice. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6033250f4da2f359a62fa440/1614186006510-XYWEA5N4K81QZIVKCZ60/The+Grotto.png Portfolio - Gallery 3 Just inside the door, Jack saw a marble table with a curved bench, intricately carved with flower shapes and weavings of ivy. This is where I'm supposed to place my gift, he thought. Jack set his backpack down on the bench and pulled out the Keeper. "How may I assist you?" the concierge asked after Jack tapped on the door. "I need a dish of sweet cream, suitable for fairies," said Jack. "Can you find that for me?" "One sweet cream in fine china." Immediately, the Keeper door opened, and Jack removed a dish of cream and set it on the table. https://www.doorsofafterlater.com/portfolio-3/project-three-eac4m monthly 0.5 2021-02-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6033250f4da2f359a62fa440/1614186294515-M7DLF08VKKL141CCMAZD/A+Decision+is+Made.png Portfolio - Gallery 4 That night, Jack had the dream again. The running from door to door, the opening and closing, frantically searching for Gran, and finally standing in front of the door that won’t open. He hears Gran’s voice, singing her silly laundry day song. But now, he has learned a few tricks. This time, when he twists the doorknob, it turns and the door opens. “Gran?” “I’m here, Jack. Come in.” Jack walks through the door. He is standing in the kitchen. Gran is there, pulling clean clothes from the washer, preparing to take them outside and hang them on the clothesline to dry. Jack rushes across the room and wraps his arms around his grandmother, hugging her with all his might. He sobs, his tears soaking into her apron, the apron that smells of freshly baked bread and lavender. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6033250f4da2f359a62fa440/1614186443636-6JRDUTT0HNU892329UL9/Preparations.png Portfolio - Gallery 4 “Please stand up straight with your arms up and out to the sides.” Jack stepped up, balanced himself, and raised his arms. “Thank you.” Aggie draped the measuring tape over one of his arms and said, “You know what to do. Full measure, please.” Before Jack could tell her that he didn’t know what to do, the tape curled up and began sliding and stretching itself like an inchworm, along his arm, towards his hand. It was an odd, disconcerting sensation; a little bit creepy, but mostly it tickled. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6033250f4da2f359a62fa440/1614186679052-MQ1PNOKK5BA675BJ7R5B/The+Wizardling+Key+2.png Portfolio - Gallery 4 Jack remained on the floor, resting back on his elbows, and watched as Hudson approached the open door. The bear inched up from the side, closer and closer. When he was close enough, Hudson reached his paw around the edge of the door and looked through. “What do you see?” asked Jack, fearing the worst. “Aggie was right,” said Hudson. “It was the wrong question. Definitely… Hey! ” And then, without warning, Hudson disappeared through the door, as though he had been snatched and dragged out. Jack jumped up from the floor. “Hudson!” he cried. “What happened?” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6033250f4da2f359a62fa440/1614186803350-A9YK5UGVXD2344ZBV9OY/A+ride+on+the+river.png Portfolio - Gallery 4 Jack sat in the bottom of the boat, dangling his arm over the side, his fingers dipping into the water. Hudson sat in the bow, watching. Neither of them was rowing. There was no need. The boat belonged to Aggie, and she had told it where to go. “Go down the river to the landing closest to the treehouse. Let Jack and Hudson off, then return here straight away.” It was a clever boat. It avoided the shallows and steered around snags. It paused when particularly beautiful vistas opened up before them, and turned in gentle circles so that its passengers could enjoy all the views of the beautiful summer afternoon on the water. The little boat gave a very good tour. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6033250f4da2f359a62fa440/1614188805448-QI5Y0B4QWQSJJ4NVH6VS/Becoming+Day.png Portfolio - Gallery 4 Aggie skipped forward to get a better look at Jack’s hat. “The hatters did a wonderful job. Just look at all the doors!” Aggie giggled. Jack sighed. It was kind of funny, in an embarrassing way. His hat was covered with doors, opening and closing in rapid succession, each revealing some new surprise. Animals and creatures, peering around their doors and attempting to walk through. Hints of weather, seasons and occasions. Teases of sights, sounds and smells. When one door opened, another slammed shut. It was out of control, a boisterous cacophony, rowdy and wild, recreating (and possibly exaggerating) Jack’s first experience in the Wizardling Hall. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6033250f4da2f359a62fa440/1614189106366-HRH38PHKK6D5ZOUSJBAR/Back+to+the+Farmhouse.png Portfolio - Gallery 4 “Mom. Dad. I’m sorry.” The look on Mom’s face was a mixture of sympathy and pride. Dad looked dubious. “Go on,” he said. Jack took a deep breath. “I was angry about Gran, and I was angry with you, and I’m sorry.” “You were angry with us?” “Yes sir.” Jack stood in front of his parents. He was wearing a brightly colored t-shirt featuring cartoon characters from a public broadcasting show that he had watched as a toddler. He held Hudson loosely, casually, the limp bear hanging from his hand. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6033250f4da2f359a62fa440/1614189222288-Q00RAGE6TGRSE9TXIFJJ/The+Adventure+Begins.png Portfolio - Gallery 4 “Hudson, how long can I stay?” Hudson was sitting on the window seat in Jack’s studio. He was busy making notes for Jack. There was still much training to be done. Training and preparation. And, there were so many celebrations and festivals and concerts and craft shows to prepare for! Jack was going to be a very busy Wizardling. Hudson looked up at Jack. “How long can you stay where?” Jack laughed. “How long can I stay here in AfterLater?” Hudson shrugged. “That’s up to you. Stay as long as you like. Your parents will never know you left. Come and go as you please.” Hudson gave Jack a long look. “Are you feeling homesick?”