The Open Portal

Conquest of the Veil #1

by

Michael Scott Clifton

Genre: Fantasy / Paranormal / Magical Realism

Publisher: Book Liftoff

Publication Date: May 1, 2019

Number of Pages: 337 pages

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But with dreams, there can also be nightmares

Lonely and plain-featured, Mona Parker is just another faceless teenager at Spring Hill High School. One day she runs afoul of Lady Anne Golightly, a beautiful and arrogant classmate who turns Mona’s colorless life into a hellish existence. Bullied relentlessly and with nowhere to turn, Mona considers suicide. One night, Thaddeus Finkle, her guardian angel, appears. He offers her a way out—swap lives with another.

The choice seems easy, and Mona takes the angel up on his offer. She awakens on Meredith, a parallel world of Earth where magic has replaced technology. Mona discovers she is Alexandria, a woman of breathtaking beauty, and the daughter of a Duke complete with servants and riches.

Then she discovers the price of her bargain.

Trapped behind the Veil, an impenetrable curtain of magic, the Duchy of Wheel is the last major province still unconquered by Marlinda, the creator of the enchanted barrier. Known as the Dark Queen, Marlinda’s cruelty includes a singular fondness for melding men, women, and children, with animals…and she has special plans for Alexandria.

Tal, the Prince and Heir of the Empire of Meredith, burns with an intense hatred for Marlinda and her minions. The Dark Queen’s raiders regularly cross the Veil to prey upon the helpless citizens living near the magical boundary. Despite an elaborate system of Watch Towers along the enchanted barrier, it is impossible for the Empire to stop all the raids. Desperate to protect his people, Tal takes dangerous risks to prevent these attacks. Banished to a remote garrison for his reckless behavior, while on a routine patrol, Tal leads an elite unit that happens upon a group of raiders—one whose leader possesses the means for opening a way through the Veil.

Thus begins the conquest of the Veil.

Praise

“The Open Portal is packed full of action from the time it begins in our mundane world, to when it jumps to another. It has all the elements of a good fantasy: a cruel queen; a frustrated prince; and a beautiful girl with a pure heart. There are brave boys, werewolves, white priests, and watchtowers. I can’t wait for the saga to continue.” — Abookanight

Excerpt from The Open Portal

By Michael Scott Clifton

Mona removed her hands from her face and for the first time, studied her reflection.

A stunning woman—perhaps the most beautiful woman Mona had ever seen—stared back at her.

She pulled and prodded her skin, still not quite convinced the flesh was hers.

The image in the mirror did the same.

She leaned closer. Her flawless complexion, creamy with a hint of rose blush, curved gently across smooth cheeks. Delicate eyebrows formed symmetrical arches above thick, long lashes framing eyes of soft, velvet blue. Mona tilted her head to view a perfectly proportioned nose, slightly upturned, perched on her face. Full, sensuous lips formed her mouth. Her slightly parted lips revealed perfect white teeth, beneath which, a strong, yet subtle chin extended. Thick, luxurious hair, the color of spun gold, flowed halfway down her back. In fact, the only imperfection Mona could find was an ugly, purple bruise located just above the right temple. Although obvious her new persona took a blow there, she had no way of knowing how or why.

Mona stood to continue the examination of her body. Tall and statuesque, she wore a thin robe belted loosely at her waist.

She untied the belt.

The robe fell open to reveal she wore only a pair of silky underwear. Red-faced, she quickly jerked the robe shut. A nervous laugh escaped from her lips at how foolish she was acting. This is me—the “new” Mona Parker! A smile tugged at her mouth, and she released the robe a second time to let it fall to the floor.

She posed before the mirror and turned from one side to the other.

Her legs were long and shapely. She ran her hands across a trim, flat abdomen that segued into an hourglass-shaped waist. Slim, tanned arms stretched from her shoulders to end in hands tapered with long, elegant fingers topped by glossy, manicured nails. She twisted to admire the sight of firm, muscular buttocks. Finally, she cupped her breasts, and a wide smile appeared. Large, full, and perfectly proportioned—like the rest of her body.

Mona picked up the robe. Conflicting emotions roiled inside her. Happiness, disbelief, and guilt waged a battle for supremacy in her mind. Part of her wanted to shout and celebrate, while another part stubbornly clung to her new appearance as a hoax, an illusion, with nothing good to come from it.

Mona stepped away from the mirror and studied herself again.

She estimated her height at well over six feet tall. No wonder my body felt so strange and clumsy when I first got out of bed. After all, I’m barely five feet two inches.

It struck her then just how peculiar the whole situation was.

I think of myself as short, but now I’m actually tall. She shook her head and struggled to align her thought processes with the obvious evidence of her eyes. Everything is upside down.

With a deep breath, she did a slow pirouette, her eyes narrowed in concentration at her reflection.

While the new Mona appeared to be a young woman in her early twenties, the old Mona would be eighteen on her next birthday. In fact, the woman in the mirror represented the opposite of everything Mona despised about herself. All the flaws she cursed her body over—acne, bushy wild hair, stick legs, and flat chest—every one replaced by physical features she could only dream about.

Mona knew firsthand the experience of being homely and plain. It gave her a perspective an attractive person could never appreciate. A chuckle escaped from her lips.

Take that, Lady Anne! You can’t hold a candle to me!

Numb, Mona sat down on the bench…then leaped up. Arms stretched to the ceiling, she crowed, “I’m beautiful! You hear that world? I’m gorgeous!”

Joy filled her. This isn’t a dream or an illusion. My body is real, and I’m real!

Mona hugged herself and laughed until tears of happiness spilled from her eyes. Although in a strange place, possibly even a different world, it didn’t matter—because I’m beautiful!

Michael Scott Clifton, a public educator for over thirty-eight years as a teacher, coach, and administrator, currently lives in Mount Pleasant, Texas with his wife, Melanie and family cat, Sadie. An avid gardener, reader, and movie junkie, he enjoys all kinds of book and movie genres. His books contain aspects of all the genres he enjoys…action, adventure, magic, fantasy, and romance. His fantasy novel, The Janus Witch, received a 5-Star review from the prestigious Readers’ Favorite Book Reviews, and he has been a finalist in a number of short story contests with Edges of Gray winning first place in the Texas Authors Contest. Professional credits include articles published in the Texas Study of Secondary Education Magazine. Clifton’s latest book, The Open Portal, launches the fantasy book series, Conquest of the Veil. In addition, look for the YA novel, Edison Jones and the Anti-Grav Elevator, to be released soon. He is available public speaking.

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MAY 14-24, 2019

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