Author Katie A. Martin made her stateside debut at Washington County Library last week as part of her book tour across the Pettigrew Regional Library system. Here, she provided visitors their first look at her debut fantasy work, “The Portal Door Adventures.”

Martin comes to the United States from Margate, an English seaside town in the Thanet District of Kent, England. A 2003 alumna of Canterbury University, Martin holds a degree in English and social sciences as well as teaching, and has put her studies to work as a primary school educator for well over 20 years. However, most recently, she has decided to branch out into the realm of children’s fantasy, penning “The Portal Door Adventures” last year back home.

Crafted in a similar spirit to fellow UK heavyweight C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia series, Martin’s novella also features the miraculous journey of a youth to a strange and often dangerous land of magic and mystery.

Specifically, Martin’s protagonist, Evan, wakes one night in his room after a thunderstorm to investigate eerie noises coming from his wardrobe.

Upon investigating the commotion, Evan is almost immediately transported through a portal and into a brand new world that is rife with equal parts awe, intrigue and danger.

As Martin told the kids gathered in the library...