About

Heather’s Story

As a child, I loved to draw and hear stories about enchanted animals and ghosts that lived in the mysterious forests near my hometown in England. I grew up watching and reading beloved classics like “Bambi”, “The Dark Crystal”, “The Land Before Time”, “A Christmas Carol”, and “The Last Unicorn”. These whimsical yet sad stories captivated me, and inspired a longing at a young age to begin making my own stories. My journey began with little flip books that I made myself, then read aloud to my family at the dinner table. From these humble beginnings my dreams began to grow…

Growing up in the natural, and historical influence of England ignited my imagination. There was no shortage of forests or museums for me to explore, or tales of fantasy creatures to lose myself in. I would draw Europe’s fabled dragons and faeries of olde, leaving the sketches under the doorsteps of neighbors as gifts.

Our family often visited castles where I felt the whispers of old magic and the passing of the ages all around me. I adored gazing upon the displays of medieval tapestries and deciphering the stories they told.

It was an enchanted time when the trees and animals were my friends, and magic always seemed to be right around the corner. I was free to roam our neighborhood and explore as I pleased, spending my days leading the other children on make believe adventures inspired by my favorite stories until the street lamps came alive at dusk.

But when I was 9 years old, a new adventure began. We moved to the United States, and my sprawling neighborhood of trees and other children was replaced with strangers and a whole new life. I missed my friends and our make believe adventures. I often escaped my homesickness in books, pretending I was once again frolicking in the familiar forests with the animals instead of navigating a new school in a strange land.

But soon I met some very special girls who saw the world as I did, full of magic and possibilities, and I started to settle in. One day we were assigned to read “Bridge to Terabithia” in class and I realized what else I was missing most from home. I was inspired to create my own world for my new friends and I to play in! (But any tragic endings on our part would only be make believe)

I imagined a magical world of all my favorite fantasy and forest creatures, with stories just as beautiful, tragic, and haunting as my favorite childhood movies and books. And so, we claimed the old oak tree in the back of the playground as our own. There we danced and played in “Terratoff” all recess long, escaping the bullies and homework to our magical realm.

Through the years my love for make-believe and reading never waned. As I grew up, I kept the world of Terratoff alive in my heart, secretly adapting and growing the story in my journals and sketchbooks year after year.

Working with graphite pencils and wax colored pencils, I began creating a prolific catalog of creature art each with their own story. Eventually I started self training in watercolor and gouache. I combined the wet media with oil based colored pencils to create a unique painting technique that featured fantastical nature scenes where the magical creatures “glowed” off the canvas. To me this symbolized “a light in the darkness”, and that no matter how dark the story gets there is always hope to be found.

My new dream became to bring the realm of Terratoff to life by making my “Tales of Terratoff” into illustrated books. But I couldn’t do it alone.

In 2017 I launched my Terratoff Patreon, and made my first public debut exhibiting my art and stories at HeroesCon in Charlotte NC. Fans instantly fell in love with the whimsical, sometimes spooky, vibe of Terratoff. Little by little more “Terratoffians” joined the realm, supporting and cheering on the dream of the Terratoff novels to come!

With over 100 creatures and short stories created thus far, I draw ever closer to my dream of making Terratoff a reality through illustrated novels. One page, and one story at a time.

About Terratoff

“Terratoff” is a magical realm that combines the charm of fantasy creatures with the spookiness of the supernatural. Here, magic is the essence of all life and “creatures of magic” reign in the fairy tale forests. This mystical place may appear entrancing beyond compare, but their world is under threat by a haunting magic the corrupts all that is good from the inside out… and it seeks to “rott” all that it touches.

Born of an enchanted “mother tree”, the fauns rule over this mythical realm filled with creatures such as unicorns, dragons, and many more. But when the soul corrupting plague known as “The Rott” returns, it sends the fauns into a wretched war against their brethren, now possessing dangerous and haunted new magic. The plague spoils goodness and amplifies evil, transforming the host’s body into a physical representation of the decay growing within. Their cursed magic is deadly, and as the Rott corruption spreads, more and more creatures of magic become twisted versions of their inner demons, and Terratoff slowly succumbs to darkness.

Soon their world and the Rott become entangled with “The World of Man”, causing paranormal phenomena to tear both worlds apart.

As “The Rott” advances its decay from one realm to the next, the journey unfolds through the eyes of humans and creatures alike. Through their stories the true nature of magic, spirits, and demons are revealed!