Door of the Day: some are guarded by beasts . . .

This is a door from Gyeongbok palace in Korea, with a traditional lock to secure its weathered wood.  I have walked the grounds here a few times, and have never tired of its beauty!

I especially love the haetae guarding the gates and entrances to different buildings with the complex—haetae is a famous creature from Korean mythology. It is a protective creature, said to guard against natural disasters.

I’m posting my door inspirations from around the world to celebrate the release of The Guardians of Zoone on Feb25!  There are no haetae in Zoone but there is, of course, one very unique skyger named Tug!

You can find order links for the books of Zoone HERE.

Door of the Day: Do you dare knock?

This is a door I found in Vernazza, Italy, in 2013—knock if you dare, but the disembodied hand may never release you!

I have noticed a few hand-shaped doorknockers throughout my travels, and they always strike me as creepy and clingy! Vernazza itself is a sweet town, part of Cinque Terre, a string of five beautiful cities on the west coast of Italy. We stayed there during our honeymoon!

I’m posting my door inspirations from around the world to celebrate the releases of The Secret of Zoone (it was released in paperback on January 28) and The Guardians of Zoone on February 25! There are many doors throughout the multiverse of Zoone that you dare not knock on either!

You can find order links for the books of Zoone HERE.

Door of the Day: archways of beauty

This is the detail of an arch from Alhambra, Spain, which I visited in 2004. Alhambra is a fortress and palace located in Granada and declares the Islamic influence in the country.

The architecture here is absolutely stunning. The site was so popular, that it was difficult for me to take photographs without people obscuring the views!

I’m posting my door inspirations from around the world to celebrate the release of The Guardians of Zoone on February 25!

You can find order links for the books of Zoone HERE.

Door of the Day: The door to nowhere

Today, the paperback version of The Secret of Zoone launches, so I’m posting the “door to nowhere” from Exeter England.

If you’ve read Zoone (or are going to), then this door will mean something to you!

I found the Exeter door just while walking down the street and it’s really just an archway that has been bricked over, but it sure looked like a secret door to me. I imagined that I would just have to find the right stone to press (or the combination of stones), and then the portal would open and lead me (hopefully) to Narnia. Alas, I could not discover the right stones (at least not before my wife wandered back down the street where I had lingered and told me to stop being weird).

You can find order links for The Secret of Zoone HERE.

Door of the Day: A keyhole with a critter?

Door of the day: The paint is peeling, the handle is rusting, and the keyhole is encrusted with cobwebs—what sort of adventure awaits? I came across this at the back of Moulin Church in Pitlochry, Scotland in 2014.

The churchyard at Moulin also features a Kirk Bell (first cast in 1749), a crusader’s grave from the twelfth century (look closely, and you will see the etching of a sword in the stone), and an ash tree that is growing on the site of the old “joug” tree—it was as the joug tree where offenders of crimes were shackled with a hinged metal collar for public display (and shame) until the requisite amount of time was passed for their atonement to be completed.

I’m posting my door inspirations from around the world to celebrate releases of The Secret of Zoone (paperback – January 28) and The Guardians of Zoone (February 25).

Zoone might be the nexus of the multiverse, with a thousand doors leading to a thousand worlds, but not all are easily opened and, sometimes, little critters come scuttling out of those keyholes!

You can find order links for the books HERE.

Door of the Day: The Downton Abbey wolf

This is a stunning wolf decoration that we found upon entering the front door at Highclere Castle—or, as it is better known, Downton Abbey!

We visited Highclere on a VERY rainy day in 2015. This meant that we didn’t really get a chance to patrol the grounds, though I did see a very amazing tree out front (before the rain really set in).

Most people visit Highclere Castle because of it being Downton Abbey, but it has another famous association. It belongs to the Carnarvon family, who sponsored Howard Carter’s expedition in Egypt. As such, the subterranean floors of Highclere feature a museum dedicated to Egypt, and housing many of the artifacts found during that expedition. I had been to the Valley of the Kings many years before, so visiting the Highclere exhibit felt like coming full circle.

I’m posting my door inspirations from around the world to celebrate releases of The Secret of Zoone (paperback – January 28) and The Guardians of Zoone (February 25).

You can find order links for the books HERE.

Door of the Day: Two in One!

This gateway is from the castle district in Budapest, a beautiful double-door I found on our honeymoon in 2013.  It’s a double door, allowing either a person or a horse and carriage (now a car!) to go through. It’s been around, as you can see by its weathered and worn façade.

Many people ask me where my last name is from (a curiosity spurned by the umlaut)—well, it’s from Hungary! My grandfather immigrated to Canada in 1926, but his name was anglicized to “Fodey.” After I graduated from university, I legally changed it back to “Födi.”

I’m posting my door inspirations from around the world to celebrate releases of The Secret of Zoone (pb-Jan28) & The Guardians of Zoone (Feb25)

Many of the doors that lead to and from Zoone are also worn and weathered. The condition of a door gives an indication of the status of the world beyond.

Purchase and preorder links for both Zoone books can be found HERE.

Door of the Day: The wyvern on the waves

This is an exquisite dragon door I found in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Alas, I could not get the perfect photo because the light was awkward and the dragon itself was above my eye line.

I call it a wyvern in the headline because a wyvern is typically a dragon with no forearms—just wings, which is what seems to be the case with this creature. However, wyvern is a European word, and I’m sure there is a Japanese word to describe the specific dragon with wings (if you know, please make a comment below)!

Asian dragons, of course, are the opposite of European dragons, representing benign fortunes and positive notions. It’s not often you seem them depicted with wings.

Kamakura is a magical realm where you can explore parks and temples, with many statues or carvings peeking out from the stands of bamboo or the gardens. I found a lot of inspiration in this place.

Of course, Japan holds a special place in my heart because our son Hiro is from there. He was just a few months old when we explored the beautiful temples in the Kamakura area.

I’m posting my door inspirations from around the world to celebrate releases of The Secret of Zoone (pb-Jan28) & The Guardians of Zoone (Feb25)

Purchase and preorder links for both Zoone books can be found HERE.

Door of the Day: One of my favorite places!

I often stay in Jongno-gu when I’m in Korea. I love the winding streets, the architecture—and the doors! Just check out this beautiful door knocker on this well-used and weathered doorway:

I’ve wandered these alleyways many times! They can feel like a maze, but you never know what you will find when you turn a corner. Here, the traditional often suddenly collides with the modern. You can find many amazing restaurants sequestered here, especially ones featuring traditional cuisine.

and love visiting Tapgol Park, a peaceful place beyond the bustle of the neighborhood. Here, no one is staring at their palms! Instead, this is the place where old people (like me?) retreat to listen to their radios and share stories beneath the watchful eyes of treasured monuments.

Then, if you get hungry, you can wander down the street to try traditional bungeoppang, which is traditionally shaped like a fish and filled with red bean past. However, in the Insa-dong tourist district, it’s shaped like . . . poo (they call it poo-dough) and comes in different flavors (one of them being, of course, chocolate).

In truth, this is one of my favorite places in the world, my home away from home.

I’m posting my door inspirations from around the world to celebrate releases of The Secret of Zoone (paperback – January 28) and The Guardians of Zoone (February 25).

Yes, there is peculiar food to be found in the worlds of Zoone, too! Ozzie and his friends sample many of it—but I recommend going to Insa-dong and trying the poo-dough before tasting “witch pie,” which has all kinds of disgusting flavors, such as worm intestines.

Purchase and preorder links for both Zoone books can be found HERE.

Door of the Day: Some portals are blocked

I discovered this impassable portal at Preah Kahn in 2018. Preah Kahn is one of the many temples at the Angkor Wat complex in Cambodia. It sits amid the jungle, fighting off the claws of the trees—and time.

There are many beautiful sculptured reliefs throughout this site, such as Garuda, a figure I have also seen represented in Thailand. Garuda is shown holding the tails of snakes—in this instance, they seem to be cobras.

Thankfully, we did not see any actual cobras in Cambodia—but many of the temples serve as home to healthy populations of monkeys.

There are so many beautiful colors and perspectives to be found throughout this temple. The elements have left it painted with hues of green, red, and charcoal. It was hard not to be inspired by this magical realm tucked into the jungle.

I’m posting my door inspirations from around the world to celebrate releases of The Secret of Zoone (paperback – January 28) and The Guardians of Zoone (February 25). There are many doors in the nexus of Zoone that are blocked . . . Ozzie and his friends find themselves on the wrong side of them on a few occasions! But, hey, that’s what leads to the best of adventures . . .

Purchase and preorder links for both Zoone books can be found HERE.