Former Gull Lake Teacher Publishes Debut Fantasy Novel for Teens
Gull Lake has another reason to celebrate.
Former Gull Lake School teacher Calli Illerbrun has published her debut fantasy novel for teens, Between Shadow & Truth, which recently hit #1 in Amazon’s Coming of Age Fantasy category.
Calli spent nearly six years teaching middle years at Gull Lake School, after completing her internship in high school English there. She now teaches middle years in Swift Current.
“Gull Lake was such a huge part of my teaching journey,” Calli told Gull Lake Events.
What the Book Is About
The book follows seventeen-year-old Mara Ward, who has spent her life trapped in a town she can’t leave—a place where magic is only a rumour and asking questions is forbidden.
That changes when she touches a shimmering parchment hidden inside her mother’s journal. She is whisked away to Okercrest Academy, a school where wizards channel magic from the Pleach.
Mara’s volatile magic threatens to destroy anyone who gets too close. As students vanish and her mother’s secrets unravel, she must rely on Helm Greymalt, the only person capable of enduring her power when it surges.
It is a mystery-forward fantasy for teens with:
A unique magic system
Slow-burn romantic tension
A resilient heroine fighting for answers
It was written for teen readers—an age group Calli knows well from years in the classroom
From Classroom to Published Author
Calli started the book thinking teaching would leave her wide-open summers to write.
Between parenting, lesson plans, and life in the classroom, she kept coming back to it until she got it across the finish line.
Where to Find It
Between Shadow & Truth is available now on Amazon Canada.
Library distribution via IngramSpark is coming soon. Once it goes live, readers will also be able to request it through Chinook Regional Library.
Gull Lake Events
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