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The Sealside Sagas Volume 2: The Book of Two Sides
Glasgow, South Lanarkshire, United Kingdom
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Aim
Help make fantasy a reality! I'm looking to raise the publishing costs of Volume 2 in my fae urban fantasy book series, The Sealside Sagas.
Hello, crowdfunding angels...
I'm Danny Spring, a Scotland-based screenwriter and author with a strong track record of creating youth/YA content (TV credits relevant to this campaign include co-creating and writing BBC's World's End, writing for Nickelodeon's supernatural and adventure series House of Anubis and Hunter Street, and running the story department on Channel 4's Hollyoaks).
In January 2026, I indie-published my debut novel, Refugelf, the first volume in my fae urban fantasy series, The Sealside Sagas. I'm now turning to Crowdfunder to raise the money to publish the second volume in the series:
The Book of Two Sides
How would you feel if you were constantly told that YOU are the problem? Sound familiar? Well, that’s exactly what 15-year-old Margaret has been told EVERY. SINGLE. DAY of her life.
And she IS a problem... but it’s not her fault.
It’s not her fault she set Sealside Academy’s science lab on fire; it’s not her fault she bit the neighbour’s dog; it’s not her fault that everywhere she goes she leaves a maelstrom of destruction. And it really isn’t. Because Margaret isn’t your run-of-the-mill Problem Teenager. She’s a goblin changeling. She just doesn’t know it.
Meanwhile, in the fae realm, her human counterpart Zit is blissfully unaware that she’s not a goblin, nor why The Monarch has taken a creepy predilection for her, nor why her repentant kidnapper-come-adoptive father has taken her to the haunting Pit of Despair and seemingly left her there for dead.
When Margaret is referred to local radio psychologist Dr Ralph to avoid school exclusion, the truth of Margaret’s identity is uncloaked. Of course, no-one else believes Margaret’s an actual goblin. But when Margaret’s disbelieving and long-suffering mother Helen wishes it was true because it would explain the monster that she’s raised, that wish causes a crack in the sealed veil between the human and fae worlds, creating a psychic connection between the switched girls. As the unnerving connection grows, both girls are hurtled into a wrangling journey of self-discovery... and, aided by a magic-bound but resistant Dr Ralph and Margaret’s bestie, emo amateur alchemist Toby, an epic rescue mission across dimensions ensues.
Told in a dual narrative across two worlds, The Book of Two Sides is a whopping, pacey page turner for fae fantasy lovers of all ages.
So whopping, I need your donations to help to make it happen!
Here's a sneak peek of the opening section:
CHAPTER 1
The Problem
‘Margaret!’ Helen whined. ‘When you’ve finished your food, put your cutlery together. Otherwise, how will people know you’ve finished?’
‘I’ll do this,’ Margaret grunted, then promptly slurped her plate clean, delivered a loud, onion gravy-tinged belch, and threw her cutlery on to the table.
Helen Drabb eyed her daughter disdainfully. ‘Absolutely, utterly, unquestionably disgusting.’
Margaret just blinked at her mother. Helen was given to hyperbole. If she wasn’t ‘at the end of her tether’ then she was ‘at her wit’s end’ or ‘a nervous wreck’. Sometimes she claimed to be ‘on the brink of a stomach ulcer’, ‘having a breakdown’ or ‘hanging by a thread’, despite there being no evidence of anything threadlike in sight: no ropes, no string, not even a piece of cotton.
‘I’m having a breakdown. I’m at my wit’s end. I’m hanging by a thread here. I’m on the brink of a stomach ulcer. I’m a nervous wreck! I’m at the end of my tether, Roy. Do something!’ Helen’s face had turned puce. She addressed all this to the back of a broadsheet, held in place by two plump hands.
She had used all her hyperbole in one go, which, Margaret realised, must mean that she really was angry. Not that Margaret cared; she had heard Helen’s complaints for as long as she could remember, so they had no impact on her anymore. They fired from Helen’s mouth like bullets made of candy floss, puffing into Margaret’s face with nothing more than a slightly acrid whiff.
‘Do as your mother says,’ Roy Drabb sighed from behind his newspaper, hoping that the situation, including his wife and daughter, would just go away so that he could finish reading his paper in peace.
‘That’s it?’ Helen shrieked. ‘That’s all you’ve got to say? I despair; I really do. I didn’t say, “Say something!” I said, “Do something!” If you don’t, it’ll be the end of this family, Roy, it really, really will.’
Good, thought Margaret, without even realising that she’d actually listened to Helen's tripe.
Roy closed the broadsheet and folded it neatly. The greyness of his cheeks betrayed years of suffering but the fullness of them proved that it hadn’t affected his appetite.
‘Fine,’ he muttered, then reached across the table, picked up Margaret’s knife and fork and placed them neatly in the centre of her plate, side by side. ‘Now everyone’s happy,’ he muttered unhappily. He lifted his paper and hid behind it for the rest of breakfast.
Margaret let out a victory fart.
Helen despaired.
The Sealside Sagas...
So what are The Sealside Sagas, and why would you want to buy into their publication?
Welcome to Sealside, a seemingly humdrum nowheresville of a town… located just a sniff away from a sealed portal between the human and fae dimensions. Yes, that’s correct: a portal into a freaking faerie realm. Clearly, this town is not as dull as it seems! In fact, unknown to most of its residents it’s a place where the mundane meets the magical and the magical meets the mundane... time and time again.
The series is a pentalogy and already planned out, with each 'Volume' at various stages of the process.
The Sealside Sagas Volume 1: Refugelf
In Volume 1 of the series, across a dual narrative spanning two dimensions and two timeframes, we follow the story of teenage elf, Rashnala/Ralph, as he makes his arduous journey across the fae realm to escape the memories of his part in his commune's extinction and seek refuge in the human town of Sealside. His ventures come with hope, friendship and love... overshadowed by immense guilt, sacrifice and loss – both on the fae and the human sides of The Seal – as he faces new enemies and is reunited with the worst one of all. As the two narratives combine, Ralph is faced with a final battle of horrific proportion… and a promise to atone by ensuring that the seal between the worlds is never opened again.
That is, until almost 16 years later, in Volume 2…
Fae, Fi, Fo, Fum. What makes this fae series differ from any other one...?
Set against a backdrop of a breezeblocked 'new town' and with an oddball cast of characters including a guilt-stifled elf, wingless fairies, social-climbing goblins and a villain with a passion for human plastics... this is not your ordinary fae urban fantasy series!
Style: Each volume contains a dual narrative: one set in the human realm, one set in the fae realm, with both impacting directly on one another and eventually converging.
Tonally, the series is packed with heart, adventure and genuinely moving moments, all bundled up in an offbeat, dark humour.
The characters are a loveable ensemble of cross-generational, cross-dimensional misfit humans and fae, all out of place in their individual lives but united against a common, ancient-evil enemy. They’re unlikely heroes – all of them – but as they progress through the series, each finds their inner strengths and self-value… and by banding together, the power to conquer their demons, both inner and outer…
The world (or rather two worlds!): Leaning heavily into the juxtaposition of mundanity vs magical, the seemingly dreary town of Sealside is the intentional antithesis of the vivid but war-torn fae dimension. In some ways, the world of the series is a bit like Stranger Things with a fae twist; trading The Hawkins Crew for The Sealside Squad and The Upside Down and Vecna with the fae dimension and tyrannical villain, The Monarch.
The feeling when you read the books: it’s not for me to say how readers feel when they read these books, but please take a look at the reader reviews for Refugelf below. I like to think of the experience as wrapping the reader up in a blanket of disconcertingly cosy adventure that hurtles them through from page 1 all the way to the final page, throwing them off-kilter along the way, causing tears of laughter and of pathos, gasps, gawps, anger at the injustices and celebrations of the victories … and then leaves them wanting more.
I’ll let some of the readers tell you in their own words.
Reader reviews of REFUGELF:
"Absolutely loved this book! Can't wait for volume 2 to come out already. I need more after that ending 🥲" Maisy (Goodreads).
"Captivating from the beginning. This is a good read for teens to adult. Leaves you wanting the next book !! Can’t wait for the next in the series." Mo (Amazon).
"Wanted to keep reading it from the moment I started it. Great characters brought perfectly to life, great story leaving me wanting to know what happens next. So definitely getting book 2 when released. Recommend for anyone who likes fantasy, adventure from 12 up."Jo McFarlane (Amazon).
"I couldn’t stop reading and I didn’t want it to end. It’s full of relatable loveable characters (and some intentionally hateful ones) and the imagery is so vivid I can’t ‘unsee’ some of the things I’ve ‘seen’. And that twist! This is a book that stays with you long after you’ve finished reading. More, please!" Kathleen Cushkey (Amazon).
"Refuge Elf is a wonderfully fun and very easy read- not so easy to put down! Forgive the references please, but if you enjoyed books like Harry Potter and Neverwhere, you’ll love this. It’s a story of coping with loss and grief, bullying, self-worth, and new friendships- all contained within the genre of ‘discovering a new world’. There’s humour, magic, drama and darkness. There are some characters you’ll root for, and some other characters that will make you want to shout at the pages. Definitely recommend if you’re looking for a good read that’ll hook you from the start. And this doesn’t have anything to do with the story, but it’s the only book I haven’t noticed a spelling mistake in for years! Can’t wait for the second volume." Ashley Pryce (Goodreads).
"Fantastic read. I couldn't put it down, I read it in 2 nights. Highly recommend. Eagerly waiting for the second book in the Saga. Do yourself a favour and grab a copy 😊" Kindle Customer, Australia (Amazon).
Why now and what am I going to do with your hard earned cash?
Across 2024 and 2025, I self-funded the various stages leading up to the publication of Refugelf. It wasn't cheap and it wasn't easy. But I did it off my own back and out of my own pocket. Refugelf was a 53K word manuscript; The Book of Two Sides is a 99.5K word manuscript. It doesn't take a genius to work out that I'm going to need a little extra help to get book 2 on the shelves!
Refugelf launched in January 2026 and, as you can see above, has had a very positive response from readers. I'm still marketing and building my fanbase for the series, but momentum is key in retaining audience/reader interest, so I'm turning to Crowdfunder in a bid to launch book 2 (The Book of Two Sides) by the end of 2026, while interest in the series is still hot. I have my team built from book 1 and will use the same people and companies again, so I know exactly what I need to do and what the costs are going to be.
The Book of Two Sides is already written, so I'm not looking to raise cash for writing time. Your money will solely be used to fund:
- Separate editorial costs for my copy editor and proofreader.
- Cover design and social media marketing materials.
- Formatting (both print and e-book).
- Reward copies and postage.
- Marketing.
- Crowdfunder fees.
I've set a target of £4100.00. That's achievable, right? It definitely is with your help.
If I'm fortunate enough to achieve more than that, it will either be put towards increased marketing and/or editorial fees for book 3 or towards producing audio versions of volumes 1 and 2.
You can donate out of the kindness of your hearts (and your passion for giving) or you can treat yourself to some of the REWARDS below.
Every £1 raised will be match funded by Creative Scotland's Crowdmatch, as long as I raise the full total required and receive a minimum of 25 donations. Every donation/pledge will receive a 'Thank you' in the book's acknowledgements, regardless of whether you click on a reward.
In addition, I'm offering the following tier rewards:
You're so Special: £15-£24 donations: a signed copy of either Refugelf or The Book of Two Sides (your choice) and a special thank you in the acknowledgements of The Book of Two Sides.
You're so Extra: £25-£49 donations: a signed copy of both books and an extra special thank you in the acknowledgements of The Book of Two Sides.
You're so Talented: £50-£99 donations: a signed copy of both books, an extra special thank you in the acknowledgements of The Book of Two Sides and a written story edit report of your own pitch document, script outline or novel outline.
What a Star: £100-£249 donations: a signed copy of both books, a star mention in the acknowledgements of The Book of Two Sides and a one on one virtual video session with me (to discuss whatever you wish - maybe you're an aspiring writer and would like some tips on indie publishing from what I've learnt so far; maybe you're a fan of some of the projects I've worked on and want to discuss those; maybe you're not a fan but you want to know more about writing for screen; maybe you're none of the above and you just want to have a chat and a cuppa; maybe you just love crowdfunding and are very generous).
Superstar: £250+ donations (I know, I know): all of what's on offer with What a Star... and you get to NAME A SUPPORTING CHARACTER! It can be named after yourself or after someone you know. Become immortalised in literature... Go on, you know you want to...
I know that money is tight for a lot of people in these current times and any donation is gratefully received. Thank you for reading, thank you for considering... and thank you in advance for donating!
Believe, believe, and it shall be...
Author Biog
DANNY SPRING trained as an actor at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and took a Masters in film at Goldsmiths College, University of London, before heading behind the scenes in television, where he worked in the script and story departments of various television shows, most notably running the story department on Channel 4’s UK YA continuing drama, Hollyoaks. As a screenwriter, he has written for Nickelodeon’s House of Anubis and Hunter Street and cocreated and wrote the hit sci-fi/mystery BBC drama, World’s End. He hails from Cornwall, the land of myths and legends and now lives in the equally myth-steeped Scotland, so it’s no surprise that his work is always tinged with a little spookiness and magic. When he’s not conjuring stories, he can be found levitating in (semi)exotic locations and fighting for space with his vocal and unfeasibly long-legged housemate, Bella… the queen of Jack Russells.
For more information on Danny's screen projects, please visit: www.dannyspring.com
Funding method
All or nothing – this project will only receive pledges if it reaches its target of £4,100 by 7th August 2026 at 11:17am