Today marks the release of Juniper Fairchild and the Alterwhere, the debut fantasy novel by Gene Turnbow, founder of SCIFI.radio.

At thirty-four, Juniper Fairchild is running out of options. Out of energy, out of time, and out of hope, she stumbles across an impossible garden gate that opens into the Alterwhere — a half-broken world spun from forgotten stories and the daydreams of children.

The Alterwhere has mistaken Juniper and her best friend, Megan Eastman, for the same long-lost princess. With an enchanted Model T and two misfit Fae footmen at her side, Juniper is swept into a landscape where memory and imagination collide: forests that whisper names, lakes that bargain with visions, and shadowlands that feed on forgotten dreams.

But the Alterwhere is unraveling. To save Megan, Juniper must face not only the world’s collapse but her own fear that it’s too late for her to matter.

Witty, heartfelt, and quietly epic, Juniper Fairchild and the Alterwhere is a portal fantasy for anyone who has ever dreamed of a second chance. Fans of Naomi Novik, T. Kingfisher, and Seanan McGuire will find much to love in its pages.

The first book in a planned series, the book is available now on Amazon and wherever books are sold.

What Reviewers are Saying

“A thoroughly enjoyable first novel with characters who are breaking out of their own story. Fresh and dynamic with great promise for future books. Grab your bowler and jump into the Alterwhere!” — award winning Lawrence M. Schoen, author of BARSK, winner of the John W. Campbell Award and finalist for both Hugo and Nebula Awards

“Witty, whimsical, and wonderfully strange, Juniper Fairchild and the Alterwhere is a portal fantasy brimming with heart, where forgotten dreams and second chances collide in a world only the lost can save; perfect for fans of T. Kingfisher and The Wayward Children series.” — NewInBooks

CozyBookCafe has placed Juniper Fairchild on their list of Top 30 Books for 2025.

“I rarely read 400 plus page fantasy epics and it took me a while to get into this one, but Gene Turnbow’s richly-imagined world sucks you in with vivid images until a huge tome becomes a page-turner.”  — Lynn Barker, screenwriter for The Twilight Zone and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and author of Futurus Rex

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