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Inherited Magic: A Haunting Cornish Fantasy of Grief, Inheritance, and Doors Between Worlds
The cottage has been waiting fifteen years for Meredith Trevelyn to come home. Now it has her for a year.
When her estranged grandmother dies, Meredith, a London risk analyst who believes only in what can be measured, inherits remote Trevelyn Cottage on one condition. She must live there for one full year. She arrives to chimney smoke rising from an empty house, a door that opens on its own, and a sealed letter hanging in mid-air.
Her grandmother's last words name her guardian. The doors change after sunset. Behind the linen closet waits a forest with two moons. And something patient has been testing the barriers of the house, hungry for the moment the last Trevelyn fails.
Meredith can sign the papers, sell the cottage, and return to her ordered life. Every hour she hesitates, the threshold weakens.
For readers of Alice Hoffman's Practical Magic and Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Mexican Gothic.
She spent her whole adult life proving the doors were imaginary. Now she is the only one who can hold them shut.
Open the door. Start Inherited Magic today.
When her estranged grandmother dies, Meredith, a London risk analyst who believes only in what can be measured, inherits remote Trevelyn Cottage on one condition. She must live there for one full year. She arrives to chimney smoke rising from an empty house, a door that opens on its own, and a sealed letter hanging in mid-air.
Her grandmother's last words name her guardian. The doors change after sunset. Behind the linen closet waits a forest with two moons. And something patient has been testing the barriers of the house, hungry for the moment the last Trevelyn fails.
Meredith can sign the papers, sell the cottage, and return to her ordered life. Every hour she hesitates, the threshold weakens.
For readers of Alice Hoffman's Practical Magic and Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Mexican Gothic.
She spent her whole adult life proving the doors were imaginary. Now she is the only one who can hold them shut.
Open the door. Start Inherited Magic today.
- GenresFantasyShort Stories
36 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 1, 2025
About the author
Richard French
54 books92 followersRichard French writes at the intersection of technology, transformation, and storytelling. A former executive at Oracle and Nokia, and a serial startup leader, Richard brings decades of leadership experience to his books.
His non-fiction works include Daniel as a Blueprint for Navigating Ethical Dilemmas, The Journaling Mastery Series, and The Journaling Prompts Series. In fiction, his Convergence Series explores quantum physics, high fantasy, and human connection in richly imagined worlds.
Richard lives in the Pacific Northwest, where he writes full time and races GT cars on weekends. He believes in challenging limits—on the track, in business, and on the page.
His non-fiction works include Daniel as a Blueprint for Navigating Ethical Dilemmas, The Journaling Mastery Series, and The Journaling Prompts Series. In fiction, his Convergence Series explores quantum physics, high fantasy, and human connection in richly imagined worlds.
Richard lives in the Pacific Northwest, where he writes full time and races GT cars on weekends. He believes in challenging limits—on the track, in business, and on the page.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 4, 2025
“A short story that stretches the imagination across worlds while grounding the heart in legacy.”
Richard French’s Inherited Magic is a spellbinding tale that fuses family heritage, otherworldly magic, and the weight of impossible responsibility into a gripping narrative. From the first page, the story immerses readers in a world both strange and vivid, where cottages shift, forests glow under twin moons, and magical creatures carry a knowing intelligence.
Meredith Trevelyn emerges not only as a protagonist of courage and wit but as a vessel of duty, caught between her logical, risk-averse life and the urgent call of a destiny she has long denied. The layers of mystery and the looming threat of shadow entities create tension that is relentless, while the story’s quiet, intimate moments give depth and heart.
What makes Inherited Magic unforgettable is its seamless balance of wonder and stakes: the story’s compact format never sacrifices richness, and every page contributes to a world that feels expansive and alive. French’s prose glimmers with clarity and imagination, making the impossible feel both tangible and necessary.
A masterful short story that will linger in the minds of readers, reminding us that some inheritances shape not just lives, but entire worlds.
Richard French’s Inherited Magic is a spellbinding tale that fuses family heritage, otherworldly magic, and the weight of impossible responsibility into a gripping narrative. From the first page, the story immerses readers in a world both strange and vivid, where cottages shift, forests glow under twin moons, and magical creatures carry a knowing intelligence.
Meredith Trevelyn emerges not only as a protagonist of courage and wit but as a vessel of duty, caught between her logical, risk-averse life and the urgent call of a destiny she has long denied. The layers of mystery and the looming threat of shadow entities create tension that is relentless, while the story’s quiet, intimate moments give depth and heart.
What makes Inherited Magic unforgettable is its seamless balance of wonder and stakes: the story’s compact format never sacrifices richness, and every page contributes to a world that feels expansive and alive. French’s prose glimmers with clarity and imagination, making the impossible feel both tangible and necessary.
A masterful short story that will linger in the minds of readers, reminding us that some inheritances shape not just lives, but entire worlds.
July 12, 2026
When Meredith receives word that her grandmother has passed away and that she has inherited her cottage but in order to collect it she must live in it for at least 1 year, as a risk analysts doing the odds she finds it's in her favor to go stay and then sell later plus she feels a call to go back to her roots after all this time. Back in Trevelyn Cottage Meredith gets more than she bargained for with doors that can open themselves and strange noises that go unanswered she's barely arrived and feels as if she is losing her mind already. Her answer comes from a letter she was waiting on from her grandmother but only leaves her feeling as if it can't be true but something in the back of her mind almost a memory tugs and says she knows it might be. Check out this super short read to see what happens when you get a house for an inheritance and it comes with more than you bargain for do you back out and take the easy way or do you stand up and do what's right for others like your family has been doing for centuries?
September 1, 2026
I was generous with three stars. Calling it "Book 1" doesn't change the fact that this barely qualifies as a short story. And not a very good one at that.
Ah. I notice that the cover has been changed to indicate that it is, supposedly, a short story. Still the original misleading cover on Amazon, though.
Ah. I notice that the cover has been changed to indicate that it is, supposedly, a short story. Still the original misleading cover on Amazon, though.
July 10, 2026
Inherited Magic
Inherited Magic (The Trevelyn Cottage Chronicles Book 1) written by Richard French. This was an interesting story of family blood line and obligation to a home. The mysterious doorways are welcoming her to enter. This was a Goodreads giveaway winner.
Inherited Magic (The Trevelyn Cottage Chronicles Book 1) written by Richard French. This was an interesting story of family blood line and obligation to a home. The mysterious doorways are welcoming her to enter. This was a Goodreads giveaway winner.
August 20, 2026
Very good read.
I enjoyed reading this book very much and I recommend this book very much to anyone who likes LitRPG and progression types of books with lots of action.
I enjoyed reading this book very much and I recommend this book very much to anyone who likes LitRPG and progression types of books with lots of action.
September 29, 2026
Interesting
What a beginning! But I wouldn't call it a book. This is more like an introduction that wets your appetite. It lays out a creative opening! Can't wait to read on!
What a beginning! But I wouldn't call it a book. This is more like an introduction that wets your appetite. It lays out a creative opening! Can't wait to read on!
October 3, 2026
A Goodreads win!
Won in a Goodreads drawing. Interesting story, but short. I was just getting into it and suddenly it's over. Will probably read more.
Won in a Goodreads drawing. Interesting story, but short. I was just getting into it and suddenly it's over. Will probably read more.
January 2, 2026
"This letter is to inform you that under the last will and testament of Agatha Eleanor Trevelyn, you have been named the sole beneficiary of her estate, including the property known as Trevelyn Cottage ... "
An entertaining (and, it must be said, quite compelling) riff on the trope of magic portals into hidden universes and guarding our world against entry by malevolent entities. As is typical of a well-written short story, enough is said to create a plot and to drive the reader to the end with enough left unsaid to allow the reader to mentally craft their own answers or sequels.
Well done, Mr French.
Paul Weiss
An entertaining (and, it must be said, quite compelling) riff on the trope of magic portals into hidden universes and guarding our world against entry by malevolent entities. As is typical of a well-written short story, enough is said to create a plot and to drive the reader to the end with enough left unsaid to allow the reader to mentally craft their own answers or sequels.
Well done, Mr French.
Paul Weiss
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews