RAVEL: An adult portal fantasy
by Crista Scott Tappan and Michael Tappan
Genre: Adult Portal Fantasy
Vibes: RAVEL combines cozy and whimsical fantasy with darker fairy-tale stakes, a mysterious hidden goblin world, craft-centered magic, folklore, and a the cutest mouse sidekick you could ever imagine.
Similar Books/Movies: The Spellshop, Nettle & Bone, Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries, Labyrinth, The Neverending Story
Setting: Oregon, Manhattan, and Goblin City
Era: 1990s (primarily) + 1950s
Length: Approximately 100,000 words
Status: Currently seeking literary representation
If you’re a literary agent and think an entire magic system built around yarn might be your particular kind of weird, I’d love to hear from you!
Query materials, sample pages, and the full manuscript are available upon request — CristaTappanWrites@gmail.com.
Set in 1995, RAVEL is an adult portal fantasy blending whimsical knitting magic, dark fairy-tale folklore, and the strange wonders of a world hidden beneath Manhattan.
Twenty-eight-year-old Esther Wolfe is an Oregon-based rare-book specialist and award-winning knitter who has spent most of her life searching for adventure in books and yarn.
When a mysterious agency offers her an extraordinary salary to catalogue a rare fiber-arts collection in Manhattan, Esther takes the biggest leap of her life. But her new home—the once-glamorous Emerald—holds secrets of its own, including an abandoned subway station connected to the decades-old disappearance of a young girl.
Following clues beneath Manhattan, Esther boards an impossible train and crosses into Goblin City: a strange subterranean world where bargains are bound with knots, intention can be spun into yarn, and magic is worked stitch by stitch.
To find her way home, Esther must apprentice to an ancient goblin fiber artist and master the art of spinning, dyeing, and knitting magic before the city changes her forever.
For readers who love the enchanting wonder of Labyrinth, the dark fairy-tale sensibilities of T. Kingfisher, and the folklore-rich worlds of Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries.
Fiber Arts & Magic System
In RAVEL, fiber arts isn’t a quirky backdrop (like it typically is in books / TV / movies!)—it’s literally the foundation of the entire magical system.
Knots bind agreements. Intention is spun into yarn. Color and meaning are dyed into fiber. And magic takes shape slowly, deliberately, one stitch at a time.
The magic of RAVEL draws inspiration from centuries of textile traditions, craft folklore, and historical beliefs about the power of thread, knots, and handmade objects.
As a lifelong knitter and fiber artist, I wanted to explore a world where the skills traditionally associated with domestic craft become extraordinary sources of power.
And because Esther is a specialist in rare books and historical textiles, researching the novel sent me down a fascinating rabbit hole of spinning traditions, ancient dyeing techniques, magical knots, and the folklore woven into the history of fiber arts.
Writing Ravel with My Husband
In my blog, read the story about how Michael and I developed and wrote Ravel, along with our process for designing the knitting patterns!
Follow the Journey
I'm sharing occasional updates about writing, querying, knitting, fiber folklore, and the creative world surrounding RAVEL in my blog! Join my newsletter below to follow along:
From Fiction to Fiber
Several knitted pieces created by Esther throughout the story also exist outside the book IRL!
I've designed real knitting patterns inspired by RAVEL, including pieces connected to the characters, symbolism, and magic of the story. More patterns and fiber-art projects connected to the world of RAVEL are in development. I will be launching these patterns alongside the publication of my novel, so stay tuned!
The Emerald Beanie
