AUSTRALIAN AUTHOR | 'Warlocks of Lōbethal: Older' by D. M. Wright

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Beth Mac: Part One Beth Mac: Part Two Console Dating Men: Series One Dating Men: Series Two Dating Men: Series Three Nights on Hindley Sherlock Homes: The Boscombe Billabong Mystery The First Great Emu War of 1932 The Second Great Emu War of 1932 The Magpie The Problem with Ralph: Chugging Ulysses' Odyssey: Cyclops Uncle Ian Warlocks of Lōbethal: Class Clown Warlocks of Lōbethal: Older Writer, Father, Killer

TAGLINE Big beard, bigger problems. LOGLINE When a violent twelve‑year‑old is cursed to age years every time he loses control, he must confront his father’s legacy, protect his little brother and learn the painful discipline of becoming a better man before he becomes the very monster he fears. See Spellbound Edition on Amazon See Workbench Edition on Amazon GENRE Primary: Middle‑Grade Dark Fantasy (with Transformation Magic) Secondary: Contemporary Coming-of-Age, Domestic-Violence Realism (Age-Appropriate), Action-Adventure, Comedy, School Story SETTING 'Older' is set in a magical version of Lōbethal, South Australia — a rural town where an all‑boys school hides a secret society of warlocks whose curses force a troubled twelve‑year‑old to confront anger, family violence, and the man he’s becoming. BLURB Life's rough when you're twelve. It's even rougher when you wake up looking sixty. I'm Kyle Reed - a kid who'd rather throw a punch than talk about his feelings. I thought Year Seven at Lobethal All-Boys School would be simple: avoid the teachers, protect my little brother and cause a little trouble. Well... turns out trouble had other plans. There's a secret buried under this school - a circle of sixteen warlocks who pick one unlucky student each term to 'teach a lesson'. This time, they picked me. And now? My body's ageing faster than my attitude. Grey hairs. Aching joints. A belly that won't quit. Every burst of anger makes me older... and every choice I make decides whether I stay that way. If puberty wasn't confusing enough, try going through it backwards and forwards at the same time. I've got to figure out what the warlocks want from me - before I turn into my dad, before I lose my brother and before I run out of time completely. Dive into the magic, the mayhem and the messy journey to becoming a better man: no matter what age you look. CONTENT WARNING This book is suitable for readers 10 years and over. It contains: Themes and aspects of puberty and body development Themes of violence and bullying Themes of domestic violence CHAPTERS Nobody ask a stupid question 1. Someone has to 2. Floors or dance? 3. Kyle will deal with it 4. Now, you see me 5. Kyle can’t be stopped 6. Never better 7. Every man and boy should have a clown costume 8. Atta boy! 9. Make him an offer he can’t refuse 10. Slay the monster 11. Not my problem 12. What have you done? 13. People in pain become other people’s pain 14. Make a decision 15. Anything can be pain 16. Face the music 17. Justice, not vengeance Make it better AUTHOR'S NOTE I wrote this book for the kids who grow up too fast. The ones who carry responsibilities they shouldn’t have to carry, who protect their siblings like parents, who hide bruises behind jokes or anger or silence. Kyle’s magic — ageing every time he causes pain — is a metaphor for what happens to real children when life forces them into adulthood before they’re ready. I wanted to tell a story where that pain is seen, where that anger is understood, and where the path forward isn’t punishment, but growth. I also wrote this book to show the power of good adults. A single teacher, a single uncle, a single moment of kindness can change the entire direction of a child’s life. And finally, I wrote this book because I believe in hope. That cycles can be broken. That boys can learn gentleness and strength at the same time. That family can be chosen. That healing is possible. This story is for anyone who has ever felt older than their years — and for anyone who needs to know that it’s never too late to make it better. ON WRITING 'OLDER' Balancing Light and Dark One of the biggest challenges in writing Older was learning how to let comedy and trauma live in the same story without letting one cheapen the other. On one hand, we had domestic violence, fear, shame and a boy who has learned to survive by striking first. On the other, we had magical warlocks arguing about tax receipts, sleighs crashing through gym doors, and a ballet production held together with leotards and panic. Very early in drafting, I knew that if the humour ever touched the violence directly, it would trivialise it. But if the book stayed in the darkness too long, it would become unbearable for the young readers who need this story most. So the solution became a kind of narrative choreography: the teachers and warlocks carry the comedy, the absurdity, the magical chaos — while Kyle, Alexander, Mikey and the boys carry the emotional truth. The warlocks’ scenes became the pressure valves. Their bickering, their rituals, their ridiculous seriousness give the reader room to breathe. Meanwhile, Kyle’s chapters stay grounded in the reality of anger, responsibility and fear. The two tones shouldn’t fight each other — they should hold each other up. Humour makes pain survivable, and pain gives humour weight. There was a moment when I thought this balance finally clicked. I was writing a scene where the warlocks were arguing about who has to pay the witches’ 'Question fee', and it was genuinely funny, petty and absurd. But just a few pages later, Kyle is carrying his exhausted little brother up and down the hills home because no one came to pick them up. Seeing those scenes side by side made something clear: the comedy shouldn't be there to distract from the trauma. It should be there to make the trauma readable, to give the reader the emotional oxygen they needed to keep going. That balance — the magic and the violence, the humour and the hurt — became the heartbeat of the book. It’s why 'Older' can tell the truth without breaking the reader, and why Kyle’s journey lands with the emotional weight it deserves. THEMES 'Older' carries a remarkably rich thematic spine for a middle‑grade fantasy, and the themes operate on two levels at once: the magical metaphor (aging, transformation, warlocks, curses) and the real‑world emotional truth (violence, fear, responsibility, healing). Core psychological themes The cycle of violence. Kyle's father's behaviour shapes Kyle's instinct to strike first, protect through aggression and equate pain with power. The warlocks' curse forces him to see that cycle - literally when he becomes his father - and break it. Anger as a survival strategy. Kyle's rage is not random; it's armour. The book explores how anger protects, isolates and ultimately harms the person who relies on it. Family and identity themes Protecting younger siblings. Kyle's fierce devotion to Alexander is the emotional heart of the book. His entire worldview is shaped by the need to shield his brother from their father. Becoming the man you fear. The nightmare sequence where Kyle transforms into his father is the thematic centrepiece. The book asks: are we doomed to become what hurt us, or can we choose differently? Found family vs. immediate family. The teachers - especially Sadler, Emery, Livingston... and Uncle Mikey - become the adults Kyle should have had. They model protection, discipline and care. Family and identity themes Masculinity redefined. Ballet, teamwork and vulnerability challenge Kyle's idea of what 'being a man' means. Friendship and loyalty. Dale, Ned, Benny, Jimmy, Tyler: each boy reflects a different response to pain and fear. Kyle learns to be part of a group rather than a lone fighter. Mentorship and guidance. Craig's role is crucial. he shows Kyle that strength can be gentle, disciplined and beautiful. Moral and ethical themes Justice vs. vengeance. The adults choose rescue over punishment. Kyle must learn the same distinction. Responsibility for one's actions. Kyle transformations are consequences, not punishments. He must own his own choices, even the painful ones. Courage as doing the right thing, not the violent thing. The sleigh rescue, the apology to Tyler, the final hospital scenes - all show Kyle choosing courage without aggression. Hope, healing and growth You can start again. The final image - Kyle younger, freer, choosing ballet, choosing music, choosing community - is a thematic rebirth. Making things better. Healing is active, ongoing and chosen. Breaking generational harm. Kyle's journey is about ending what his father began. The warlocks' magic is a metaphor for interrupting generational trauma. 'Older' is about a boy learning that strength isn't violence, pain isn't destiny and becoming a better man is a choice: one he must make again and again. TONE & VIBE 'Warlocks of Lōbethal: Older' is a hybrid — funny, magical, gritty, heartfelt and emotionally honest — all at once. It’s the same tonal DNA as 'Class Clown', but deeper, darker and more mature because Kyle’s story demands it. 'Older' is a blend of magical chaos, dark humour, emotional honesty and heartfelt hope — a story that makes you laugh, wince, and finally breathe out with relief. POV First person Omniscient Past tense 'Older' is a first‑person, past‑tense, character‑driven narrative told entirely through Kyle’s eyes, giving the story its emotional honesty, humour and raw immediacy. MAIN CHARACTER SNAPSHOTS Kyle Reed - The Boy fighting time Kyle is a twelve-year-old with the instincts of a cornered animal and the heart of a fiercely loyal big brother. Quick to anger and quicker to throw a punch, he's spent years believing violence is the only language that keeps him and Alexander safe. When the warlocks curse him to age whenever he loses control, Kyle is forced to confront the truth he's been running from: he's becoming the man he fears most. His journey is about learning discipline, choosing compassion over rage, and discovering that real strength isn't in his fists - it's breaking the cycle he was born into. Mr. Sadler - The Monster with a moral code Mr. Sadler is the school's gruff, sharp-tongued chemistry teacher and one of the sixteen warlocks. He's blunt, impatient and allergic to nonsense, but beneath the snarls is a man who cares deeply - especially about boys who remind him of himself. When transformed into the mouse king, he becomes a seven-headed force of nature, terrifying and unstoppable, yet guided by a strict internal compass: justice, not vengeance. Sadler is the adult Kyle needs: someone who will fight for him, challenge him and refuse to let him become the monster he's afraid of. Alexander Reed - The Heart Kyle protects Alexander is six years old, bright-eyed, affectionate and utterly trusting of his big brother. He's the emotional anchor of the story: the reason Kyle fights, the reason he fears, and the reason he changes. Alexander's innocence highlights everything Kyle is trying to shield him from: their father's violence, the instability of home, and the fear of being forgotten. Even when transformed into a mouse, Alexander's sweetness and vulnerability remind Kyle of the boy he once was - and the boy he still has a chance to save. Mikey - The Uncle who shows what love looks like Mikey is not a warrior, not a warlock, not a magical protector. He's something rarer in Kyle's world: a safe adult. He is the uncle who shows up, the man who cares without conditions, the one person Kyle trusts enough to call upon when everything falls apart. He is the emotional opposite of Kyle's father: patient where his dad is cruel, loving where his dad is violent, present where his dad is absent. Mikey is the living proof that masculinity can be soft, loyal and safe - and that Kyle's future doesn't have to look like his present. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS Kyle: Anger, identity and growing up Why does Kyle rely on anger as his first response to almost everything? What does anger protect him from? Kyle ages every time he's violent. What does this magical transformation symbolise about real‑world emotional growth? In what ways is Kyle similar to his father at the start of the book? In what ways is he different? What moment do you think is the true turning point in Kyle’s character arc? Why? How does Kyle’s relationship with Alexander shape his decisions, both good and bad? The Warlocks and the moral lesson The warlocks say they don’t choose victims to avenge. Do their actions support that claim? What lesson do you think the warlocks wanted Kyle to learn? Did he learn it? Why do the warlocks use transformation magic instead of punishment or detention? What does this say about their teaching philosophy? Compare the warlocks’ approach to discipline with the school’s normal disciplinary system. Which would've been more effective for Kyle? Mr. Sadler: Justice vs. Vengeance Mr. Sadler is gruff, rude, and often harsh — yet he becomes the hero of the rescue. What does this reveal about him? Why is Mrs. Livingstone's line “Justice, not vengeance” so important to Mr. Sadler’s actions? How does Mr. Sadler’s behaviour as a teacher compare to his behaviour as the mouse king? Do you think Kyle respects Mr. Sadler by the end? Why or why not? Alexander: Innocence and Protection How does Alexander’s innocence contrast with Kyle’s anger? Why is Alexander the emotional centre of the story? What does Alexander teach Kyle — intentionally or unintentionally? How does the book portray the bond between siblings in difficult homes Mikey: Safe adults and found family What role does Mikey play in Kyle’s life that his father does not? Why is Mikey the only adult Kyle trusts enough to call from the cell? How does Mikey’s behaviour during the hostage situation shape Kyle’s understanding of what a 'good man' looks like? What does Mikey’s final line (“I’ll make them an offer they can’t refuse”) reveal about his personality and relationship with Kyle? Domestic violence and real-world themes How does the book portray domestic violence in a way that is age‑appropriate but still honest? Why do you think Kyle hides the truth about his father from teachers? How does the story show the long‑term effects of living in a violent home? What message does the book send about asking for help? Magic, metaphor and transformation What does Kyle’s aging represent emotionally? What does Benny’s clown transformation represent? What would each of the dream transformations mean to Kyle? How does the Nutcracker ballet mirror the story’s themes of conflict, identity and transformation? Which transformation scene had the biggest emotional impact on you, and why? Themes of masculinity How does the book challenge traditional ideas of masculinity? What does ballet teach Kyle about strength, discipline and control? Compare Kyle’s father’s version of masculinity with Mikey’s, Craig’s and Mr. Sadler’s. Big questions for older students Is Kyle responsible for his violent behaviour, or is he a product of his environment? Can both be true? Does the book argue that people can change? What evidence supports your view? How does the story balance humour with serious themes? Why is that balance important? If you were one of the warlocks, would you have chosen Kyle? Why or why not? ISBN 9798250544047 RELEASE YEAR 2026 SERIES INFO Warlocks of Lōbethal Book 2 WORD COUNT 25,000 AVAILABLE FORMATS Original edition: Unavailable Spellbound edition: Kindle Workbench edition: Kindle See Spellbound Edition on Amazon See Workbench Edition on Amazon

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