PORTAL OF THE ANCIENTS - SCI-FI FANTASY THAT’S OUT OF THIS WORLD

What’s the difference between Doctor Who, Doctor Strange, and my mate, Doctor Robert Wesley II? Here, let me give you a clue: Two of them are fictional characters, while the other one is a real human being who can draw, write, and animate philosophical adventures. Want to know more? Then please check out the following conversation I had with Robert about his brand new graphic novel... 'Portal of the Ancients'.

1) What are your own origins, Robert?   My origin as a writer, illustrator, and publisher began during my childhood; when I first fell in love with the science fiction and fantasy genre. Every evening, I would try to sketch fantasy worlds and write short stories steeped in science fiction, which I still do to this very day, even though I’ve been working in medicine for the last thirty years.

2) What inspired you to create, ‘Portal of the Ancients’?   Believe it or not, the inspiration for my sci-fi/fantasy epic, "Portal of the Ancients", originated from my time working in the field of cardiology, including my experiences with colleagues and patients in our quest to treat and cure heart disease. Here, have a look at the following promotional video, ‘Conflict in the Crypt’, which provides an overview for the first third of my story.

3) In your own words, how would you describe this story?   It's a larger than life adventure story that features alien worlds, a group of telepaths, as well as a gallant leader named Anormayne, who has to travel to the Crypt of Dromos so he can save an evil priest from the clutches of his old mentor, Durlyn. But can he do this? Or will he need a helping hand to thrive and survive? Well, to find out, please pick up my book today and read-read-read.

4) What song would you say best represents this graphic novel and why?   To answer this question I would like to select the Led Zeppelin song, "Stairway to Heaven", because it perfectly captures my hero's journey, particularly with lyrics like: "Yes, there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run, there's still time to change the road you're on."

5) If you could get a celebrity -- either living or dead -- to promote your wares, who would you choose, and why would you want to choose this particular person?   I've always been a fan of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, so out of the two, I’d say my graphic novel and animated videos are most closely aligned with the work of C.S. Lewis and his "Chronicles of Narnia" series, especially "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe". Not only because I love the way he used symbolism to tell his stories in order to provoke an emotional response, but in addition to this, I also love the manner in which he presented spirituality through a child's eyes, creating a powerful and magical narrative suited for a wide and diverse audience. 

6) What have you learned about yourself through this endeavor?   When I was a heart doctor, I discovered that I needed to treat each patient's emotional heart and physical heart at the same time for them to get better. But now I no longer care for the physical heart, I can focus on the emotional heart instead. Or if you prefer, those spiritual aspects associated with living life, by writing, illustrating, and publishing my own science fiction/fantasy novels based on many of the events I have experienced throughout my cardiology career.

7) If "Portal of the Ancients" had a motto, what would it be?   ‘Stay true to your path, and fight for your beliefs’.

And on that note, I would like to thank Robert for telling us about his graphic novel, 'Portal of the Ancients', before encouraging you to check out his official website for more details.