Clinton author releases 10th Whidbey Island fantasy novel, set in winter

A winter storm of fantasy is blowing into Whidbey Island reading lists just as spring turns to summer. Clinton resident Derrick Sutton, who writes as Eldritch Black, is set to release Whidbey Island Frost Weaver on May 30 as the 10th book in his Weirdbey Island series.

The new novel follows a crash-landed elf whose arrival on Whidbey sets off chaos, carrying on Sutton’s habit of rooting imaginative stories in recognizable island places. He has lived on Whidbey since 2008, and the island has become the core of his fiction, from Penn Cove to Ebey’s Landing and beyond. Goodreads lists Weirdbey Island as a distinct series by Eldritch Black, with earlier entries including The Pirates of Penn Cove, The Island Scaregrounds, The Mystery at Ebey’s Landing and The Witches of Whidbey Island.

What makes Sutton’s work resonate locally is not just the fantasy, but the geography. He has said Whidbey keeps feeding his imagination because so many places and experiences on the island can turn directly into story material. In one example, he pointed to the rabbits of Langley as inspiration for a jackalope that showed up in an earlier book. That kind of place-based storytelling gives children a chance to see their own island reflected back at them, with familiar landmarks recast as settings for adventure.

Sutton’s connection to young readers has grown beyond the books themselves. He visits schools and libraries on and off the island to talk with students about storytelling, outlining and writing discipline, turning local literary work into a classroom presence. He has also said the response from readers has been one of the most rewarding parts of the series’ run, especially among children and families on Whidbey. That matters in a place where seeing local life in print can help a child connect reading with home.

The author has said he plans to end the Weirdbey Island series after book 12, though he may continue with one-off projects after that. His website now highlights The Storycrafter’s Quest as his latest release, a writing guide built around 22 magical rooms that teach storytelling techniques, another sign that his work is expanding even as the island series keeps growing.

Sutton has described his storytelling instinct as something that began in childhood in Britain, when he made up stories about unusual people he saw while traveling. After moving to Whidbey, he said, “The natural extension, when I came here, was to do the same thing.” For Island County families, schools and libraries, that instinct has produced a decade-long run of books with Whidbey at the center and a winter tale ready to reach readers in spring.