The Coloring Scroll — Arliss Ryan

THE COLORING SCROLL How do you make magic? That is the question that obsesses D.S. Maxwell as he confronts life from his home above his parents' small-town grocery store. As a child, D.S. dreams of becoming a sorcerer. When his older sister Emily Grace reads him Lord Byron's “Manfred,” D.S. yearns for a castle in the Alps where he can talk to spirits and cast spells. He plans to make his parents rich, banish his meddlesome Grandma to a far place where she won't boss him anymore, and turn over his spoiled little brother Critter to a band of obliging demons. But for Emily Grace, a tall, homely genius of a girl, D.S. will make everything wonderful. In his eyes, Emily Grace's wisdom makes her the beautiful woman Nature did not. He vows to be her best friend forever. Then she leaves for college, and D.S. is forced to grow up alone. A moody, solitary child, he doesn't fit in with Critter and the other boys, and he's horrified when he uncovers the adult version of love. His artistic talent becomes his only refuge. As he passes from high school to college, he hones his powers, then sets off to San Francisco, where Emily Grace now lives, to become a great artist. What's the point in desiring less? With D.S. as narrator, The Coloring Scroll follows D.S., Emily Grace, and Critter from a rainy summer of childhood coloring to the realities of an adult world where magic is often in short supply. Critter seems to get the biggest share as a Hollywood movie star. Emily Grace earns the recognition of her peers as an editor of rare philosophical books. D.S. must settle for a lesser sorcery as a popular artist, but he gets one thing more: a love he's always wanted, a love he intends to keep.