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What If You Could Start Over?
One Chance follows a middle-aged man haunted by the consequences of his own choices who is offered an unexpected way out through a doorway leading him into a world of giants, witches, and enchanted objects. Where did the idea for this novel come from?
I think it started with the idea that if I could live my life over again, would I do anything differently? I think most people have that thought from time to time, and the main character exemplifies an extreme of that. It’s not just that he would change one thing or another, but that he would change the person he was. From there, the book explores ideas around why people make the decisions they make and ultimately become who they are as people. Finally, can we change and start over, or are we trapped by our place and circumstances? The challenges and obstacles he faces in the story, although pure fantasy, in many ways can be related to the challenges we face in everyday life.
Why did you choose a middle-aged protagonist instead of the younger heroes often found in portal fantasy?
One of the main issues for the character was a life filled with regrets. He had regrets about decisions he had made, possible life paths that he had not taken, and even regrets around the very person he had become. Those character issues fit much better with an older character with a lifetime of mistakes rather than someone younger. As he goes through the portal, he becomes young again, a change that is far better appreciated for an older character. I think the theme of starting over and becoming someone new wouldn’t have made as much sense with a young protagonist.
How long did it take to build the world of Wisteria before you began drafting the novel?
I actually started by developing the characters in the story and an overall theme. After that, I developed the general storyline and the first couple of chapters. The bulk of the world-building happened as I was writing the story. I wrote the storyline I had outlined and essentially built the world around it as I wrote. So I really didn’t start building the world until after I began drafting the novel.
What do you hope readers discover about themselves while following Chance’s journey?
In the story, Chance faces a lot of obstacles to becoming the person he wanted to be. Of course, the outward things included traps, monsters, and villains threatening him, but the greater obstacles came from within himself. He faced selfish temptations, old habits, personal vanity, and good old-fashioned fear. I hope readers would recognize that those same challenges exist in our own world, in different forms, but the greater barriers to growth and success are the ones we create ourselves. He’s only truly able to acknowledge those personal challenges and move forward when he fully lays down his own desires in order to become the person his friends needed him to be.
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What he finds there is a world in crisis, with danger around every corner. He meets two friends who each have a unique power, and together they’re given a quest to save everyone from impending destruction. They will have to overcome monsters and villains as they are pursued by a legendary bounty hunter. Can Charlie and his friends overcome dragons, giants, and magic spells to save mankind? Can he overcome old habits and become the person that he’s always aspired to be?
One Chance
James Chamberlain’s One Chance is a portal fantasy about Charlie Baker, a middle-aged man whose life has become a stack of bad choices, unpaid debts, and missed opportunities. When a strange doorway gives him a way out, Charlie steps into Wisteria, a world of giants, witches, enchanted objects, bounty hunters, dragons, and old grudges. The setup is simple and effective: “He was always in trouble.” From there, the book turns that trouble into a second life, one where Charlie becomes Chance Arizona and has to decide, again and again, what kind of person he’s going to be.
What makes the story easy to settle into is its mix of adventure and playful humor. Chance is rarely the most capable person in the room, and the book gets a lot of mileage out of watching him survive through nerve, luck, and the occasional ridiculous idea. Periwinkle, Indigo, Marigold, the Crimson Blade, and the larger cast give the quest a lively, storybook feel, while Wisteria itself feels built for motion. There’s always another strange path, dangerous creature, magical rule, or hidden history waiting around the corner.
The heart of the book is Chance’s slow movement from self-preservation toward loyalty. Early on, he imagines becoming someone people would admire, someone who doesn’t abandon his friends, and the story keeps testing that wish in practical ways. The line “You only get one chance” becomes more than a portal rule. It’s the moral engine of the book. Chance’s growth works because it doesn’t make him suddenly noble or polished. He’s still funny, impulsive, vain, and scared, but he starts choosing people over escape.
The novel also has a warm sense of compassion for its side characters and even some of its antagonists. Gamboge’s arc, in particular, gives the giant conflict more emotional weight than a simple men-versus-monsters battle. The book is interested in grief, bitterness, courage, and forgiveness, but it handles those themes through action and character rather than slowing down for speeches. Marigold’s sharp wit and fierce independence bring a lot of spark to the story, and her relationship with Chance gives the later chapters a sweet, earned emotional payoff.
One Chance is a fast-moving, funny, and heartfelt fantasy adventure about getting the chance to become better and actually taking it. It has the feel of a classic quest with a modern comic voice, and its best moments come when danger, absurdity, and sincerity all land on the same page. Readers who enjoy portal fantasies with unlikely heroes, magical oddballs, and a strong friendship-driven core will find plenty to enjoy here.
Pages: 304 | ASIN : B0GRKGQZ4J
