If you describe a place where cats are fierce warriors and rulers, many people would reply, “That’s my house.”

Charles Kiernan creates an entire world of feline adventurers in his book, “A Vacant Throne: Dreams of the Sleeping Cat” (159 pp; $8.95, print; $2.99, digital; 2021).

Sunny, an ordinary house cat, passes into the land of Trueterra, where his arrival has been foretold.

Sunny’s name is changed to Solay, and he begins an exciting existence where he is trained for battle. He makes many friends and finds love, but he also takes on the responsibility of facing a mysterious opponent that he does not fully understand.

The book might be categorized as Young Adult (YA) and Fantasy. Complex themes are interwoven.

Kiernan says his book mixes legends, mythology, metaphysics and mysticism.

“There are actually more metaphysics as the book goes on, basically about the nature of reality,” says Kiernan in a phone interview from Godfrey Daniels, 7 E. Fourth St., Bethlehem, where he is setting up to host “Story Circle,” 7:30 p.m. second Wednesday, sponsored by the Lehigh Valley Storytelling Guild, of which Kiernan is coordinator.

The “Story Circle” is taking place in person and via Zoom, according to the website, https://lvstorytelling.org

Kiernan, a professional storyteller, is well-versed in fairy tales, presenting one every month on his blog: https://chaztales.net

Kiernan is noted in the Lehigh Valley and beyond for his lively telling of tales from the Brothers Grimm, and a series of Americana tales based on the fictional backwoods village of Lost Dollar.

Kiernan’s shock of white hair and mustache gives him a resemblance to Mark Twain, which serves him well when he flamboyantly recreates Twain’s life and stories for audiences at libraries, festivals and coffeehouses.

“A Vacant Throne” has separate tales and poems within its narrative. “There are a lot of stories within the main story,” Kiernan says.

At the book’s conclusion, there is a link to download a free version of “Stories and Poems of Trueterra,” a “never-ending book of stories and poems” that will be expanded with new versions made available to readers.

Kiernan is even making a map of Trueterra. And he plans a sequel where descendants of the original characters travel to find a lost object from the first book.

Readers of fairy tales will find some familiar elements in “A Vacant Throne”:

“There are themes from medieval sources and Celtic legends. There are genealogies of kingdoms that foreshadow the challenges faced by the main characters.

“The inheritance of the kingdom is something I took right out of ‘The Golden Bough,’” he says, referring to the classic comparison of mythology and religion by Sir James George Frazer.

Puzzles and riddles are interspersed throughout the storyline, aspects also found in ancient and medieval literature.

It is theorized that heroic fantasy literature can inspire readers to face challenges in their own lives. Kiernan does not want such obvious connections:

“Using cats takes things one step removed from reality. It allows people to observe without immediately relating to their own life experience.

“It gives the reader the chance to reflect and compare Trueterra to their own world, seeing similarities and differences.”

“The Vacant Throne” is Kiernan’s first book. After 20 years of storytelling, he says, “In writing, you, the teller, are not physically present. You have to find a way to emphasize through the written word, not through presence and gestures.”

Kiernan calls himself a “pantster” instead of a plotter, meaning that he prefers to write instinctively from the “seat of his pants” instead of closely following a preconceived plot.

In “The Vacant Throne,” the characters can take on a life of their own. One of the cats in the story was not in the first version, but “jumped off the page” to insert himself. he says.

The idea for “A Vacant Throne” came from stories Kiernan told his children while riding in the car. His daughter Emily also became a storyteller. Kiernan made storytelling a part of her home-schooling.

“Literary Scene” is a column about authors, books and publishing. To request coverage, email: Paul Willistein, Focus editor, pwillistein@tnonline.com