You are very professionalI think I wrote a mini guide for getting started awhile back. Read every book you find so you can learn more spells. Your basic spells level as you use them, so try to use them when you are out adventuring with Eric. Also, you can get some pretty nice gear from doing dungeons with Eric. Try to do Jill's quests to get Samantha to show up asap too, since she is a decent source of extra xp.
Not like me, I am a beginner (and I try to give advice)