I am pleased to participate in the Book Blitz hosted by Xpresso Book Tours for Heidi Garrett's The Queen of the Realm of Faerie Series.
About Heidi:
About Heidi:
Heidi Garrett is the author of The Queen of the Realm of Faerie series. Her personal message to all her readers is: Once upon a time, you lived in an enchanted world, too…
May you always see the magic in your life.
The Queen of the Realm of Faerie includes many strong female characters within an intricate fantasy land. It is also a fairy tale fantasy.
The first book, Nandana’s Mark, is one of those free ebooks; the second book, The Flower of Isbelline, is now available; and the third book, The Dragon Carnivale, will be released in June 2013.
Heidi's hope is that when you read her books, you will rediscover the enchantment in your own life.
She currently resides in Eastern Washington State with her husband and their two cats. So far, she loves the snow. Being from the South, she finds it very magical.
CONNECT ONLINE WITH HEIDI:
Welcome to Darlene's Book Nook, Heidi!
Heidi has written a guest post, so I will now turn the floor over to her.
Fairy Tale Magic
by Heidi Garrett
Why fairy tales? It must have something to do with my shoe obsession.
When I was young, we had a Brother’s Grimm LP. There were many stories in the collection, but the story I remember most vividly is The Elves and the Shoemaker.
Every night, two elves sneak into a shoemaker’s shop. They use the last bit of leather the poor shoemaker has cut out for his next day’s work to craft an exquisite pair of shoes. The shoes command such a high price that the shoemaker is able to buy enough leather for two more pairs of shoes. The elves return again and again until the shoemaker and his wife are well off. When the couple discover the elves—naked or poorly dressed, depending on the version—they make each of the elves a fine suit of clothes. After that night, the elves never return, but the shoemaker’s business continues to thrive.
Something about that story of goodness being repaid by goodness captured my imagination. Perhaps it gave me hope.
Yes, the world can be a dark place, but by being open to unexpected generosity and trusting our impulses to give, things might be all right. And maybe better than all right.
And so a child’s mind works.
But that doesn’t explain my obsession with Clarissa Pinkola Estes’ recording of The Red Shoes when I was very much an adult.
A young girl, an orphan, is adopted by a wealthy patron only to become trapped in an expensive, seductive pair of red shoes. When the girl slips on the wicked shoes, she begins to dance. She dances until she becomes a wraith—the shoes can’t be removed. She dances until a kind woodcutter cuts off her feet. Now crippled and an orphan, life is more difficult than ever. One day, the girl dyes some strips of old cloth red. She wraps the tattered strips around her feet that have been mysteriously restored, as they are in these tales. No, her new shoes aren’t made of fine leather, but they’re hers. She made them. And so the story speaks to the hand-made life, the life that has meaning.
“If we hope to live not just from moment to moment, but in true consciousness of our existence, then our greatest need and most difficult achievement is to find meaning in our lives.” — Bruto Bettleheim, The Uses of Enchantment.
How is that done—finding meaning?
By keeping in touch with the natural world, by delving into the dark places within us, by trusting the goodness that presents itself in our lives… As metaphors for our inner life, fairy tales lead us through the woods, help us face our hungry wolves, and inspire us to find our own happily ever afters. That is their magic.
Thanks so much for joining us today, Heidi!
PUBLICATION DATE: June 18, 2013
FORMAT: E-book, 605 pages
GENRE: YA Fantasy
ASIN: B00DFI2Z5C
ASIN: B00DFI2Z5C
In the Enchanted World, true love’s first kiss is magic.
Nandana’s Mark, Book 1: When two half-faeries—Melia and her younger sister—are cursed under dreadful circumstances, true love’s first kiss is the remedy.
The Flower of Isbelline, Book 2: Nothing but true love’s first kiss can save Melia’s younger sister from blind ambition and ruin.
The Dragon Carnivale, Book 3: Melia must choose the freedom she cherishes or true love’s first kiss—and a relationship that promises to secure her place in the Whole.
The Queen of the Realm of Faerie is a fairy tale fantasy series that bridges the Mortal and Enchanted worlds. The main character, Melia, is an eighteen-year-old half-faerie, half-mortal. She lives in Illialei, a country in the Enchanted World, with her two sisters and their mother. Melia’s father has been exiled to the Mortal World, and her best friend is a pixie.
When the story opens in the first book, Melia is troubled by her dark moon visions, gossip she overhears about her parents at the local market, and the trauma of living among full-blooded faeries with wings—she doesn’t have any.
As the series unfolds, the historic and mystical forces that shape Melia’s life are revealed. Each step of her journey—to find the place where she belongs—alters her perceptions about herself, deepens her relationships with others, and enlarges her world view.
True Love’s First Kiss is a compilation of the first three books in this ongoing series.
Buy Links:
TITLE: True Love's First Kiss
PUBLICATION DATE: June 18, 2013
FORMAT: E-book, 235 pages
GENRE: YA Fantasy
ASIN: B00DFN7L60
ASIN: B00DFN7L60
Energies in the Enchanted World are shifting and new alliances are forming; the Battle of Dark and Light has begun. The half-faerie Melia is desperate to make things right with Ryder, the young priest from Idonne, but first she must warn the halfbloods in the Mortal World that Umbra is coming for them, and face the powerful Dragonwitch and her spectacular Dragon Carnivale.
Buy Links:
Other Books in the Series:
To enter the giveaway, please fill out the Rafflecopter entry form below.
This giveaway is open worldwide until 12:00 AM CST on July 2, 2013.
Design by Parajunkee Design
Darlene, Thank you for having me on your lovely blog! I love the feeling of being on the beach, Heidi
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure, Heidi!
Delete