Have You Made Contact With the Strange World in Which We Live Today?

Melia settled back down into the grass. “Nothing about the doors between the mortal and enchanted worlds opening?”
“No.”
“Then I wonder what my father's thinking?”
“Do you want to hear the prophecy?”
“You can recite the whole thing?”
“Yes.”
Melia didn’t believe a dusty old poem offered a solution to her problem. “Maybe another day.”
“Fine.”
“I’m so tired of all this.” The half-faerie propped herself up on her elbows. “Maybe we could catch a ship at Southend and sail beyond Faerie, to a place where it doesn’t matter that I’m the wingless daughter of Pressina and Elynus.”

“Do you think that will stop your visions?”
“My mother wouldn’t even notice I was gone.”
Tatou frowned.
Melia rolled over and stared into the sky. “Maybe I’d be happier somewhere else. Maybe being happier would stop my visions.” — Excerpt from Chapter 2. The Prophecy, Half Faerie

Melia frequently travels between the visible and THE INVISIBLE realms. In the above excerpt, she uses her imagination to explore another possible solution to her "dark vision"/dark inner terrain problem. (She's already made several failed efforts.)

It seems like a minor detail, but what if it wasn't?

What is imagination, after all?

From Lost Knowledge of the Imagination by Gary Lachman : Imagination, [Colin Wilson] said, is the 'ability to grasp realities that are not immediately present'. Not an escape from reality, or a substitute for it, but a deeper engagement with it. We could also say that imagination is simply our ability to grasp reality, or even in some strange way, to create it, or at least collaborate in its creation ... While it can be used for fantasy, illusion, make-believe, and escapism, the real work of imagination is to make contact with the strange world in which we live and to serve as both guide and inspiration for our development within it. It is the way we evolve."

What if, every time Melia crosses the threshold into THE INVISIBLE realm she's planting a seed, a seed that will blossom in the future?

First Aid Kit's I'm Building Myself a Boat:

I'm Building Myself a Boat Lyrics

I'm building myself a boat
it's gonna sail across the globe
until I find what I want

I'm building myself a boat

I'm building myself a boat
it's gonna sail across these seas
until I find what I need
I'm building myself a boat

And you can surely come along
no, we won't be gone for too long
we'll be back by dawn

Well I might settle down
in your lonesome town
or I'd leave right away
I know here I can stay

And you can surely come along
no, we won't be gone for too long
We'll be back by dawn

I'm building myself a boat
it's gonna sail across the globe
until I find what I want
I'm building myself a boat

I'm building myself a boat
it's gonna sail across these seas
until I find what I need
I'm building myself a boat

As a half-faerie, Melia is an outcast in the enchanted world where she lives with her two sisters and full-blood faerie mother. The girls' father has been exiled to the mortal world for breaking his faerie troth. When a tragic accident destroys what's left of Melia's fractured family, her mother is unforgiving. The punishment she metes out will leave her daughter torn between guilt and ecstasy, challenge the bonds between three sisters, and complicate Melia's relationship with a young priest who’s come to the Realm of Faerie on a mission of his own.

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On Writing War & Grace: Another Update!

Kirkus Reviews Half Faerie

The short & sweet conclusion:

"a mythical tale as appealing as it is impressive"—Kirkus Reviews

The full Kirkus Review:

HALF FAERIE

Heidi Garrett
(446 pp.)

$13.95 paperback, $4.99 e-book

August 13, 2014

BOOK REVIEW

A half-faerie teenager struggles to stop a malicious entity from destroying both the mortal and enchanted worlds in this YA fantasy.

Life as a half-faerie has never been easy for 18-year-old Melia. She and her sisters, Melusine and Plantine, were born to mortal druid Elynus and full-blooded faerie Pressina. But when Elynus broke the faerie troth by seeing his wife at childbirth, his family had to return to the Realm of Faerie in the enchanted world. The sisters can communicate telepathically, but Melia’s disturbed by her telepathic link to Elynus, which triggers visions of violence and death. The druid’s trying to incarnate Umbra, a sinister consciousness that needs a living vessel and whose emergence can destroy the Whole, encompassing all known realms. Elynus wants to reunite with Pressina but hints to Melia, who visits him in the mortal world, that Umbra will right the “horrible crimes” in Faerie. Melia’s determined to stop her father, but a sudden tragedy rattles her faerie household. At the same time, others hoping for an Umbra incarnation kidnap Plantine (a family secret explains why) and seek a sword and basin that together can lead Umbra to a vessel. Melia and friends, from spring faerie Flora to priest Ryder, set out to save Plantine and thwart Umbra. The tale is practically bursting with characters, all of whom Garrett (Half Mortal, 2015, etc.) skillfully molds into individual personalities. Flora, for one, is reputedly the last of the spring faeries, while 19-year-old Ryder is the same soothing green-eyed stranger from Melia’s visions. There’s an unmistakable villain—Plantine’s abductor, who plans on marrying Melia’s seemingly spellbound baby sister. Quite a few characters, however, are deliciously ambiguous, including Pressina, who dabbles in black magic, and Sevondi, a dragonwitch who may be bad but is also a scorned lover. Other mythical characters crop up, like dwarves and elves, and though the story’s primarily a rescue mission, simply reaching Plantine involves an arduous journey. The indelible ending resolves much of the plot while a lingering uneasiness aptly sets the groundwork for a subsequent volume.

Melia isn’t the only character who can carry her own series in a mythical tale as appealing as it is impressive.—Kirkus Reviews

On Writing War & Grace: Update!

On Writing War & Grace: Royal Dynasties ...

On Writing War & Grace: Maybe Lilliane ...

Wands & Staffs

In both fairy tales and fantasy, wands (the fairy godmother’s wand in Cinderella) and staffs (Gandalf’s staff in The Lord of the Rings) are used to call and/or invoke magic. These talismans usually serve as conduits for magical energy, and their linear shapes direct a spell or other enchantment according to its bearer.

Don’t you wish you had a magic wand … that would leave your home sparkling from top to bottom with a flick or a wrist?

Or maybe a powerful staff that could freeze time … while you figure out your next best move?

I won’t post a spoiler about how Hermes’ Wand is used in Daughter of Light, but I will share a snippet of its creation from Isolt’s Enchantment:

The dwarf god possessed as much skill over wood as he did over metal. He cut a branch from a towering white oak.

The spirit of the tree emerged. Crimson stained her fingers. She staunched the flow of blood from a gash in her side. “You bereave me with no consideration?”

Vulcan fumbled for words. His glance darted between the wood in his hand and the tree spirit’s wound. “I didn’t know you were alive.”

“Your lack of awareness is apparent.”

He held out the branch, to return it to her.

“No. It is like a child. Once born it cannot re-enter the womb. But know this: It will retain memory of the roots that birthed it.”

“I meant to use it for a gift.”

“Do with it what you will, but don’t steal from me again.”

“And your wound?”

“It will heal in time.” The tree spirit re-entered the white oak.

Hoping to appease her outrage, the abashed god whittled and scraped the wood with care. He risked a glance at the oak when he was finished.

The tree remained silent.

Vulcan admired the smooth and slender staff in his hands. The pale wood required no adornment. And yet, he desired his gift to be impressive. He called upon his cousin, Hermes. “Perhaps you could endow the rod with some contrary magic?”

The nimble messenger god hefted the staff. “You could crack a head with this.”

Vulcan flinched when his cousin smashed it against the stout trunk of a tree. When Hermes threw the rod to the ground and jumped upon it with both feet, Vulcan shouted, “Enough!”

photo credit

I just finished reading Prospero Lost by L. Jagi Lamplighter. A spinoff of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, the story weaves just about every supernatural creature that you’ve ever heard of into an intricate and contemporary cosmology. Within the first few chapters, the reader discovers that Prospero has gifted each of his nine children a unique magical staff with distinct powers. These staffs are central to this intriguing story.

Dreaming Reality

In a novel, dreams are a common device to reveal a character’s inner conflicts, essence, nature, and/or reality.

Even though I’m fascinated with dreams, I used visions more than dreams in Daughter of Light. Everyone dreams but not everyone has visions. Melia’s visions are a signal that she is different from her sisters in Half Faerie.

However, in Half Mortal, Sinjiin teaches Melia that her dreams can prepare her to shift into an animal form.

“What is the next step?” Melia asked.
“You must become the creature in your dreams.”
“How do I do that?”
Sinjiin searched the ground next to him with his hand. He picked up a small black vial that Melia hadn’t noticed before. He held it between splayed fingers. “This is a rare oil. Before you go to sleep at night, spread one drop across your upper lip. This way you will be inhaling the fumes throughout the night. It will activate a deeper consciousness, the place in you that understands the fluidity of who you are.”
Melia held up the vial. “What if this doesn’t work? What if I can’t have the dream?”
“You’ll have a dream. It might not be the one which you hope for, but you’ll have one. The rest of the work is bringing your dream-self and awake-self closer and closer until there is no separation. You shift in your dreams; you shift when you’re awake. Back and forth, until it is as natural as breathing.”

The above scene draws from the concept of lucid dreaming. In a lucid dream, one is aware that one is dreaming, and can alter the dream narrative, thus manipulating the “dream reality.” In Half Mortal, experiencing a shift into animal form in a dream will lay the groundwork for Melia to manifest the same experience in her waking life.

Photo Credit

Recently, I re-read Stephen King’s The Stand (Uncut). It’s a dark christian apocalyptic fantasy. I read the original (cut) version back in the late 70s—yes!—when it was first published. I’d completely forgotten how integral dreams were to the novel’s plot.

WARNING: Spoilers Ahead!

King used dreams in three specific ways in The Stand:

1. Being Called. All the Captain Trips survivors dreamed of Mother Abagail and/or Randall Flagg. Based on their experience of those dreams, each character chose to travel to Boulder or Las Vegas. That was the primary instance of the dreaming in The Stand. It was the most unique use of dreams in the novel.

2. Anxiety/Fear: Both Larry Underwood and Stu Redman experienced dreams which highlighted their anxieties and/or fears. These dreams were specific to the character, i.e. Underwood dreamed about performing (he was a musician and songwriter) and Redman dreamed about the birth of his wife’s child. These dreams showed their anxiety and fears to the reader. They could have taken place in any novel, i.e.. they didn’t have an added supernatural meaning.

3. Guidance: Tom Cullen dreamed about Nick Andros, who gave him guidance. Although Tom didn’t know it, Nick had already died when Tom had this series of dreams. Additionally, Nick spoke to Tom in these dreams, while in “real life” he was mute. The information Nick provided Tom in these dreams was critical to saving another character’s life. While not as unique as the Being Called dreams, these dreams had a supernatural element to them, i.e. they bended the threshold between the dream world and reality.

In 2012, I attended WriteonCon.com, an online writers conference. At that time, my Work-In-Progress opened with a dream. During the conference, more than one agent shared how opening a novel with a dream was enough to send the submission straight to the slush pile. Apparently, opening with a dream is a common for beginning novelists. By the time, the con was over, I pretty much wanted to crawl beneath my desk and shred the first chapter of my WIP. Okay, maybe the entire manuscript! Suffice it to say, I didn’t actually crawl beneath my desk, but I did revise that first chapter … over … and over … and over again!

Fantasy Book Lane Reviews Isolt's Enchantment

Erica Lane at Fantasy Book Lane has reviewed Isolt's Enchantment. Thank you, Erica!

Young Ryder learns the epic histories of the Realm of Faerie and longs to travel there himself. First and foremost, this book is a teaser to entice readers to enjoy more books in the series. I grabbed this on a free download, and I must say that it certainly served its purpose. This is a delightful teaser, and I’d love to read more of the story...

Read the rest of the review at Fantasy Book Lane!

I love fantasy and appreciate that Erica focuses on fantasy as a reviewer. It makes her reviews especially thoughtful, as she has a broad knowledge of the genre. If you write fantasy as well, visit her Review Policy page here.

***

The Daughter of Light prequel Isolt's Enchantment is Free

Review: Nandana's Mark (Now the first part of Half Faerie!)

I'm currently deep in the throes of preparing two releases in the Daughter of Light trilogy. The first release (May 5th) will be Isolt's Enchantment. This short novel is a prequel to the trilogy. It tells Ryder's story in Idonne, and includes seven other tales, including the creation of the Whole. These tales were written ages ago, when I was creating the world, and have been added and removed more than once from the main books. However, I've always believed that nothing happens in a vacuum, and the events that lead up to Melia's journey have been critical to the development of her story. I've been intending to publish these stories for over two years, as I think readers will enjoy learning more about Ryder and the historical forces that he and Melia must ultimately face, so I'm very excited about this upcoming release. The second release, Half Mortal, is scheduled for late June, early July. And I promise, Melia's transformation within it's pages is going to be epic!

If you're still wondering whether or not you'd enjoy Melia's story/adventure/quest, AimeeKay has just written a thorough review of Nandana's Mark on her blog. (Nandana's Mark being the first part of Half Faerie.)

Thank you, Aimee!

Let's start with the story and world that the author has brought to life. I got the impression when I first started reading that it wasn't going to be as deep as it was. But Garrett's story has so many layers to it. The way she has woven them altogether is truly talented. The book is about so much more than just Melia and her family. Yes, it is their story, but it is also the story of the entire enchanted and mortal world. The author's descriptions bring the landscape itself to life. Whether it's the eternal summer of the faerie's world or the island Melia's father lives on in the mortal realm. It really feels as if you're right there. Plus as the book progresses more and more of the rich history and legends of Garrett's world is revealed. I was incredibly impressed with how well everything was woven together and the way the author decided to reveal the secrets of Melia, her family and her world with each page.

The story is intriguing and holds the reader's attention from beginning to end. The author reveals just enough to keep the momentum going. But she does it in such a way that you don't become frustrated over the fact that at the end of the book everything hasn't come close to being resolved...

Read the rest of the review at AimeeKay's Reviews & Other Awesome Randomness!

Half Faerie is Coming on July 31st!

Genre: Fairy Tale Fantasy

Release Date: July 31, 2014

ABOUT Half Faerie:

Melia is an eighteen-year-old half-faerie, half-mortal who longs to fly like the full-blood faeries. She also yearns for a life that’s truly her own, which might prove more difficult than sprouting wings. Her faerie mother practices black magic and her mortal father plots to bring war to the enchanted world. No matter how she tries to distance herself from them, Melia can’t seem to escape their long shadow. After the half-faerie is accused of acting as her father’s spy, her best friend advises a trip to the Illustrator, a mysterious woman who paints intricate body art. The woman marks Melia’s forehead with a plain blotch. She claims it will call a green-eyed stranger from distant lands to the half-faerie’s side. Spooked rather than comforted, Melia dismisses the woman’s words. Rather, she travels to the mortal world to confront her father.

The fallout from her visit destroys what's left of their already fractured family. Melia’s mother is unforgiving. The punishment she metes out will leave her middle daughter torn between guilt and ecstasy, challenge the bonds between three sisters, and complicate Melia's relationship with the green-eyed stranger. The half-faerie is sucked deeper into the vortex of her family’s dark history when the youngest sister pursues their parents' damning legacy. Melia and the green-eyed stranger must stop her—or risk the rise of Faerie’s darkest queen.

Daughter of Light is a spinoff of the 14th century French fairy tale, Melusine. A high fantasy with fairy tale elements, it's great for readers who enjoy fairy tales retold. The variety of female characters, layered story, and intriguing cosmology make it a great read for young adult and older readers.

Daughter of Light

True Love's First Kiss is on Sale for $0.99 + Giveaway!

Only for a limited time, True Loves First Kiss by Heidi Garrett is only .99 cents for kindle!  True Loves First Kiss is the bind up of Nandana's Mark, The Flower of Isbelline and The Dragon Carnivale.  This series is YA  (ages 14+) Fantasy/High Fantasy/Fairytale Fantasy and is a total of 681 pages. 

True Love’s First Kiss:

~ Books 1-3 of this five-book series in a single digital bundle ~

Half-Faeries and mortals. Black magic and genocide. Coming of age and coming into power.

~ Book 1 - NANDANA’S MARK ~

Melia longs to fly like the fullblood faeries.

Her mortal father plots to bring war to the Enchanted world.

Her faerie mother practice black magic behind closed doors.

Overshadowed by her parent's obsessions, Melia has become an outcast. She seeks aid from the mysterious Illustrator, who makes a strange mark on her forehead. The mark is meant to draw the help of a green-eyed stranger from distant lands. Before he arrives, a tragic accident destroys what's left of Melia’s already fractured family. Her mother is unforgiving. The punishment she metes out will leave her middle daughter torn between guilt and ecstasy—and will complicate her relationship with the green-eyed stranger.

~ Book 2 - THE FLOWER OF ISBELLINE ~

When a false marriage seduces Melia’s sister,

And the keys to power are at risk,

The cost of denying true love will be apocalyptic.

Melia is determined to stop her sister from pursuing their father’s damning legacy.

~ Book 3 - THE DRAGON CARNIVALE ~

In Illialei, a light queen practices black magic.

In Tyrannis, the dragonwitch rises to power.

In the Mortal World, Umbra pursues the halfbloods as vessels of incarnation.

Energies in the Enchanted World are shifting and new alliances are forming; the Battle of Dark and Light has begun. 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.