Fairies
I’ve
always been drawn to the supernatural. I was an avid fantasy reader in high
school, thought I’d found nirvana when I discovered Anne Rice in 1989, and I
honestly, truly believe in magic. That’s why when I wrote my first young adult
book, The Toadhouse Trilogy: Book One,
it was only natural that I’d include fairies. Vampires, werewolves, and
mermaids are awesome, don’t get me wrong, but The Toadhouse needed fairies to work.
When
I first started researching the book, my knowledge of fairies was minimal. I
owned and was captivated by the drawings in Froud and Lee’s deluxe edition of Faeries, and Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream remained one
of my favorite plays of all time. But who to turn to for the history of
fairies? I’ll tell you who: Katharine Mary Briggs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katharine_Mary_Briggs). She’s an incredible woman who earned
her PhD after WWII and spent most of her life researching fairies. Here are some
facts from her book An Encyclopedia of Fairies:
· Fairies are a proud, strong, long-lived
race—similar to Tolkein’s representation of elves— that avoid humans when they
can.
· In the Lowlands of Scotland, Fairyland
was called “Elfame.”
· Ash trees, rowan trees, daisy chains,
and iron are protection against fairies.
· Cramps are often the penalty for
annoying the fairies.
· Those born on Christmas Day cannot see
spirits.
· Those humans who use fairy ointment can
penetrate the glamour of a fairy and see them as they really are.
· The Endimion are the diminutive
fairies, sometimes called pixies.
There’s
so much more. The book really is set up like an encyclopedia, and I got lost in
reading it. I used much of it to craft the rules and structure of The Toadhouse
world, and I’m excited to learn even more as I begin writing the second book in
the trilogy. Please read below for a description of the first book in the
trilogy as well as a link to an excerpt. If you have any questions or comments
about fairies, please add them. One of the commenters will be randomly chosen
to win a Kindle version of the book.
The Toadhouse Trilogy: Book One (http://www.jesslourey.com/toadhouse/ttt.html)
Aine
(pronounced "Aw-nee") believes herself to be a regular teenager in
1930s Alabama, but when a blue-eyed monster named Biblos attacks, she discovers
that the reclusive woman raising her isn't really her grandmother, that fairies
are real, and that she's been living inside a book for the past five years.
With her blind brother, Spenser, she flees the pages of the novel she's called
home, one terrifying step ahead of Biblos' black magic. Her only chance at
survival lies in beating him to the three objects that he desires more than
life.
As
she undertakes her strange and dangerous odyssey, Aine must choose between a
family she doesn't remember and her growing attraction to a mysterious young
man named Gilgamesh. Only through treacherous adventures into The Time Machine, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, A
Tale of Two Cities, and the epic Indian saga The Ramayana will she learn her true heritage and restore the
balance of the worlds... if she can stay alive.
“Lourey's
wonderful way with words will whisk readers away to an amazing new world!”
--Anthony and Agatha Award winning author Chris Grabenstein
Thank
you to VampChix for hosting me!
Jess
Lourey is the author of The Toadhouse Trilogy: Book One, the first in a
young adult series that celebrates the danger and excitement of reading. She
also writes the critically-acclaimed Murder-by-Month Mysteries for adults with
a sense of humor. She's been teaching writing and sociology at the college
level since 1998. When not gardening, writing, or hanging out with her
wonderful kids and dorky dog, you can find her reading, watching SyFy-channel
original movies, and dreaming big.
3 comments:
Sounds like an interesting story.
Thank you, Sandy!
Nice post. I like fairies.
bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com
Post a Comment