Sharon Selby's Blog

Guest Post: Interview with Lina Langley by Scott Menalson

I have had the great fortune to teach a course called “Vampires and Wizards” (which focuses on the ways in which these popular archetypes serve as metaphors for important issues in the societies and time periods in which they were written). As with Children’s Literature, I have found that final projects (which allow students to approach the course content in a hands-on way) are a more effective way of evaluating the ways in which students engage with and retain the course content. Scott Menalson presented this interview with author Lina Langley, and I have posted it (with the permission of both student and author) below.

Interview with Lina Langley

By Scott Melanson

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Lina Langley

In our course, Vampires & Wizards, we have talked about a variety of different ways that vampire and wizard character archetypes and stories affect and are affected by our real-life world. We looked at things like sexuality and taboo subjects and the way that vampires often represent more promiscuous behaviour, and even things that were taboo/illegal at the time of writing (such as homosexuality). There are even some stories that we covered that focused on vampires being “othered” (a term for those who are often pushed aside by the majority) and non-traditional relationships. I decided that I wanted to try and find out how closely these stories might compare to LGBT stories and people, since it seemed like an apparent connection existed between the stories and LGBT people. I wanted to find out what I could regarding this by asking an LGBT author, Lina Langley, what I could find about her work and how her real life may have impacted it so that I could try and draw some connections to our course work. I contacted Lina through Twitter and she was more than happy to answer my questions!

Q: Is there anything that compelled you to write LGBT fiction?

Lina Langley: This is a complex question, because I don’t know the answer to it very well. Partially, I think I’ve always known that I was queer – as in odd, not LGBT, though of course it follows – and I’ve always put a little bit of that into my work, even before knowing. When I discovered it was a genre, I thought “Well, that’s the perfect fit”.

Q: Who are your biggest inspirations when it comes to writing about same sex relationships?

Lina Langley: It’s going to sound like a cliché, but representation. It’s empowering to see queer characters in situations where we see straight characters a lot of the time. I have literally never seen anyone like me on the screen or in a book, ever, and I’m sure that I exist. If I can make one person feel seen, that’s good enough. That makes all the work worth it.

Q: Are you working on any new books? If so, are you trying anything you haven’t done before?

Lina Langley: Oh, boy. Right now, I’m working on a commercial m/m fiction. It’s the best seller of all my books, and I’m trying to create a sustainable living through it. But through that, I’m hoping to incorporate more queer characters – enbies [slang for Non-Binary], in particular – I feel are massively underrepresented. The majority of my characters are firmly genderqueer, too, though I think it’s often not said on the page.

Q: If we look back through history, we often find that there were many subjects that were considered to be taboo to be talked about or even written about. Do you feel that, today, there are still things that are “off limits” to write about?

Lina Langley: This is a good question, because I think it needs to be reframed from taboo to privilege. I’ll explain why. Whereas before it was scandalous to write a book like Lolita (and it still is) or Madame Bovary, the paradigm has shifted, and the real hurdle is accessibility. I don’t think that people don’t take on risky topics, but rather that their identity is deeply tied into writing, and especially publishing. So for instance, a white allosexual cis/het author would have a much easier time selling a story to an agent about sexual assault than a brown queer woman. Which is a long way to say, no, I don’t think so, but I think it’s harder for other voices to be heard than before, and taking on risky topics make it harder for those voices.

Q: Do you draw on your own personal experiences when writing?

Lina Langley: Of course! But it’s not that direct. It’s rarely 1:1, but rather, how did this make me feel? Or if I have a funny conversation with someone, that might find its way there too.

Q: If/When unable to draw from your own experiences, where do you get ideas for writing?

Lina Langley: I never run out of ideas. I think people think it’s possible to run out of ideas because we’re so used to dismissing our own as stupid. I listen to myself, even if it’s the most ridiculous thing, and follow through until I can’t follow through anymore. It’s informed by everything: shows I watch, people I talk to, songs I listen to, books I read, or a funny Tweet I saw. Inspiration isn’t real; though it’s nice to be struck by something you know will work. Self-confidence is real; and it’s work.

Q: What are your feelings on stereotypes in stories?

Lina Langley: They seem unnecessary. If a writer is writing a stereotype, I automatically think their writing is poor.

Q: Do you ever try to challenge the preconceived ideas of your readers?

Lina Langley: All the time. This one is especially obvious when I try to have a non-binary character in the book. I get several readers saying I made a grammar mistake, “they is plural!” They’re just trying to help, and I like to think I expand their horizons a little bit when I tell them it can be a singular pronoun.

Q: How do you feel about how LGBT characters are portrayed in other works, specifically where they are not the focus?

Lina Langley: I just hope it’s done respectfully. I like it when it’s not a big deal – have you seen Crazy Ex-Girlfriend? There’s a character called White Josh (another character is called Josh) and he happens to be gay. When one of the other characters asks him about it, he says: “They don’t call you big gay Darryl”. But that’s the exception in terms of representation, not the rule, and I’m tired of the dead lesbian trope or the annoying gay best friend trope. I can see it making progress, however, and I’m happy about that!

Q: In our course, we have been talking about vampires throughout their existence in literature. One popular theory I’ve discovered regarding Dracula is that he is either gay or is supposed to represent homosexuality symbolically. What are your thoughts on this?

Lina Langley: Dracula is one of the queerest coded stories out there. I ascribe to the death of the author philosophy as much as possible, but it’s disingenuous to divorce an allegory fiction from the author and from Stoker’s close relationships, it’s easy to see that he might have been queer. It’s easy to see Dracula as an artistic way to try and get to grips with a society that sees the gay man as a monster, so I agree with that theory.

Q: Are there any characters in other works of fiction that you believe are LGBT despite no direct reference in the text?

Lina Langley: The Portrait of Dorian Gray clearly has a same-sex relationship between Dorian and Henry. I think Rebecca has an undertone of queerness too between the maid and the titular character, but I can’t remember her name. Fight Club is about a guy in love with his imaginary friend written by an openly gay man. Women in Love is literally about two boys wanting to get married to each other and at one point, one of them asks the other one if he wants to marry him.

After reading through Lina’s answers I was super inspired to keep writing. Learning about her creative process was super interesting and informational and she even challenged some of my questions, which was pretty neat. I wanted to focus on drawing some comparison between the characters and lives of LGBT people and the way that vampires are written and discussed.

First and foremost, Lina’s analysis of Dracula is pretty spot on in my opinion. For a very long time, LGBT people have been ostracized by society based on fears of straight/cisgender people for a variety of (baseless) reasons like “becoming like them”. This is practically identical to vampires, who turn people into vampires, and are largely seen as monsters as Langley suggested. While many people are still very homophobic and anti-LGBT, the general attitudes of people regarding homosexuality have changed and many LGBT people feel comfortable living their lives “out of the closet”. While there is still plenty room for improvement (especially when it comes to transgender people), the world is changing for the better. This is evident by the fact that Lina able to make a living through her writing. Thirty or so years ago, this may not have been possible even in the traditional, non-digital format due to homophobia at the time. I am of the opinion that this change in attitude has affected vampire stories. For example, the Twilight stories do not depict vampires as being monstrous (among other stories as well). This may very well be that these authors stopped depicting vampires as allegories for gay men.

While I don’t personally read a lot of LGBT fiction, I definitely feel that representation is a powerful tool. When you can see yourself in a story, even only a little bit, it helps you relate to the characters and enjoy the story more. That’s why we often develop favourite characters. It may also help to cause people to think differently about people who are different. For example, in stories like Dead Until Dark, characters like Bill Compton may have an impact on readers in a positive way. While Bill isn’t a gay character, the way Charlaine Harris writes about him is obviously a nod to the way gay people are often treated in real life (although it isn’t explicitly gay people she writes about but “othered” groups in general). A vampire being “legalised” is the same as gay marriage being legalised, for example (and the story takes place in the American south, a deeply homophobic part of America).

Part of Lina’s identity is her sexuality. It is something that she deeply resonates with and is very aware of (as evidenced by her responses). While it is true that heterosexual people’s identities are informed by their sexuality, I think that LGBT people value it so much more because it is something that society tried to take away from them for so long. Writing characters like Bill Compton serves several different purposes as I mentioned earlier and is something that is critically important to not just literature, but society as a whole: representation. These “gay-coded” characters could be an excellent way to slip by homophobic people (who would never willingly read an LGBT story) and potentially teach them something. It is my opinion that homophobia is based entirely on ignorance and can be solved if they can just see reason. Lina said she frequently tries to challenge her readers (like gender-neutral pronouns). I feel that authors should definitely try to challenge their readers, especially when it comes to issues like LGBT people’s portrayal and their viewers’ perception of real LGBT people. I suspect that while Lina writes about LGBT stories, many of her readers may actually not be LGBT themselves (a lot of straight women seem to like male same-sex stories) so challenging her readers on LGBT issues is still important even though she writes LGBT stories.

I want to take a moment to thank Lina for her participation in this interview, as I learned a lot of how she writes stories and her approach to handling readers as well as furthered my understanding of the literature we read in class regarding vampires. I never personally made the connection about Bill and Dracula until after this interview so it was eye-opening to see it. Hopefully this interview has been of interest to others and has taught people about the importance of representation.

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Guest Post: Interview with Susan Ross by Lindsay Vandermeer

I mentioned in an earlier post that I have been teaching Children’s Lit, and that it has been an exceptional semester. The students in my class are themselves exceptional, and I have learned a lot from them as the weeks have raced by. I’ve moved away from traditional exams, preferring to give students the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge in different ways. Lindsay Vandermeer presented me with this interview with children’s author Susan Ross as an end-of-term project, and she has graciously allowed me to post it here. Without further ado…

Interview With Susan Ross by Lindsay Vandermeer

I had the great privilege of attending London’s Wordsfest festival on November 6th, 2016. The event was attended by a wide variety of authors, spanni[image error]ng dozens of genres. Their stories took place in many settings, with eye-catching covers. The table that drew me in the most, though, was that of local children’s author, Susan Ross. She had a selection of her works with her, from Say Please to the Honeybees, to The Rose and the Lily. Ms Ross stated that her main goal in her writing was to make children smile.

While I had Ms Ross with me, I asked if there was anything she felt couldn’t, or shouldn’t be put into children’s literature. With a chuckle and a grin she stated “You can put anything in children’s literature, but it will narrow your audience.” She went on to regale me with amusing tales of her own encounters with other people’s view on what was, or was not, appropriate.

Flipping through a few of her books, Ms Ross explained that at one point she was told the pose held by the sheep in The Great Bellybutton Cover-Up[image error], was far too provocative for a children’s book. She was also encouraged not to use the word naked. While she changed her word usage, she stood by her illustrator’s choice and kept the original pose.

In her book Dogs Don’t Go To School, the illustrator had drawn one of the young girls with heavy makeup, which she didn’t feel was appropriate and asked the artist to change. On the other hand, when Ms Ross’ religious sister protested one of the children being depicted in a sleeveless top, the author felt that particular protest was unreasonable.

At this point I had other lectures and workshops to attend, but Ms Ross graciously agreed to answer more questions for me if I sent them to her e-mail, which I rather eagerly did later that night. Despite a comedy of technical errors which caused our e-mail providers to refuse to  communicate with one another, the wonderful Ms Ross persevered and we finally found a pair of e-mail addresses willing to talk to one another. Below is the exchange of questions and answers that were sent.

 

LV: We spoke briefly about how a writer determines what is or is not appropriate in children’s literature, and how it determines your audience, is there any kind of litmus test you use to make that decision for yourself?

SR: I try to determine how much using certain words, or images in pictures, or certain topics, will decrease my reading audience. Then I decide if that loss of audience (and income) is acceptable to me.

LV: How do you feel about addressing topics like death and disease in children’s fiction?

SR: Interesting question. I wrote a book called EMMA THE MOUSE BRINGS JOY TO THE HOUSE. I do not bring it to shows because it is for a niche audience. It is about a mouse who wants hair like her human friend, Sydney, and then ends up helping Sydney cope with her loss of hair due to chemo (for leukemia).

LV: Is there an age that is too young in your opinion?

SR: Books are targeted to certain ages and written accordingly, so no. In retrospect my book is too detailed for children under six. My target audience was three to eight. I have rewritten it with very little mentioned about the actual illness to make it acceptable for a wider audience and simpler for ill children, although I have not yet published it.

LV: Animals feature heavily in your work, what are your reasons for that?

SR: I love animals and I believe a love of animals should be fostered in children. The Violet books were inspired by a sheep shearing event at Fanshawe Pioneer Village. The other books have animals because animals delight children.

LV: I find a lot of children’s authors write with a specific audience in mind, who are you writing for?

SR: I am writing for all children between ages three to eight or nine, depending on the book.

LV: How closely do you work with your illustrators? How do you pick them?

SR: REALLY CLOSELY. Looking-over-your-shoulder closely. Much closer than most authors work with their illustrators. It is not an overstatement to say the artwork is a collaboration. I have a vision and I want the illustrations to reflect that vision.

I don’t know if people know that when you work with a publisher you have no say in the illustrations (unless you are able to do them yourself which, unfortunately, I’m not.) Giving up control would be very difficult for me.

I pick illustrators based on their artwork, the way they present themselves to me (their introduction letter should be well thought out and well written) and their ability to work with me.

LV: How do you start your stories? Do you have the main idea first and build around it, or do you start at the beginning and work your way to the end?

SR: Stories just come to me so I have the main idea first and build around it. I don’t have a storyboard. I think in “scenes” which can come to me as I’m going about my day or while writing or while working with the illustrator. Sometimes there are triggers, like the sheep shearing event. DOGS DON’T GO TO SCHOOL was created when I was teasing kids while walking Abby. I was asking them if Abby (my dog) could go to school with them. Then I came up with my scenes as I wrote and rewrote…. the book.

LV: Your stories span a wide variety of ideas, with very different styles, is there one that appeals to you the most?

SR: They span a wide variety of ideas but I think the styles are all similar with the exception of THE ROSE AND THE LILY. I don’t have a style per se, but I love using alliteration, and using multiple synonyms so kids expand their vocabulary.

LV: Is there anything that you would say connects your stories? Any over-arching themes?

SR: Humour. Laughter is everything. Most of my main characters are also “characters.” So that’s probably the over-arching theme.

LV: Thank you very much for your time, and for coming out to the event.

SR: You are very welcome, Lindsay.

All in all, Susan Ross was an amazingly accommodating, helpful, and amusing individual. Having the chance to meet with her, and to ask her a few more in depth questions about her process was an opportunity that I am extremely grateful to the Wordsfest committee for making possible. I was particularly drawn by her comment about how you can address any topic, even the scary ones, to children of any ages, but that it could affect your market, because parents, in the end, determine what they let into their children’s world.

Other Resources

Ross, Susan. “Susan Ross Children’s Books.” Susan Ross, http://susanross.ca/.

Latest Obsession: American McGee’s Alice: Madness Returns

One of my favourite classes to teach right now is Children’s Literature. I was a little uneasy when I was first assigned this class; I’ve read a lot of children’s books, but I hadn’t read much ABOUT children’s literature at the time. This week, I’m wrapping up my second time through the course and I’m astonished by how much I enjoy it. We started with picture books, including Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are, Thomas King’s Coyote Columbus, and Dr. Seuss’s Butter Battle. I’d expected to abandon picture books the minute I thought of a theme to replace them with, but it turns out that picture books are amazing. Who knew that you could teach little kids about colonization and mutually assured destruction? I need to see if I can get my hands on Edward Gorey’s Gashleycrumb Tinies…

Since then, we’ve covered some classics, old and modern. The one that always catches me off guard and sucks me straight into another world, however, is Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. Not the Disney adaptation, but the original text. Every time I teach it, I walk around for days, sometimes weeks, trapped in the Wonderland headspace. And now… I’ve stumbled across American McGee’s Alice: Madness Returns. It is dark, beautiful to look at, and filled with riddles and puzzles. It’s the second video game that I have attempted (The Wolf Among Us was the first), and the narrative elements are so strong that I don’t resent giving up time that could otherwise be spend reading or writing (at least for now, while I finish the game).

If you are struggling to find a game that will convince a doubting friend or partner that your hobby is worthwhile, or if you are trying to find a way to share a certain someone’s (possibly annoying) hobby, I HIGHLY recommend that you get your hands on Alice: Madness Returns. It will definitely open some new doors…

To see the trailer, click here. Thank you, American McGee!

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A New Review

Check out BookViral’s Spotlight:

An intriguing exploration of fantasy and Scottish mythology, The Storyteller’s Daughter (Where the Story Begins) is the debut release from author Sharon Dawn Selby. A wickedly readable story you will want to talk about afterwards, Selby certainly has a flair for the genre with readers rewarded by riveting plot twists that pique the imagination. For a debut novel it’s an impressive venture, with good pacing and well nuanced characters that seem wholly congruent with Selby’s setting. Powerful origin stories often distinguish the best in fantasy fiction and Selby has delivered hers with a notable eye for detail which brings depth and intricacy to her narrative, making everything feel palpably real. Yes, at its core it’s the age old duel between good and evil with a thrilling quest upon which the fate of many rests, but beyond this there’s little reliance on archetypal tropes. Selby simply sets out to tell a damn good story and achieves this with consummate ease.

Enjoyable, but above all original, The Storytellers Daughter is sure to have wide appeal and is certainly deserving of a place on your bookshelf. It is strongly recommended.

A Question of Perspective

1st person = I/we

2nd person = you

3rd person = he/she/they

I’ve been thinking about narrative perspectives lately. I’m working on a sequel to Where the Story Begins, the first book in my Storyteller’s Daughter series, and the question of what “person” to use has not been as easily answered as you might expect. I’m torn between the first and third person perspectives, and I’m going to tell you why.

The first person (the “I” perspective) has a lot going for it: it creates a sense of intimacy with the reader, it can be incredibly engaging, and it allows readers to sympathize with characters who might otherwise be incredibly unsympathetic. It can be a lot of fun when it comes to creating unreliable narrators as well–narrators who tell us fibs (sometimes little white lies, sometimes ginormous whoppers), or who have limited or biased perspectives, or who are themselves wrestling with the truth or what is real. Narrators can be unreliable for nefarious reasons, but that’s not always the case. Sometimes their own knowledge/understanding/perspective is limited or hindered by their past experiences. Sometimes they can’t see the forest for the trees. And sometimes they just want to sound cool, or come off better in their narrative than they did in “real” life. Is this ringing any bells for anyone else? I suspect that most of us are unreliable narrators when it comes to telling the stories of our lives!

The third person has its advantages, too, of course. Stories written in the omniscient third person can be focalized by a particular character, but you can still take a step back and shift to other characters’ perspectives as well. Look at Robert Jordan–he must have had at least 50 focalizing perspectives in his Wheel of Time series. (I’m not even sure I’m exaggerating when I say that!) Also, when your narrator is omniscient, you can share all of the juicy details that you otherwise wouldn’t get to in a first person narrative. When you write in the first person, you have to leave out all the things that your character couldn’t/wouldn’t/shouldn’t know. Otherwise, you’re breaking character.

Of course, the beauty of being in charge of your own story is that you get to decide what perspective you are going to adopt… Or perspectives. There is no rule that says you can’t do both. (Or all three, if you really like talking directly to the reader.) Weeeeell…. There’s no rule, per se. But there are conventions and reader expectations, which an author has to think about. Let me give you an example. When I wrote Where the Story Begins, I decided to switch from first to third person half way through. I was tickled by the way this would allow me to create a whole new sense of suspense. By making such a shift, Skye’s fate would suddenly be a bit more uncertain: the comfort of knowing that she’d make it to the end (because she was telling us the story) was gone. I was also excited by the ways in which the third person created opportunities for me to reveal how unreliable Skye is as a narrator–often in comic ways. For example, Skye thinks that she is really good at hiding her emotions and putting on a brave face. She also thinks that she is the voice of reason when it comes to dealing with her friends, Fran and Amy. But as Part Two progresses, we see that neither of things is true… At least, not the way Skye thinks they are.

So I was feeling quite gleeful when I had Skye put down her journal and step into the third person. I was a bit shocked, therefore, when the first professional editor who read my manuscript told me to ditch the switch. It was too jarring, too disruptive to the narrative. All or nothing, one perspective or the other was her suggestion. She made a lot of really great suggestions, but that one stuck in my craw a bit. A couple of other readers have shared her opinion. But I was stubborn, and I stuck to my artistic guns. And I’m glad I did–I’ve had much more positive feedback than negative, and that switch was a crucial part of how I envisioned the narrative. It’s also part of my larger vision of storytelling and how it works. But more on that another time…

The bottom line is that I’m glad I chose to ignore that particular criticism, but it has me thinking about narrative perspective in ways that are slightly creatively constipating (if you will forgive the image). I started writing my sequel in the 3rd person, which was okay for a while, but then the creative flow dried up and I was stuck. Eventually, I had the bright idea to switch back to the first person, and now I’m writing again. I think that going back and rewriting what I had already done in Skye’s voice has improved the story. But once again, I want to incorporate the third person in between segments of Skye’s narrative. This is the mythical part, the bigger story that is evolving while Skye is on her own journey. But will it work? Is it really too jarring? I wonder.

I was delighted to come across Joan Thomas’ brilliant novel, Reading by Lightning, which makes the same shift from first to third person part way through the novel. (I’m not, in any way, comparing my story to Thomas’ literary creation; I’m just saying that she knows about shifting perspectives in the middle of a story.) If you are reading this post and know any other authors who do the same thing, please let me know!

Anyway, that’s where I’m at. Do I stick to one perspective? Or do I allow Skye’s voice to be interrupted by what will basically be a focalized, stream-of-conscious, dream-sequencey, omniscient narrator? Can it work? We’ll see… I’m stubborn and I have a vision. I’ll do what I can to make it work!

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A New Excerpt…

Hi folks! If you are curious about Skye MacNamara’s family history, you can read a new excerpt by clicking here or by going to my website, sharondawnselby.com and looking under News and Events. The excerpt gives a little background on Skye’s great-great aunt, Annabel, who accidentally opened the door back into our world for Taranis when she was a little child. The way between the worlds had been closed by Annabel’s ancestors, who recognized how dangerous Taranis was. Annabel stumbles upon the cards, and receives a shock that would change her life. And not for the better.

One of the themes that the new novel, Shadows on the Threshold, will continue to explore is the interconnectedness of our stories. Alistair MacLeod talks about the way stories wrap around and bleed into each other, having neither beginning nor end. Skye’s story is part of a much larger history that extends both before and after her present moment.The past is always present, but so is the future. The present casts a long shadow in both directions…

“The Changer” from Caitlin Matthew’s Celtic Wisdom Tarot

 

And I’m back…

Hi folks,

I’ve been away for a little while, but now I’m back. Moving, a bit of health stuff, and a hectic return to work have kept me occupied! However, I’m happy to say that normalcy has returned and I’m back to working on a sequel to The Storyteller’s Daughter. It’s working title is Shadows on the Threshold, though that may change once I find out what happens!

In the meantime, check out my Twitter page for links and titles of all the cool stuff I have been working on/with… I’ve found some great resources for teachers as well as for anyone who is interested in world mythology/folklore/storytelling!

More to come….

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Giveaway Ends!

The Goodreads giveaway has ended. An amazing 904 people entered, and the winners have been notified. Books will be posted within the next 2-3 days. Congratulations to the winners and thanks to all who entered for your support!

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Goodreads Giveaway!

Goodreads is giving away 10 free copies of��The Storyteller’s Daughter: Where the Story Begins.��Click here to enter! Contest closes April 17, 2015. Good luck!

… And enjoy!

Hot Off the Press!

Adventure and Myth are Back for Young Female Readers

Local Author Publishes New YA Fantasy Book, The Storyteller’s Daughter, with Celtic Roots

[13 March 2015 – London, Ontario]�� The literary world of Young Adult fiction is currently saturated by vampires, werewolves, demons and the paranormal. For young female readers, the heroines they read about are typically locked in a romance, forever needing a man to fulfil her story arc. Recognizing a need for a young heroine who has a true adventure all her own, and inspired by a love for Celtic mythology from time living in Scotland and her experiences growing up in rural Manitoba, Sharon Selby has written a new, purely Canadian fantasy novel for young females that deserve a world without strings attached.

Selby’s The Storyteller’s Daughter, published through FriesenPress, tells of Skye MacNamara who, on her 17th birthday, loses both her parents after their car plunges off a bridge into the Red River. Her parents are declared dead, despite the absence of bodies, and every trace that they existed is erased. Suspicious, Skye begins asking questions and soon what she knew of her life falls apart. Skye finds herself thrust into a mythical world where stories shape reality and nothing is what it seems; where memories are so real she can step into them.

At the heart of The Storyteller���s Daughter lies the legend of the seannachie (pronounced “shawn-aw-key”), the traditional storyteller and myth-keeper of the Scottish clans. Combining realism and fantasy, readers are drawn into a world at once familiar and unsettling. Gods and mythical creatures walk in this world, brought here by Skye���s mother, a seannachie who has become spellbound by a story that lets her forget a harsh reality. Skye and her two best friends set out on a quest to rescue her���even if she no longer wants to be saved.

The Storyteller’s Daughter: Where the Story Begins is available from the FriesenPress bookstore, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and most major online book retailers. The ebook edition is available for download for Kindle, iBooks, Kobo, Google Play, and Nook.

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