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About Svetlana Kovalkova-McKenna and Vasilisa and the Queen of Asps
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Vasilisa and the Queen of Asps" is a fairytale I wrote for my daughter when we started running out of fairytales to read with strong female characters in them. I wanted the fairytale to reflect my Russian heritage. Vasilisa was a commonly used name in the fairytales my grandmother used to tell me, so this name means a lot to me personally and I wanted to pass the tradition along to my children. I set out to hide my bits of wisdom about life throughout the story, some in plain site, others not visible right away. I wanted the story to have some traditional feel to it, but at the same time to be fast paced and to have some unexpected twists and turns to it to keep young readers on their toes. Most of all, of course, I wanted my daughter to see Vasilisa discover herself by being smart,strong and brave in the face of adversity. My children loved it. It would be great for Vasilisa to find a few fans outside of our family library.
"Vasilisa and the Queen of Asps"
A young girl named Vasilisa has to go to the Queen of Asps to ask for the Brew of Life to save her dying old father. The Queen is not very friendly to say the least and tries her best to see the girl dead. Vasilisa does not scare easily, read for yourself: "..."Did you enjoy your last meal, cutie?" said a low, cackling voice from the dark of the cave. The witch snapped her fingers and several torches along the wall shot out fire. Standing now in front of Vasilisa, the witch could as well have been a thousand years old. Her long twisted chin rested in the middle of her chest, her nose reached far away from her wrinkled face, blazing red eyes were half hidden under the bushy eyebrows and her skin was almost black from dirt and old age. Stinky gray hair stood straight up on her head, as if terrified of the owner. "Did you come to take a peek at the looking glass inside my cauldron? You may not like what you see."
I set the PREVIEW of the paperback edition on private url at http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback... to FIRST 25 PAGES (whole book is 65 pages), so you can see if you want to read the entire fairytale. The digital download is $1.25, paperback is $5.76 (no author profit special edition for Goodreads discussion, only available until Sept 15, 2009). The discounted price is ONLY available through this link!!!!!!
And since this is a thread where I talk a little about myself, I decided to post the covers and links to my other three books here.The Fairy Book
Oberon
A Wise Woman and a King
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Thanks. Yes,I designed all the covers. Also,I used some of my children's artwork for the two books I wrote together with them.
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It just hit me that I should post some of my artwork as a way for people to see who I am and what I am all about. I have been an artist for 20 years now. I am very new to author's world. 
Selfportrait with a Firebird, oil on canvas
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Thank you very much for all the admiration!Out of all the artwork you see here only two have not been sold and they are not for sale. I should really give myself a final push and put up a personal website, but most of my new work sells before long to people who saw my pieces at someone's house or to people who collect it, so I never see a reason to put so much work into a "vanity" website. I am trying to make a commitment to have one by Christmas, but it is not a priority.
Up and Coming Authors
Books mentioned in this topic
The Fairy Book (other topics)Oberon (other topics)
A Wise Woman and a King (other topics)
Vasilisa and the Queen of Asps (other topics)
Please tell us a little about yourself and the book!