For the month of November I am thrilled to have been selected as the emerging author on The Creative Kids Tales website.
You can read some of my other work here, including People Watching (Commended Award) and Late Bloomer (Honourable Mention).
You can read some of my other work here, including People Watching (Commended Award) and Late Bloomer (Honourable Mention).
Whilst you're at the site there is still time to vote for The Emerging Author of the Year. Your support in giving me your vote is greatly appreciated. Besides there is $200 worth of books to win from Ford Street Publishing!
What's even more exciting is being selected for the month alongside a featured author with such talent as Australian, Kate Forsyth. You can read more of her interview at Creative Kids Tales.
Kate's
books have been published in 14 countries around the world, including the UK,
the US, Russia, Germany, Japan, Turkey, Spain, Italy, Poland and Slovenia. She
is a direct descendant of Charlotte Waring, the author of the first book for
children ever published in Australia, 'A Mother's Offering to her Children'.
Kate lives by the sea in Sydney, Australia, with her husband, three children,
and many thousands of books.
Here is a taste of two of her books.
An
utterly captivating reinvention of the Rapunzel fairytale weaved together with
the scandalous life of one of the tale's first tellers, Charlotte-Rose de la
Force.
Charlotte-Rose de la Force has been banished from the court of Versailles by the Sun King, Louis XIV, after a series of scandalous love affairs. She is comforted by an old nun, Sœur Seraphina, who tells her the tale of a young girl who, a hundred years earlier, is sold by her parents for a handful of bitter greens...
Selena is the famous red-haired muse of the artist Tiziano, first painted by him in 1512 and still inspiring him at the time of his death, sixty-four years later. Called La Strega Bella, Selena is at the centre of Renaissance life in Venice, a world of beauty and danger, seduction and betrayal, love and superstition, retaining her youth and beauty by the blood of young red-haired girls.
After Margherita's father steals a handful of parsley, wintercress and rapunzel from the walled garden of the courtesan Selena Leonelli, he is threatened with having both hands cut off unless he and his wife give away their little red-haired girl. And so, when she turns seven, Margherita is locked away in a tower, her hair woven together with the locks of all the girls before her, growing to womanhood under the shadow of La Strega Bella, and dreaming of being rescued...
Three women, three lives, three stories, braided together to create a compelling story of desire, obsession, black magic and the redemptive power of love
Charlotte-Rose de la Force has been banished from the court of Versailles by the Sun King, Louis XIV, after a series of scandalous love affairs. She is comforted by an old nun, Sœur Seraphina, who tells her the tale of a young girl who, a hundred years earlier, is sold by her parents for a handful of bitter greens...
Selena is the famous red-haired muse of the artist Tiziano, first painted by him in 1512 and still inspiring him at the time of his death, sixty-four years later. Called La Strega Bella, Selena is at the centre of Renaissance life in Venice, a world of beauty and danger, seduction and betrayal, love and superstition, retaining her youth and beauty by the blood of young red-haired girls.
After Margherita's father steals a handful of parsley, wintercress and rapunzel from the walled garden of the courtesan Selena Leonelli, he is threatened with having both hands cut off unless he and his wife give away their little red-haired girl. And so, when she turns seven, Margherita is locked away in a tower, her hair woven together with the locks of all the girls before her, growing to womanhood under the shadow of La Strega Bella, and dreaming of being rescued...
Three women, three lives, three stories, braided together to create a compelling story of desire, obsession, black magic and the redemptive power of love
I was captivated by this story and quickly became enthralled as I turned the pages. Kate's writing is so descriptive and enjoyable to read. I was pleasantly surprised when the 3rd POV was introduced. I wanted to keep reading and learn more about each character. There were twists I didn't see coming, one in particular which I won't say for fear of spoiling the surprise. The voice of Charlotte-Rose de la Force had me smiling many times. I loved the history woven into the story and applaud the research that went into writing such a story. I am so glad to have discovered this talented author.
Growing up in the small German kingdom of Hessen-Cassel in early Nineteenth century, Dortchen Wild is irresistibly drawn to the boy next door, the young and handsome fairy tale scholar Wilhelm Grimm.
It is a time of War, tyranny and terror. Napoleon Bonaparte wants to conquer all of Europe, and Hessen-Cassel is one of the first kingdoms to fall. Forced to live under oppressive French rule, the Grimm brothers decide to save old tales that had once been told by the firesides of houses grand and small all over the land.
Dortchen knows many beautiful old stories, such as 'Hansel and Gretel', 'The Frog King' and 'Six Swans'. As she tells them to Wilhelm, their love blossoms. Yet the Grimm family is desperately poor, and Dortchen's father has other plans for his daughter. Marriage is an impossible dream.
Dortchen can only hope that happy endings are not just the stuff of fairy tales.
Melissa’s Goodreads Review.
I am in awe of the writings of this talented lady. After hearing Kate speak about her research for the book and the lengths she had to go to. Then reading the story she weaved together, it was amazing! I admit to feeling some frustration with Dortchen and Wilhelm during the story at various times for various reasons. However I also admit to feeling anticipation, horror, revulsion, sympathy, protective, anger and joy. I enjoyed this tale and look forward to reading more from this magical storyteller.
Goodreads
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