I'm very happy to have Juli D. Revezzo back
today to share about her fae adventures in her new release, Changeling's
Crown.
Not your common faery
by Juli D. Revezzo
Faeries have been around for ages, so we as observers
have a certain view of them. But there are many kinds of faeries. For instance,
the pretty, winged beings, the ones that populate pre-Raphaelite art and books.
Those beings flit around almost like human bees.
And there are those who
dance around toadstools at night. They are probably the most famous. Is it
because they’ve been known to steal humans away? The stories say so, and
goodness knows, such revelries can leave a partier’s memory quite hazy.
These beings also mixed
with other mythologies. Specifically the type of faery we find in faery tales
like Charles Perrault’s Cinderella. He turned the faery into a guardian not
unlike the Fates. The result was a demotion, of sorts, to a benevolent
mentor—the faery godmother. She is, according to author William Indick, “both a
replacement mother for the archetypal abandoned heroine, and someone who can
help her gain her every desire.” (p. 96).
In some stories, the faery godmother even refuses to help the princess
she’s assigned to. (Not exactly the faery godmother any of us would want to
have, I’m sure!)
So, there you have two
sides, the mischievous and the benevolent fae.
I wondered, with such pressure upon these mentors, what if one couldn’t
take it? Is there a specific temperament a faery godmother is supposed to have?
And if so, can she conform to the perfect picture of a faery if she doesn’t
have it built into her? This question permeated the story of CHANGELING’S CROWN
as I began to write. My faery godmother, Ianthe, tries very hard to do
everything expected of a faery godmother, but no matter how badly she wants it,
she just never quite feels comfortable with the faery godmother lifestyle and
duties. She likes to do what she likes
to do and that sometimes runs afoul of the “rules”. I guess that kind of life
can be hard to live up to, for a gal who likes a little mischief now and then.
;)
Synopsis:
When Ianthe began her
career as a faery godmother, she stumbled so badly that Snow White will
probably never speak to her again. After a long suspension, she’s finally been
given a chance to redeem herself…but everything on this latest assignment is
going wrong.
But why?
Worse, she definitely
doesn’t need an attractive mortal man distracting her from her duties. Of
course, needs and wants are two different things.
Briak has had his eye on
Ianthe for a very, very long time, but he’s been waiting for just the right
moment to make his move. Despite the fact all hell’s about to break loose on
his watch, he can’t resist the opportunity to insert himself into her earthly
assignment. Can he convince Ianthe of her true calling and thereby win her
heart? Or will his subterfuge ultimately cost him her love?
Excerpt:
Stymied for the moment, [Ianthe] turned to her
kitchen, set a pot on the stove, and mixing bowls out to work on her
contribution to the school’s party. She filled the pot with milk and set it to
boil.
Another thunderclap and the power fizzled.
The room went dark.
Oh, for Thumbelina’s sake!
Ianthe tugged open the nearest drawer, feeling for a
box of matches. Nothing.
She searched another drawer. Nothing.
She slammed the drawer shut and snapped her fingers.
A tiny glow flickered to life at the end of her thumb. She crept into the
living room and set the flame to her trio of candles. The fae lights blinked in
a triple-branched tea light candelabra. The food, though—
Why, oh, why did King Heath insist they couldn’t
give the humans anything by magic that they could procure themselves?
A million recipes flew through her mind. She could
finish any one in moments with a little faery ingenuity. Any one would do to
fulfill her promised contribution for the party. No. Forbidden.
Dear
Ms. Siabelle,
Please
see if you can convince His Majesty to revoke that silly rule.
Ianthe
There,
she said to herself, send her that when you have a chance.
She rummaged in her pantry for anything to replace
the custard she’d promised to make. And keep it cool in what until the power
comes back?
She sighed and stepped back, hands on hips. She’d
just have to work on it tomorrow. Unless…
She peered out the window and snapped the curtain
shut so none of her human neighbors could see her at work. She tapped the
stove’s front burner. The burner turned red as it heated. The milk in the pot
simmered away.
Humming, she went to her refrigerator, and tapped
its small light bulb. The light snapped on; the motor whirred. Ianthe smiled
and pulled forth three cage-free eggs. She broke their shells and slipped the
whites into a boiler pot. Five minutes should do it.
Now, what to do about Randall and Mallory? The situation proved worse than she first thought.
Though they acted civil at the paddock’s fence as she tested the horse, they
hadn’t worked together today to save her. Wouldn’t that have been a perfect
opportunity for them to do so? No. Mallory had enlisted Briak’s help.
And what about Briak? He shouldn’t’ve worried
about me. That he’d calmed the horse himself was nice, but why on Earth
didn’t he let Mallory drive her back to the office? She didn’t need such a
handsome distraction right now. Especially a human one. Her parents wouldn’t
like that.
And then there was Mallory. The woman had a serious
brownie in her bonnet about both Randall and Briak. Men stick together, is that
why she snapped at Randall’s second in command? Or, was she only worried about
the horse’s well-being?
Ianthe shook her head. “That poor horse,” she
muttered.
If Randall doesn’t have to put it out of its misery
because of Geldon’s violation, I’ll be surprised.
Ianthe shuddered. Possession by Geldon. Son
of a goblin, was there anything worse?
The milk bubbled on the stove. She added it to the
eggs and sprinkled in some cinnamon.
The couple needed money to fix the stables, Randall
had said. Surely, the ranch made enough to cover its bills and then some. The
children she’d seen milling around had seemed so enamored with the horses, was
that not an example of the ranch’s popularity?
So what was the problem?
In no time, she had the first bowl of custard
finished and set in the refrigerator to cool. She decided it might not be
enough for everyone attending the party and put a second pot of water on to
boil.
How on Earth could Randall want for anything, except
of course the love of a good—
“What are you doing?”
Geldon’s voice brought her up short and Ianthe
screamed and spun toward the speaker. Her heart pounded in her chest and she
leaned against the counter, glaring at him. “What am I doing? What are you
doing, you arrogant, son of a goblin?”
He laid a hand to his breast, his eyes wide and
innocent.
She knew better.
“Me?” he said. “I just wondered when dinner would be
ready.”
“Or if you could scare the life out of me?”
Geldon ignored the question, brushing dust from his
gaudy gold silk vest. “You, on the other hand.” He narrowed his eyes at the
pot. Ianthe stepped in front of it, shielding its contents from his filthy
snort. He leaned sideways, trying again for a peek. “You’re breaking rules all
over the place, aren’t you?”
****
And if you’d like to add it
to your Good Reads To-Be-Read list, you can do so here:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22431583-changeling-s-crown
About Juli D. Revezzo:
Juli D. Revezzo has long been in love with writing, a love
built by devouring everything from the Arthurian legends, to the works of
Michael Moorcock, and the classics and has a soft spot for classic the “Goths”
of the 19th century. Her short fiction has been published in Dark Things II:
Cat Crimes, The Scribing Ibis, Eternal Haunted Summer, Twisted
Dreams Magazine and Luna Station Quarterly. Her paranormal series Antique
Magic and Harshad Wars are available now. CHANGELING’S CROWN is her
first published new adult novel. She also has an article and book review or two
out there. But her heart lies in the storytelling. She is a member of
Independent Authors Network and Magic Appreciation Tour.
You can find out more about
her at her homepage: http://julidrevezzo.com/
Like her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/JD-Revezzo/233193150037011
Follow her on Author’s Den http://www.authorsden.com/visit/author.asp?AuthorID=167318
On Good Reads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5782712.Juli_D_Revezzo
On Twitter: @julidrevezzo
*~*~*
1 comments:
Thank you for hosting me today, Marsha! It's a pleasure to be back at your little blog. :)
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