Fairytales Inspire Me: The Fairy Realm
Welcome to a new Wednesday series about fairy tales, fantasy and other topics that inspire me as a fiction author.
To relax and get inspired, I like to read fairy tales. Modern, old, new, Western, Asian, from any and all cultures.
Recently, I found on my shelf a book that inspired me — I don’t know how it got there; my Mom is always giving me books she thinks I might like. And I did like this one! Chalk one up for synchronicity!
It’s Fairy Realm: The Peskie Spell by Emily Roda, Book 9 in the series. Even though it’s book 9, I enjoyed it, didn’t feel lost, and really appreciated the sweet and interesting story. The heroine, Jessie, is plucky, smart and surrounded by lovable, quirky friends. I especially loved the special fairy forest where these is only one tree of each kind. A little bit of a scary and threatening place, the fairy forest reminded me…
Growing up, there was a beautiful redwood forest on Sonoma Mountain that we’d pass through to get from here to there. Each time we passed through it, the adults would shush us and say, “Quiet! It’s a Fairy Forest…” It got all of us rowdy kids to simmer down, and actually be still for the few minutes it took for us to crawl through at 10 miles an hour and notice our magical surroundings.
About Fairy Realm: The Peskie Spell:
The magical world of the Realm has a terrible problem — a plague of mischievous, troublemaking Peskies. A wild west wind has brought the tiny creatures down from the hills in the thousands. They’re making life in the Realm impossible, and eating up all the magic!
It’s been hundreds of years since the last Peskie plague, and even Queen Helena doesn’t know what to do. Then Jessie comes up with an answer: an old, forgotten spell that will lead her and her friends on a fascinating journey — and straight into trouble.
— from the product description on Amazon
What I really enjoyed too were the illustrations by Raoul Vitale. Each chapter starts with a full page illustration done in fine pencil black and white drawings, adding a new dimension to the story. I liked seeing that the Gryphons were taller than an adult.
My love of fairy tales brings me back to being a child; I even feel like a child, all full of wonder and delight, when I share my enthusiasm and love for these stories through writing.
Any favorite fairy tales, new or old?!
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Beth Barany is a paranormal and fantasy author for young adults. Her first novel, Henrietta, the Dragon Slayer, will be coming out in June 2011.
