Welcome to the Saturday Spotlight, a weekly feature that shines the light on Indie and Debut authors, this week I have the pleasure introducing readers to:
VONNIE WINSLOW CRIST
~Author of The Greener Forest~
A Fairytale Favorite
by Vonnie Winslow Crist 2011
Fairytales are the beginning place for many of my speculative stories, poems, and illustrations. The Little Mermaid who gives up her under-the-sea life for a land-bound man was the inspiration for “Shoreside,” the 2nd tale in The Greener Forest. Instead of a faithless prince, my mermaid marries a loving man, and together they have 3 children. Hiromi, the mermaid character, stays on the sand when the family visits the beach. She observes the seagulls, gull-riders (a type of fairy I invented), sunbathers, and her family, but the call of the ocean is ever present. When she goes into the surf to save a drowning child, Hiromi must choose between life on land or beneath the waves.
By the way, Hiromi isn't your usual mermaid – she's a ningyo, which is a Japanese mermaid who can also take the shape of a sea turtle. It's said that when a ningyo cries, her tears become pearls. I've yet to write a story that includes those details – but I suspect I will!
I revisit The Little Mermaid in “Sideshow by the Sea,” a tale from my soon-to-be-published book, Owl Light. In this story, the reader meets Dusana, a wheelchair-bound teenager with sirenomelia or Mermaid Syndrome. Dusana was abandoned as an infant, and has grown up as a sideshow attraction. She longs to be like everyone else. She wants feet, not fused legs. With the help of her friend and fellow sideshow attraction, Rico the Wolf-Boy, she tries to locate a doctor to perform the surgery that will help her walk. But the merfolk have a different future in mind for Dusana.
One of the loveliest things about fairytales is that there are so many! And if you add in folktales where magical creatures play a part – the list of stories for inspiration is endless.
Thanks for hosting me, Tina. I hope your readers have enjoyed my illustrations, and will comment in order to win a fairy necklace I made using a glass tile, fairy image, and leather cord. Lastly, to everyone reading this, have a magical day!
What a fun post Vonnie! Thank you for stopping by today and sharing that...I adore the cover of your book and wish you the best of success on your future writing career and also want to thank you for making a special gift for my readers!!
GIVEAWAY
Today thanks to Vonnie, I have a custom made fairy necklace to give away to one of my readers!! This is a special made necklace by Vonnie, to enter please just leave a comment with email or a link to your profile page. Winner will be drawn March 10, 2012.
Get your Copy of The Greener Forest Today!
In The Greener Forest anything is possible. Silver maples sing in angel-song. Spriggans skulk about cypress knees and wreak havoc at an amusement park. The Applehead Lady's true identity is revealed by moonlight filtering through the branches of an ancient tree. A scarecrow finds true love in an ash grove. And a wayward beech tree root sends a woman into the arms of a kindhearted giant.
These stories and more lead the reader into the depths of The Greener Forest, where Faerie and the everyday world collide. There is dark and light, evil and good, and uncertain dusky gray lurking between the pages of this book. Discover that all is not what it seems at first glance, and wondrous things still happen in The Greener Forest.
Find out More about Vonnie on the Web~Goodreads
Wonderful stories, Vonnie. The mermaid artwork is terrific! You drew it, yes? Can I find it in the Greener Forest?
ReplyDeleteI love the image of turning into a sea turtle. What ages do you write for? Could I read the books to my 4 year old?
ReplyDeleteYes, Kelly, I drew the mermaid, and you can indeed find it and lots of other drawings between the pages of "The Greener Forest." This book is Young Adult friendly, though written for grown-ups -- but I'm hoping to find a publisher for one of my children's books.
ReplyDeleteYour mermaid stories are touching and delightful. Hans Christian Andersen's Little Mermaid was so sad I never reread it after the first time. it's nice to see an alternative twist where the mermaid can be happy and fulfilled. The illustrations and artwork are delightful.
ReplyDeleteThanks, CristiM. I wanted the mermaid to find happiness in HCA's version, too. That's one of the fun things about being a writer -- you can decide if you want your characters to live happily ever after or not!
ReplyDeleteVery fun post. Sounds like a good book.
ReplyDeletebn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com
I love the necklace, oh well I am crazy about jewelry in general :d
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chance to win. Vonnie the drawing is awesome, I would love to have a special talent like that.
Best wishes..
[email protected]
I'm glad you liked the drawing. I'm not so sure it's a "talent" as much as lots of practice! :-)
ReplyDelete