One of my favorite legends of all times is King Arthur and his knights of the roundtable. I don’t remember how old I was when I first heard the story, but I was captivated. Consequently when I had a chance to include him in one of my books, I jumped at it. My book, “Spell Breaker,” which is book one of this series, ends with my main character, Lady Alex, having to make a decision. She could stay and face the consequences of her actions; she could hide out somewhere until the danger is passed, or she could run away. For a young woman aged sixteen, I believed she would run if she could. And where did she run to? Glastonbury village, located in the heart of King Arthur’s kingdom, is her destination. None of the Elves would look for her in the mortal world and she could be safe…or so she thought.
Greek mythology was also one of my favorite topics and for some reason, the Titans appealed to me. They were here before the Olympians and very little is really known about them. During the War of the Titans, the Olympians set about to destroy all of the remaining Titans. But what if one of them escaped? Where could he go? Well, he went to Seaward Isle and became Lady Alex’s grandfather, Themius.
The last legend that inspired me was J.R.R. Tolkien’s Elves from the “Lord of the Rings.” I’ve read the books and watched the videos both in the short and long version. From that, Lady Alex came to be. Her father was a mortal, a shipwreck survivor on the island and a Count. Her mother was the daughter of Themius, the Titan who was stranded on the island and married Lady Lestin of the Water Elves. Her background is so complicated she doesn’t know where she fits in. She’s not a mortal, but is raised by them. She’s not a Titan, but has some of their powers. And she’s not an Elf, but she loves them. Sometimes, she just doesn’t worry about who she is and reacts as any normal human being would. Unfortunately, she’s not normal.
This book, in particular, drew on more myths and legends than any of my previous ones because of King Arthur. I’m not so sure he was a legend, though. I understand they have found evidence of him and have dated his time to the end of the Roman era circa 400 A.D., which is why my book includes the date 420. By the way, one of my chapters in this book is entitled, “Myth and Legend.”
I hope you enjoy reading this book and wait…there are two more coming in this series. The next book is entitled, “Gossamer” and the last book in this series is “Noble Magic.” Stay tuned for more myths and legends.
Title: The Blue Witch
Author: Joni Parker
Genre: Fantasy
Under the rule of King Arthur, Alex finds the mortal world far from what she’d imagined, and the mortals are less than hospitable. Accused of being the “Blue Witch,” Alex is sentenced to die for treason and has been implicated in the mysterious death of one of Arthur’s noblemen by seemingly magical means. With help from unexpected sources, she escapes and returns to Eledon, where civil unrest and the threat of war looms. Alex resumes her responsibilities as Keeper of the Keys for the Council of Elders, but must execute a series of quests to prove her abilities to handle the magical Keys of Eledon. But are her efforts enough to save the Elves from Civil War? And can she commute her own death sentence by finding the Holy Grail?
Born in Chicago, Illinois, Joni’s a city-girl, raised in the heart of the city. So, when her first grade class took a field trip to the Museum of Science and Technology, she was fascinated by the chicken farm where there were live chickens and chicks hatching from eggs under a light. Like the other students in class, she wrote a report, but hers was selected to be in the school newspaper. Her first published article! Joni’s writing continued with short stories until the eighth grade in Phoenix, Arizona when she won second prize in a short story contest and an honorable mention for a poem. After that, she developed a writer’s block and couldn’t write another short story or poem for the next 45 years. Talk about a writer’s block! Now, it seems she can’t stop writing and has retired from work to write. “The Blue Witch” is her fifth published novel and the second book in “The Chronicles of Eledon” series.
