Mirror,
mirror, on the lake. Reveal the path the
queen will take.
In this dark fairy tale adaptation of a medieval French legend, Issylte must flee the wicked queen, finding shelter with a fairy witch who teaches her the verdant magic of the forest. Fate leads her to the otherworldly realm of the Lady of the Lake and the Elves of Avalon, where she must choose between her life as a healer or fight to save her ravaged kingdom.
Tristan
of Lyonesse is a Knight of the Round Table who must overcome the horrors of his
past and defend his king or lose everything. When he becomes a warrior of the
Tribe of Dana, a gift of Druidic magic might hold the key he seeks.
Haunted and hunted. Entwined by fate. Can their passion and power prevail?
Wild Women Authors features author Jennifer Ivy Walker as she celebrates the release of The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven, her first release with the Wild Rose Press via the Write Advice program. With Jennifer is Issylte, Emerald Princess of Ireland, who will go first.
Let’s
begin with where you are from. Castle
Connaught, at the edge of the Hazelwood Forest, in the northwestern region of
the country,
Tell
us a bit about The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven. It is a paranormal fantasy-medieval romance adaptated
from the French legend of “Tristan et Yseult”. I am the wild rose, for “Églantine”
is the name the fairy witch Maiwenn chooses for me when she shelters me from
the evil queen. The sea raven is the royal
bird of Cornwall, and the symbol for Tristan, the Blue Knight of Cornwall.
What
did you think the first time you saw Tristan? The first time I saw him was in a vision. I felt inexplicably drawn to
him, as if our fates had been entwined.
What was
your second thought? I thought he had the most incredible blue eyes—a
deep turquoise, like the ocean.
Do you
feel it was love at first sight? No,
because I was romantically involved with someone else when I had the sighting.
I was shaken to my very core by the intensity of the connection I felt to him
in the vision.
What
do you like most about Tristan? He is
fiercely loyal to those he loves.
How
would you describe him? He is a
ruggedly handsome, well over six feet tall, with a scar on his left cheek. His dark
brown hair tumbles in waves to his broad shoulders. He is often sullen and
angry, for he is haunted by the horrors of his past.
How
would Tristan describe you? He would
say that I am the green and golden goddess who healed him. He nearly died in a
battle, and I was the Priestess of Avalon who saved him. When he regained consciousness, my face was the
first thing he saw. He later told me that he’d seen my golden hair and emerald
eyes, so that’s why he called me his green and golden goddess.
What
made you choose healing for a career? I
was taught to wield the verdant magic of the forest and heal with medicinal
herbs. When fate brought me to Avalon, I expanded my knowledge of herbal
medicine to include healing crystals and the curative essence of the sacred
waters of the Goddess.
What
is your biggest fear? That the Black
Widow Queen will poison my father and starve my people.
How do
you relax? Horseback riding is my
greatest pleasure. I love the sting of
the cold wind on my cheeks, my long hair flowing in the breeze,
Who
is your favorite fictional character? Roland,
Charlemagne’s paladin from La Chanson de Roland.
What
is the best advice you ever received?
My beloved Maiwenn, the fairy witch who sheltered me in the Hazelwood Forest, taught
me to wield its verdant magic, and told me to never turn my back on my
Goddess-given power to heal.
Thank
you for this time, Issylte. Now we’d like to speak with Jennifer.
What
movies or books have had an impact on your career as a writer? The Mists of
Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley, A Court of Thorns and Roses series
by Sarah J. Maas, and Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Is
there an event in your private life that you were able to bring to this story
and how do you feel it impacted the novel? So very many experiences! I have
an MA in French literature and wove a lot of French history and legends into
the story. I spent several summers in France, and many of those places are in
my trilogy. I grew up on a tidal bay in Maine, and my protagonist learns a lot
of the things I did as a child. I am deaf in my left ear, and my character
Issylte is as well.
Tell
us a bit about your publisher: how did you hear about them and what influenced
your decision to submit to them? I chose
my publisher at first because of the name. My novel is entitled, The Wild
Rose and the Sea Raven, so when I saw a publishing company named The Wild Rose
Press, it caught my eye. When I saw how
many awards they had won as a publishing company, and how warmly they welcomed
me, that clinched my decision.
What
book[s] currently rest on your TBR pile? A Ruin of Roses by K F
Breene, and Forging Silver into Stars by Brigid Kemmerer.
Lastly, what's up next and
when can we expect to see it on the shelves? The Lady of the
Mirrored Lake—book 2 of The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven trilogy—will
be published in January or February 2023 by the Wild Rose Press. The conclusion, The Emerald Fairy and the
Dragon Knight, will be published soon thereafter.
To
learn more about Jennifer Ivy Walker and the stories she creates, go to:
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22671046.Jennifer_Ivy_Walker
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-wild-rose-and-the-sea-raven-by-jennifer-ivy-walker
Website: https://jenniferivywalker.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JenniferIvyWalker
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bohemienneivy
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenniferivywalkerauthor/
Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B0B91R2MJZ
Thank you for featuring my debut novel, "The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven"!
ReplyDeleteIt was so much fun doing this character interview!
ReplyDeleteFrom one "Mainer" and "TWRP" author to another - congrats on your release. Sounds like a wonderful story - and loved the character interview.
ReplyDelete