| Children of La-Shayre by Nina Córdova-Ami |
| Title: |
Children of La-Shayre |
| Author: |
Nina Córdova-Ami |
| Grade or Focus: |
Fourth to twelfth grades, and the young-at-heart |
| No. Of Words: |
92,278 words |
| Keywords & Market Focus: |
Faeries, wood sprites, talking animals and trees, forest, mountains, tropical islands, Tall-Ones (humans), witches, erupting volcanoes, tragedy, joy, avarice, patience, sorrow, loss, happiness, and the unending power of love, seen mostly from the faeries’ point of view. The market focus is varied: metaphysical and New Age markets, supernatural fiction markets, semi-fantasy genre markets, children's market. |
| Synopsis: |
Children of La-Shayre is an anthology of six stories, a prologue, and an epilogue. The same characters appear throughout the book; however, each chapter concentrates on different participants, and all are intrinsically interlaced. In the Prologue, an inhabitant of another galaxy is assigned by the Creator to come to our universe and disperse faeries upon the planets that they might bring love and light into the world. Chapter One finds twin 12-year old boys, Ian and Adam, exploring in a forest on the same day that Gwyllian, Faerie Princess of Ish-Trul Forest, awakens from her winter slumber. This day becomes the coming of age for the two brothers. Chapter Two has Gwyllian visiting her mother, Ierolen, Queen Faerie and Principality of the Second Moon in her hamlet of Sur- Mi-Ya, high in the mountains of the north. She is getting ready to move her hamlet further up the mountain, as it is being threatened by loggers. Time is short and a tragedy ensues. Chapter Three finds the twin boys ten years later where they are students at the University of Quatrain sur le Lac. They return to Ish-Trul Forest to find Gwyllian again. They both fall in love with her, and although she loves them both, she chooses Ian, who decides to become small so he can marry her; this with the help of a witch. Chapter Four tells the story of Amadai, Faerie Errant, a close friend of Ierolen. She travels to Milan, where the opera Andrea Chénier is celebrating its 150th anniversary. The role of Andrea is being played by a Catalonian tenor, Josep. She is determined to meet him. Later, she goes back to Barcelona with him, and they fall in love. The same conundrum exists. He is a Tall-One and she is four inches tall. Chapter Five finds Adam returning to Ish-Trul Forest for Ian’s and Gwyllian’s wedding. There he meets a most exotic faerie, Maerym, Faerie Princess of Kiji-Lei, a tropical island, and has to deal with the fact that he has met her somewhere before in a previous existence. During the wedding Shertoum, four hunters invade Ish-Trul Forest to kill all the animals they can aim at. Chapter Six finds Adam/Kianu as a fledgling wood sprite. He and Maerym return to Kiji-Lei on the wings of her peregrine falcon. Kyrian, Maerym's sister, is being held captive in a gold filigree cage by Kameia-Lor, who lost his family and is dependent on Kyrian for companionship. They attempt to rescue her, and do. Meanwhile, an active volcano on the island erupts and all the denizens rush to escape the lava. Maerym feels it her duty to jump into the volcano to appease the raging god. The Epilogue finds La-Shayre in her heavenly abode, wishing she could see her secret beloved, Aanael. The Creator has deemed fit that they should have a respite together. Aanael arrives to visit her. |
| Author Bio: |
Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, of Spanish, French, and Italian heritage. Graduated with a Bachelor in Liberal Arts from the University of San Francisco. Major: humanities. Minor: languages. Past careers include flight attendant, model, translator, and studio potter, the latter of which earned her numerous awards. Began writing professionally in 1989, working as a consultant writer for marketing and, later, as a technical writer for software development companies, where she wrote user manuals and developed online help systems. Won a national and later an international award from the Society for Technical Communication for “Excellence in Technical Communication”. Left the corporate world three years ago to pursue her own writing. |
| Other: |
Member of the Professional Writers Group in St. Augustine, Florida. During a reading of the prologue, there was talk of the book making a great movie. Also member of the Florida Writers Association, the Natural Living Alliance, the Center for Positive Living, the Humane Society, and PETA. From the International Library of Poetry, received an Editor’s Choice Award for Outstanding Achievement in Poetry in 2005, 2006 and 2007. The poem Uncharted Waters was published in an anthology, The Silent Journey, and is one among 33 other poems included in a CD the Library compiled. The second poem, To Enfold You, was published in another anthology, Timeless Voices, and has also been chosen to be included in a new CD by the Library. The third poem, The Thief, was also chosen to appear in their current anthology. From the Antología de Escritores Hispanoamericanos en el Mundo competition, the poem La Paloma en Búsqueda de Vos (The Dove in Search of Thee) made the finals and was published in an anthology. This poem was dedicated to the Catalonian tenor, Josep Carreras, one of the characters in chapter four. Currently writing my second and third books, and when time allows, translating Children of La-Shayre into Spanish. Children of La-Shayre was edited by Mark Bredt, Senior Editor for the Writers Literary Agency and Tim, editor for the same agency. For further information, please contact www. ChildrensLiteraryAgency.com, a division of the Writers Literary Agency, or Nina.Scribe@yahoo.com. |