THE WORD CHANGERS: Book Spotlight
Good morning, dear Readers! I hope you had a lovely weekend. Today, I have a very special and exciting announcement! You may remember Ashlee Willis, who came and chatted with us for a bit a few weeks ago about her life as an author (you can read her interview HERE)? Well, today, her book THE WORD CHANGERS is available in paperback!
To celebrate, Ashlee is having a giveaway - which I've included at the bottom of this post, so make sure you enter that!
So exciting!
And, to help spread the word, she's letting me do a book spotlight for her here on my little bloggity blog.
Her parents’ marriage is falling apart. Fifteen-year-old Posy feels her life is falling apart with it. Retreating to an old library down the street, she selects a mysterious book in a secluded corner and is magically drawn into its story...
Posy finds herself in a kingdom ruled by a cruel and manipulative king and queen who have attempted to usurp the role that belongs only to the Author of their story. The princess has fled and the kingdom is teetering toward rebellion. Posy is joined by the Prince Kyran as they fight with the characters of the story against their slavery to the Plot.
Posy and the prince search beyond the borders of the story for the runaway princess. They visit mysterious places, face horrifying monsters, and fight fierce battles. They make both friends and enemies as their journey leads them into many dangers. But some of the worst dangers, Posy soon finds, lie deep within her own heart.
Now Posy must find the courage and forgiveness needed to save the story and, most important, heal the heartache she knew in her own world.
The Word Changers (which I plan to acquire and read as soon as possible) is Ashlee's debut novel. Below, she shares with us a bit about the idea that inspired this novel, as well as a tantalizing excerpt:
The Word Changers began, as probably many books do, as a question: What if?
What if I could walk straight into a book and become a part of its story? What if I met the antagonist – would he wish me harm? What if I was mistaken for the protagonist herself? What if the characters in the book had minds and lives of their own – would they stick to the plot like they were supposed to, or would they rebel? What if my presences in the book completely threw the story off – changed or even completely ruined it?!
Those were questions that started when I was a young child, and I never dreamed they would become a book at that time. When I did start writing The Word Changers at last, it was more a story of self-indulgence, a living-out of the fairy tale dream I’d always had…
But God took it and made something more of it. After all, He is the “author and perfecter of faith” (Hebrews 12:2) – why not the Author in my tale as well? It seemed the most natural allegory, one I was surprised I hadn’t seen sooner, considering my own wish to glorify Him in my writing.
Once I realized that was where I wanted to go with the story, everything in it took on an entirely new meaning. A meaning which, I hope, will touch all who read it.
Excerpt
“I know why I am here,” said Posy. “I know the real princess has run away from a horrible fate, and I don’t blame her. But you are her mother—her mother. Don’t you care about how she feels? Don’t you care about the reason she left the Kingdom?”
The queen stood from her throne and towered above Posy. “How do you know all these things? Who has been speaking to you?”
“I cannot say, Your Majesty.”
“You will not.” The queen’s pale cheeks were tinged with two bright spots of pink. “Do you know the reason she left the Kingdom, girl?”
No daughter or dear now, Posy noted grimly.
“Yes, I do. She left because she was being sacrificed, over and over again, every time a reader came. How could you let that happen to her?” Posy’s face darkened with anger. “Don’t you love her?”
“This is none of your concern, I am afraid,” the queen said in a deadly soft voice. “The princess had a role, she was a character like the rest of us, and had to follow the Plot. We would be nowhere without the Plot; Evanthe knew that. She had willingly fulfilled her role many times before she ran away. No, that was not the reason she abandoned us. You have not been here long enough to understand,” she sneered. “How dare you, a stranger, come into our world and tell me, the queen, what to do.”
“And how dare you take me from my own world and use me against my will for your horrible Plot!” returned Posy quickly, her voice rising to a shout. “I thought I could trust you—I thought that you would have mercy on me, knowing your own daughter is in danger. But I can see I was wrong,” she finished coldly and bowed her head in defeat.
“Oh, yes, you were wrong,” Queen Valanor said, her voice slinking across the marble floor toward Posy like a writhing snake. “You were very wrong to come to me like this. For now, we know not to underestimate you.”
She snapped her fingers sharply, and two guards appeared from the sides of the room.
“Accompany the princess back to her room and see that she stays there.” She looked down at Posy, and her smile was sickly sweet. “I am afraid our princess is feeling a bit put out today, and she will need to be confined to her room until I give you further notice.”
Doesn't that just make you want to read more and find out everything about these characters and what is going on? I know I'm curious!
Find out more about Ashlee and her books in these various places on the interwebs!
Finding the True Fairy Tale (blog)
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads
Buy the Book on Amazon
Buy the Book at Barnes and Noble
And, the giveaway!