How does animal rescue play into a historical fantasy story?
You probably don’t know this; although I write a lot of non-fiction these days, my first love in writing is fiction, and I’ve been writing a historical fantasy story for the past 4 years, in my spare time.
Lately, it has become a more regular part of my life. After an underfunded Kickstarter last Spring, that was actually a good experience, because we saw how many people were interested in the book, we decided this winter to begin releasing it in “issues” like a magazine via Patreon, a platform for artists of all kinds to share their work with their fans. We now release monthly issues and have almost 30 subscribers.
I am also an animal lover and at one point in time was responsible for the lives of almost 50 animals (a menagerie of house pets – dogs, cats and bunnies, all rescues and farm animals, chickens, sheep, and goats).
SUPPORT EACH OTHER
Recently, I was talking to my friend Ruby about some of my recent projects, and she told me about her new business, Luna Pets Products, a purveyor of fine pet products (and products for the people that love them). We talked a lot about how owning your own business can be challenging to get your work out to the people who would enjoy it most, especially in light of social media. We decided that it would be fun to work together to share our passions and businesses across both our audiences centered on our shared passion for animal rescue, by hosting a few giveaways and other promotions! (Learn more about Ruby, and her story here)
Hart the dog – the protagonist’s familiar
Whether I write fiction or nonfiction I always find ingenious ways to bring together my favorite genres which are fantasy/mythology, history, folklore, culinary arts and herbology. I am passionate about the wild places, where my food comes from and sustainability, as well as the stories, foods, culture and mythology of Europe.
So when I embarked on writing a novel, Dreams of Ydalir, a fairy tale, that can be loosely categorized as historical fantasy it had to include all of the above. One of my favorite storylines in the story is the deep and loving relationship between my heroine, a 17-year old girl named Fawn and her rescued hound, Hart, who is loosely based on my own dog, Pepino. Fawn rescues Hart from a dangerous situation. They become a comfort to each other, after each has gone through some hard times, and we learn through the story, that Hart is so much more than he appears, showing that looks can often be deceiving, and the smallest creatures can sometimes have the biggest impact.
Animal lovers will enjoy this story full of animal companions, or familiars.
The story explores the mythology of Northern Europe (Scotland and Norse) as well as the period of the ice age the beginning of man’s domestication of reindeer.
Who Will Enjoy This Book?
If you are into Fiction, Fantasy Art, and European Mythology, you will love Dreams of Ýdalir. Dreams of Ydalir tells about a world that exists beneath the veil of our own familiar world, and one that you will love getting lost in. The story includes fundamental truths spoken by the gods themselves to help us understand our own place in the cosmos.
The majority of the story is written in journal format from the perspective of our 17-year old heroine, Fawn, who discovers her life’s story and her survival is mixed up in myth and magic. Other parts of the story are told from the perspective of the Gods.
The story is beautifully illustrated by well known fantasy artist, Roberto Campus who has worked for many famous publishers like Marvel and DC Comics, the Game of Thrones and War of Warcraft TCGs as well as Dungeons and Dragons and Gurps, so he has an immense passion for Fantasy.
The Artwork
Your FREE Goodies
WE WILL DONATE PROCEEDS TO PET RESCUE
Dreams of Ydalir is funded by our patrons. We are hovering around $300 as of early March. If we get up to the $400/month level (or more!) on Patreon in April, we will donate 25% of the proceeds to Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center in Riverside, CA. In fact, for every $100 more (beyond $400) worth of subscriptions, we gain in April, we will donate an extra $25! And Ruby and Luna Pet Products will match our donation! That’s a lot of money for pets!If you become a patron (subscriber) of Dreams of Ydalir between now and the end of April, you will get THREE issues of the story for the price of one, including over 100 pages of story, plus over a dozen illustrations. Normally, patrons have to wait 3 months to get all of that content! The second issue, out in the current issue introduces the character, Hart, and we want everyone to get access to that from the beginning. This will be sent out in April, FOR PATRONS ONLY.
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