Muse Monday Goes Medieval Monday by Jennifer Ivy Walker #medieval #French #fairy

MUSE MONDAY

Oh la la! Please welcome Jennifer Ivy Walker to Muse Monday on Discover... With some classic French tragedy. Fun post. Oui, oui!

As a high school French teacher, I used puppets to illustrate the medieval legend of "Tristan et Yseult" to my French IV students as part of our study of the Middle Ages.

I always took my students to the state competition where they performed a French I play I had written, "Yseult la Belle et Tristan la Bête"--a combination of the medieval French legend of "Tristan et Yseult" (Tristan and Isolde in English) with the fairy tale, "Beauty and the Beast".

Last summer, I had an epiphany--to incorporate that play into a trilogy.  A retelling of the classic French tragedy of "Tristan et Yseult", blended with my love of medieval knights, Arthurian legends, and dark fairy tales from the enchanted Forest of Brocéliande in la Bretagne (Brittany in English), birthplace of Merlin the Magician, Viviane, the Lady of the Lake, and Lancelot du Lac.

My debut novel, "The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven", is a compilation of my years of studying French literature, my numerous trips to France-- exploring troglodyte caves, medieval pilgrimage sites, châteaux of the Loire Valley, Normandy, Bretagne, and Provence--and my love for myths and legends. 

Book Blurb:

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?

Excerpt:

The fairy witch motioned for Issylte to kneel at her side among the flowers. Her luminous brown eyes twinkled in the filtered sunlight.

“Every tree, plant, flower and herb has an essence. A spirit. A life force.” She gestured to the verdant forest all around.

Issylte raised her eyes to the lush canopy of trees overhead, the blue sky peeking through the fluffy clouds. She inhaled deeply, the green notes of pine mingling with the rich scent of earth and the tangy fragrance of blossoms in the early summer breeze.

“The essence of the forest can be beneficial. Benevolent. Essential for healing.” She picked up a sprig of red clover and handed it to Issylte with a knowing smile. “Yet others are harmful and deadly.” Maiwenn gestured to the alluring deep purple flowers before them.

Issylte’s breath caught in wonder. She sensed an aura. A tingle in her veins.

Maiwenn’s chestnut eyes bore deeply into hers. “Have you ever felt the thrum of the forest in your veins?”

Issylte nodded, her eyes wide with discovery and delight. She held Maiwenn’s gaze, nearly breathless with anticipation.

“That, Églantine, is power.” Maiwenn’s eyes were deep brown, like the nourishing earth of the Hazelwood Forest.

“You, my dear princess, are a forest fairy. Like me.”

Buy Links:

Amazon: 

https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Rose-Sea-Raven-ebook/dp/B0B8XNMYBS/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2SD77E1OYZFRI&keywords=wild+rose+sea+raven&qid=1661375960&sprefix=wild+rose+sea%2Caps%2C106&sr=8-1

Barnes and Noble:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-wild-rose-and-the-sea-raven-jennifer-ivy-walker/1141977954?ean=2940186736387

 Jennifer Ivy Walker 

Enthralled with legends of medieval knights and ladies, dark fairy tales and fantasies about Druids, wizards and magic, Jennifer Ivy Walker always dreamed of becoming a writer. She fell in love with French in junior high school, continuing her study of the language throughout college, eventually becoming a high school teacher and college professor of French.

As a high school teacher, she took her students every year to the annual French competition, where they performed a play she had written, "Yseult la Belle et Tristan la Bête"--an imaginative blend of the medieval French legend of "Tristan et Yseult" and the fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast", enhanced with fantasy elements of a Celtic fairy and a wicked witch.

Her debut novel, "The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven"--the first of a trilogy-- is a blend of her love for

medieval legends, the romantic French language, and paranormal fantasy. It is a retelling of the medieval French romance of "Tristan et Yseult", interwoven with Arthurian myth, dark fairy tales from the enchanted Forest of Brocéliande, and otherworldly elements such as Avalonian Elves, Druids, forest fairies and magic.

Explore her realm of Medieval French Fantasy. She hopes her novels will enchant you. 

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

Barnes and Noble:  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-wild-rose-and-the-sea-raven-jennifer-ivy-walker/1141977954?ean=2940186736387&fbclid=IwAR3DwraRnElU-XxxDXI-