A Prophecy of Wings by Jane McGarry - YA Fantasy/Retelling - Two Fairies: One Destiny
Interview with Jane McGarry
Welcome to JB’s Bookworms with Brandy Mulder. Tell us about your newest book.
A Prophecy of Wings is a fairy tale retelling of Thumbelina by Hans Christian Andersen. Lina, the main character, finds herself heir to a lost throne and hunted by an evil queen. The story examines predestined fates and their sometimes unforeseen consequences.
Writing
isn’t easy. What was the most difficult thing you dealt with when writing A Prophecy of Wings?
My first three books were published by a small publisher, but I decided to self-publish A Prophecy of Wings. The experience has had a significant learning curve, but also gave me much more creative control of my finished product.
Tell
us a little bit about your writing career.
I came to writing later in life. I always enjoyed reading and making up my own stories. After my second son was born, I decided to give publishing a novel a try. This turned into my Not Every Girl trilogy.
They
say Hind-sight is 20/20. If you could give advice to the writer you were the
first time you sat down to write, what would it be?
I would tell myself that writing is only a small part of being a published author. The marketing and business aspects are just as time-consuming and a social media presence is essential for engaging with readers.
What
was your most difficult scene to write?
The toughest scene to write in this book was the culmination scene when the prophecy is fulfilled. I wanted the details to be just right. My editor and I worked hard trying to perfect that scene.
Are
themes a big part of your stories, or not so much?
Yes, I like themes like growth, redemption and watching the
characters develop as they face different challenges.
What are you working on now?
Now I am working on a retelling of an old Italian fairy tale
called Biancabella and the Snake by Giovanni Francesco Straparola. Like
all good fairy tales, it includes love, betrayal, and intriguing cast of
characters. I’m excited by how the story is taking shape.
Is there a release date planned?
Hopefully, late this year or early next.
Who
is your favorite character from your own stories, and why?
My favorite character would have to be Athos from the Not Every Girl series. He was enigmatic and morally ambiguous, which made him great fun to develop.
Most
writers were readers as children. What was your favorite book in grade school?
In grade school, I loved to read anything by Judy Blume and the Nancy
Drew mysteries. Judy Blume’s stories were always very relatable and the Nancy
Drew stories had not one but three strong female characters.
What are your plans for future projects?
I am mid-way through a Greek mythology retelling and I am outlining a YA fantasy saga which will likely be my next trilogy.
Is
there anything you would like to add before we finish?
I would like to thank all the readers out there who have connected with me over the years. I love answering questions and comparing favorite books. It’s such a blessing when someone enjoys my work.
Good
luck with your newest release, and thank you for being with us today.
Prologue:
The pains came more frequently now. Even with the help of Edwina, it was a struggle to run. In the cramped darkness of the tunnel, she tried to maintain her footing, an impossible task with the burgeoning weight of her belly. Time was of the essence. They must not be caught, but the spasms were nearly unbearable.
“I can't go on,” she gasped, a sharp pang taking her breath away.
“Just a little bit further, Your Highness,” the enchantress coaxed.
Every step down the seemingly endless passageway was sheer torment. Queen Ivy willed herself to continue. She was the last hope for her people, and she must not fail.
Edwina stopped so abruptly; the queen stumbled into her back. The enchantress pulled the weakened monarch through a narrow gap in the wall. They crossed the threshold of a doorway into the depths underneath the forest. A tangle of tree roots filled the cavern, their sinuous forms dwarfing the fairies. A robust scent infused the air with bark, stone, and earth.
Queen Ivy, a Volant used to the skies, reeled at the unfamiliar smells and fell to her knees.
The enchantress, more experienced with Groundling habitats, remained unaffected and surveyed the area. She assisted the queen in a nook hidden between the sides of two large tree roots, which soared overhead out of sight to meet the tree's trunk somewhere way above.
“Wait here,” she instructed, a moot directive to her incapacitated companion.
While Edwina disappeared the way they came, Ivy settled down her awkward frame. How had it come to this? The past few months had turned her world upside down. Having one's sister hunt you like prey was horrifying enough, but targeting her baby for death rocked her to her very core. Instinctively, her hand flew to her stomach, the muscles again tightening with the tremors of labor.
Her friend returned, hair disheveled, wings drooping, and announced, “As far as I can tell, we may have lost them in the maze of tunnels. I have used cloaking measures along the way and put a spell on the door to keep others out. But your sister's powers are strong. If she were to find us…”
“She will find us. It is only a matter of time,” the queen declared. Dahlia learned enough in dark magic to track even a covered trail.
“Well, it is time for this baby, so here must do.”
Queen Ivy sighed, resigned to the situation. When she discovered she was with child all those months ago, she had not envisioned giving birth in a dark hole underground. The enchantress spread a blanket on the earth for the queen to lie down. She checked the progress of the baby and nodded.
“It is time. You need to push.”
Above all, the baby must survive. Otherwise, the prophecy would remain unfulfilled, and the kingdom would never be restored. The monarch braced herself against one sturdy root; the surface felt surprisingly warm and smooth. Under the calm direction of her lifelong friend, she delivered the child.
Edwina laid the baby girl into her arms. Ivy admired the feathery blond hair and the round little nose. Tears welled in her eyes at the sheer perfection of the infant. The enchantress finished tending to the mother and turned her attention to the newborn. After a quick examination, she ripped a length of fabric off Ivy's skirt to wrap her. “You could not have asked for a healthier daughter. Now, what shall her name be?”
“Her name?” the queen pondered. "I’ve not thought of one. All I have thought of is her safety.”
Before Edwina responded, they heard it—the rattle of armor. Soldier’s footsteps approached, their faint clinking unmistakable. Both women froze in terror.
“She has found us,” Ivy whispered in dread, her arms tightening around the baby.
“Perhaps not. Perhaps it is King Theros on his way to tell us he defeated Dahlia.”
The footsteps grew louder.
“No,” the queen affirmed. “It is my sister. I feel her presence. You must take the baby to the other world and keep her safe until the time is right. Dahlia cannot follow you there.”
The soldier’s armor rang loudly in their ears. They came to a halt right outside the doorway.
“Come then,” the enchantress conceded, holding out a hand to help her friend rise.
“No. I must stay and try to defeat Dahlia. Take her.” She thrust the infant into Edwina’s arms. “Go now.”
Loud hammering filled the air with the enemy’s attempt to break the door down.
“But My Queen, she will show you no mercy. I will not leave you here to die.”
Queen Ivy leaned forward and placed her hands on her friend’s, which cradled the child. She slipped the crystal-bound amulet inside the swaddling. “Yes, Edwina, you must. I command it. Take her now and keep her safe.”
The enchantress desperately tried to think of another way. Axes and spears crashed upon the door, weakening her spell with every stroke. Sadly, she stepped back and conjured the words to transport her between the worlds, a power only she possessed in the entire kingdom.
The new mother watched the toss of the seeds, and Edwina’s frantically whispered spell. A cloud of dust encircled her friend and her baby. Too weak to even stand, she blinked through her tears. Just before the two vanished, she said, “Lina. I want her to be named Lina.”
Edwina nodded, the final wish heard, and with a poof, they were gone.
The door finally gave way, a multitude of soldiers pouring in, their armor dark as night. Queen Ivy turned to see her sister step through the broken threshold. Dahlia scrutinized the scene, the queen’s deflated belly and the cloud of dust on the ground. Her eyes narrowed in malice. The baby was beyond her reach—for now. She met Queen Ivy’s eyes and despised the look of triumph in them.
“Kill her,” Dahlia ordered. The queen whispered one last anguished prayer for her daughter before an arrow pierced her heart.
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