Length of Novel:

101,530 words

Keywords and Market Focus:

Fiction, Aos Si, sith, fae, fairy, seelie, unseelie, Wales, Britain, boarding school, organ, music, abuse, goddess, Dagda; will fascinate anyone interested in fantasy, enchantment, and the fae—will appeal particularly to those who enjoy fantasy mystery and suspense novels.

Genre:

Historical Fantasy

Synopsis: 

Mrs. Lyons, actually, Matilda Anne Robina Acland Hastings Lyons, who happened to once be married to Colonel Bruce Lyons and held onto the Mrs. and the Lyons as mementos although the man was long dead, captured the Aos Si in her pantry.  The girl was starkers, scarfing ham, and ran directly into Mrs. Lyons’ cane.  The meeting concluded at the expense of the Aos Si who ended up cuffed to Mrs. Lyons’ guest room bed.  As Mrs. Lyons saw it, she could either: turn the girl in.  In which case, she would be incarcerated or sent to the looney bin.  Let her go—where she might be shot or worse in the next pantry she raided.  Or, Mrs. Lyons could attempt the reform and education of the girl.  Mrs. Lyons was used to the finishing of young women—she had never bore a child of her own, but over the years, she held the responsibility of many of her friends’ children.  

Mrs. Lyons decided to keep the girl and attempt her reform.  From the beginning this seemed a daunting proposal.  The girl was dirty, abused, on the run, and most likely not a human at all.  In fact, once Mrs. Lyons could communicate with her, she learned the girl called herself the sith, the Aos Si, and she was at war with the sovereign goddess of the Gaelic lands, Ceridwen.  Mrs. Lyons saw only a young person who needed help and direction.  She didn’t realize she had involved herself in a many year conflict.  Luckily a war fought in great secret, and the Aos Si had been on the losing end a long time.

Mrs. Lyons called the girl Essie, and immediately began her reformation.  The girl didn’t come with an instruction manual, but she did own a Welsh book, a cage, and a branch with a stone embedded in it.  Odd adornments for the, so called, most dangerous creature in the British Isles. 

During Essie’s education, Mrs. Lyons learned the girl was a musical genius.  Essie learned to play the organ in their local church.  Although, in Essie’s own estimation, she was slow, ugly, and unrefined, she could play anything by ear, and she played unworldly pieces of music, the music of the fae.

By the end of summer, Essie’s skills at the organ, and the nature of her memorized learning led the church’s priest to suggest Essie attend an all girl’s boarding school to increase her education and musical skills.  In his previous assignment, the Father acted as rector for the school.  The priest’s wife, who taught Essie to play the organ agreed.  Mrs. Lyons felt pressured, but for Essie’s sake, Mrs. Lyons enrolled Essie in boarding school.  What harm could that be?

Author's reviewer’s quotes:

What fun.  What do you do when you find a wild girl raiding your pantry—even worse, she’s starkers.  Mrs. Lyons has a cane, cuffs, and plenty to say to such a girl. 

Who is Essie?  The most dangerous creature in Britain looks like a small fifteen year old girl—yet she is more and perhaps she holds the key to everyone’s happiness. 

This is just a fun romp through Wales—who could imagine a fairy princess in an all girl’s boarding school playing the music of the fae?

Short descriptive teasers:

Essie is a shape-shifting being kept captive from the world because she is the most dangerous creature in all the British Isles--what happens when she escapes?    

The ruler of the fae courts, the four fairy courts, is an embarrassment to them—she is ugly, uncultured, and stupid, but she sings a blessing to the fae, the song of the fae—something they can’t exist without.

British fantasy meets the real world in a fun tale about a shape-shifting girl and those who try to help her—don’t bite the Queen…