Your Next Favorite Author–Jennifer Ivy Walker!

Mirror, mirror, on the lake.  Reveal the path the queen will take.

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?

Bio: 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.

Avis: Welcome Jennifer, or can I call you Ivy? I’m so happy to meet you and to read your fabulous book! You really have a flair for history and legends, and you know them well enough to blend them seamlessly in your novel, to that leads me to the first question:

What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?

Ivy: For my trilogy–I researched everything from medieval Dubh Linn and Viking naval battles to healing crystals, herbal medicine, and dark fairy tales (in French) from the Forest of Brocéliande.

Avis: That sounds more like fun than research! As an English major and teacher, we share a similar background that led to our writing lives. It always seemed to me that research can only take you so far, so my next question involves hands-on research:

What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?  

Ivy: I have traveled to castles in the Loire Valley, troglodyte caves in Aquitaine, and medieval châteaux-forts, all of which I included in my trilogy.

Avis: How wonderful! Sounds like visiting a fairy tale. I have to say that those pilgrimages play a wonderful part in your storyline and have helped you describe your world in the most wonderfully detailed way. I loved it, but that leads me to my next question:

Does writing energize or exhaust you?

Ivy: It definitely energizes me.  It’s like my creativity starts flowing and I feel charged and revved up.  I burn it off with power walks on the beach every evening. 

Avis: Walks on the beach? That sounds wonderful! Creating worlds and writing can be its own kind of escape for some people, and you sound like that type, a true artist! In my own writing, I’ve had critique partners suggest I use a pseudonym when I write outside my preferred genre, so that leads me to my next question:

Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?

Ivy: I did consider writing under a pseudonym but decided to use my real name.  I might use a pseudonym in the future if I wrote a different genre other than Medieval French Fantasy.

Avis: It’s interesting to consider a pseudonym. I didn’t use one for my next book which is romance, a far cry from my YA novels! Your real name is lovely, and I bet you love seeing it on the lovely cover of your debut novel! 

            Thank you so much, Ivy, for answering a few questions for us! It’s been wonderful to get to know more about you as a writer and what goes into you process. I hope you’ll come back for a repeat performance when the second book in your trilogy comes out soon! In the meantime, I’m sure readers will enjoy learning more about Ivy at her social media sites, buy links, and website. All the links can be found below.

Thanks also to our readers! You are the ones who keep us writing! For further information about Jennifer Ivy Walker’s book, scroll to the bottom of the page for my review of The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven!A five-star read, all the way!

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/B0B91R2MJZBarnes and Noble:  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-wild-rose-and-the-sea-raven-jennifer-ivy-walker/1141977954?ean=2940186736387&fbclid=IwAR3DwraRnElU-XxxDXI-iVIItQ4X3HPeHlx7sS3l8fugfrthoIsfftXRUpk

Review

In Jennifer Ivy Walker’s debut novel, The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven, we meet Issylte, from the story of Tristan and Isolde, a story that has withstood the tests of time. Retold by authors over the millennia, each telling explores the rich and captivating relationship between these two young lovers, and it remains a story for the ages. 

Contemporary readers will delight in Walker’s novel as she revisits Tristan and Isolde and their fight against evil forces that strive to kill them or keep them apart. Walker brings the story alive once again in a way that is unique, surprising, and satisfying.

We meet Issylte, the Emerald Princess, as she prepares for her father’s wedding to Princess Morag of Scotland. Her father, King Griogair, smitten by his bride, sets Issylte aside as he spends more time with Morag, but Issylte still has her nurse, Gigi, and her horse, Luna. Issylte comes to life under Walker’s masterful storytelling.

Next, we go to Cornwall where we meet Tristan, heir to the throne of his uncle, King Mark of Tintagel Castle. Tristan becomes one of ten champions for Cornwall and travels to Camelot where he is knighted by King Arthur, whom he will serve. 

Walker paints these well-known characters and places with rich descriptions and all the embellishments that draw readers in and lets them see the places and the people and keeps them reading. She does the difficult work of creating the villain, Morag, as the evil queen begins her plot to separate Gigi from Issylte and kill her husband, King Griogair. Then she goes after Issylte. The fairy witch, Maiwenn, rescues Issylte and hides her deep in the forest. She teaches Issylte the healing arts, and Issylte finds that she too has magic, healing powers, and that she is a fairy.

Back in Camelot, Tristan defeats Lancelot in a tournament of champions, and they become fast friends. Lancelot insists Tristan accompany him to Avalon for the summer where Tristan becomes a member of the Tribe of Dana, but upon his return to Camelot, he faces his own brand of treachery and deceit. 

Walker’s retelling of this beautiful story is woven masterfully between Issylte’s point of view and Tristan’s. We see them growing and overcoming obstacles, gaining successes, and growing into adulthood. When they finally meet, Tristan has been wounded with a poisoned sword, and Issylte saves him. The pacing is quick, and Walker keeps us on the edge of our seats as Issylte and Tristan learn their fates are entwined and their destinies are as one.

Jennifer Ivy Walker has made the Tristan and Isolde story her own. Her world building skills are masterful, and Avalon, though hidden in the mists, is brought to life as a place both fragile and powerful. Walker moves with ease from Ireland to Cornwall, to Camelot, and to Avalon. She peoples her story with characters like the Lady of the Lake, Vivian, guardian of Avalon, the Elfin warrior Ronan, and the fairy witch Maiwenn. Her rich storytelling and blending of genres will delight readers and fans of paranormal, historical, romance alike. This tale is dark yet filled with hope and is the first in a series of three novels. Readers will be delighted to know that Book 2, The Lady of the Mirrored Lake is coming soon. 

The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven earns a full five-stars as a riveting and satisfying read.