Mieradome

Tour Dates Announced!

2011-09-15T18:19:00.000-07:00

I will be signing and selling books at the Downtown Modesto Library's Local Author Fair from 9am - noon this Saturday (September 17th). Books are $18.

Downtown Modesto Library
1500 "I" Street
Modesto, CA 95354

9am - noon

Inspiration for Characters: Walji & Sasha

2011-06-15T18:21:00.000-07:00

A lot of times, as a writer, I get asked, "What was the inspiration for this location?" or "Is this character based on anyone you know?" Most of the time my answer is that it just came from my imagination, but sometimes, in very special occasions, characters and locations do come from my very own vibrant life. I have decided to create a few updates here on the blog telling you more in-depth info on the characters and locations that populate my story, Mieradome!

Two characters in my story Mieradome, that are very much real people, are Walji & Sasha. They are inspired by my Great Aunt Jane & Great Uncle Dick. Yes, I do have a Dick & Jane in my family tree.

Dick and Jane are the younger siblings of my Grandfather Wray and their older sister Elizabeth 'Betty'. Now, the thing is, I hadn't met my Great Aunt or Uncle when I wrote these characters, just heard a few stories about them growing up.

So as my characters in Mieradome, Walji and Sasha are inspired by them, it is my imagination of what they may have been like when they were kids, much younger (10 or so years younger) than my Grandpa. I recall my Grandpa and Aunt Betty relaying that they were able to 'get into more trouble and get away with it' because they were the younger ones!

Mieradome is available at 3 public libraries!

2011-06-08T18:13:00.000-07:00

Kate is pleased to announce that 3 public libraries in Washington state currently have Mieradome in their collection. Those books can be checked out, for free, at these listed libraries.

* Wenatchee Public Library
* Ephrata Community Library
* Moses Lake Community Library

If you would also like the opportunity to read Mieradome, in paperback form at your library, send the link to this blog or www.mieradome.com, and let your local library know!

Thanks so much for the support!

Kate~

Blog Tour - UPDATED!

2011-01-28T17:49:00.001-08:00

I am so excited to be going on a blog tour! Some really great blogs are going to be participating in this. There will be interviews with me and some blogs are are also doing giveaway contests! So be sure to check out the blogs when they are listed here for your chance to win some great stuff!

Anna's Book Blog

Book Loving Mommy

Bittersweet Enchantment

Bloggers Heart Books

4 star review from Bookish Novelties!

REVIEW - The Book Fancier

Shout Out! by Forever Young (Adult)

Interview with Book Purring

OCD About Books

Interview with Best Friend's Book Affair

Interview with The Book Pages

Interview with :Musings + Teen Librarian:

Blkosiner's Book Blog - coming soon!

Unedited - coming soon!

I'm a Reader, Not a Writer - coming soon!

Once Upon a Bookcase - coming soon!

Books Make Great Lovers - coming soon!

YA Bookie Monster - coming soon!

A Life Bound By Books - coming soon!

Book Hounds - coming soon!

My Bookish Ways - coming soon!

The Lovely Getaway - coming soon!

Mesmeric Revelation - coming soon!

Are you with Caiden or Garin?

2011-01-27T00:30:00.000-08:00

If you've been reading Mieradome (which I know LOTS of you have been and are currently), you'll know that there are two very strapping and handsome gentleman that have caught Amavia's (our main character's) eye. The first is His Royal Highness Hereditary Grand Duke Caiden Candelario Laerendotte of Chartina-Astoy whom Amavia meets when she first enters Mieradome. The other is His Royal Highness Prince Garin Holstalken of Zerkan whom Amavia sees at The Games of Chance and then later before The Masquerade Ball.

So which gentleman should captivate Amavia's heart? Caiden? Or Garin? Stake your claim!

Feel free to take these buttons for your blog or webpage.

And to show your faery support:

Nominations!

2011-01-26T22:29:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone! I am so glad you're enjoying the blog tour for Mieradome! I'm a so stoked to be answering questions and giving you even more insight into the faerie world! There are some great awards going on right now and I need your help. Help Mieradome get out on everyone's radar! Check below for the nominations going on now. Thanks so much!! <3 : )

Powell's 2011 Puddly Awards - ends January 31st

Children's Choice Book Awards - ends February 7th

BOOK PARTY

2011-01-25T19:00:00.000-08:00

Book Launch Party for Kate O'Hegarty's teen fantasy novel Mieradome.

date: February 26th, 2011 @ 1pm

venue: Borders Books & Music, 3900 Sisk Road, Modesto, CA 95356

Blog Tour!

2011-01-24T15:41:00.000-08:00

I also have a great button/icon for you to use on your blog or website if you are participating in this tour! (see above)

Interview with Best Friend's Book Affair

Interview with The Book Pages

:Musings + Teen Librarian:

Once Upon a Bookcase - coming soon!

Interview with Book Purring - coming soon!

Early Praise for Mieradome

2011-01-19T23:54:00.000-08:00

"Ms. O'Hegarty did a wonderful job writing this. The plot was just plain good. Mieradome is a captivating read that will blow your mind."

- Books With Bite

"Drawn in by the unique and clever names of the characters. The plot is quickly revealed and you are immersed in the world of Mieradome where royal families battle for control. It is elaborately detailed in a way I can picture it in my head. Mieradome is an enjoyable read filled with fascinating beings and set in the beautiful and magical faery world"

- Open Book Society

"An amazing/storyline with a classic vibe to it"

- Monster of Books

"It is refreshing to read a book that sparks the imagination. Having the words on the page transform themselves into a world which the story unfolds, makes reading the joy that it is. Mieradome offers a catalyst to spark the imagination and take you to a place where you are eager to find out what next adventure Amavia may have in store. There is so much breadth and life to this story, and the world of faeries - with its enchantments and dangers - offers a great backsdrop. It seems there is so much magic in their world, and it is shared by Thewlis and Inocian, Sasha & Walji, and all of the other characters (in more ways than one) that come into the story. It is very well written, and flows in a way that keeps you reading!

-Donovan Ewing, Tulsa Young Adult Fiction Examiner

"The storyline was fast paced, intriguing, and at times I was having trouble guessing where the story was going next. Which was good!"

- Spellbound by Books

"Mieradome is a fantastical young adult fantasy of epic proportions. Ms. Hegarty has built an extraordinary world with a variety of creatures: dragons, gnomes, faeries, and her attention to detail is amazing. The details just pop out and make her world real. Her characters are full of depth and they mature as the story evolves, making it a very satisfactory read. A thrilling debut that fantasy lovers are sure to enjoy!!"

- Wendy's Minding Spot

"I am intrigued as to how everything fits together. We are left with some questions at the end of the book that hopefully will be answered in the next one"

- Lost for Words

What I'm Currently..watching, reading, eating, etc.

2011-01-18T18:37:00.000-08:00

I was very happy to get a Target gift card from my soon to be bro-in-law for Christmas. However, I haven't been shopping at Target as much as I generally do so I wondered what I'd actually use the gift card on. I have been downloading movies here and there on iTunes, renting them for a small price and then basically giving them back (they disappear after a certain time frame). I decided to use my Target gift card to get a pretty good size iTunes gift card to download movies where they'd already be paid for, rather than paying out of my pocket each time. So, here I will list what films I am currently watching along with what books I'm reading, great places I've been eating at, and the like.

Tonight's films are Blind Dating with Chris Pine (of Star Trek, Bottle Shock, & The Princess Diaries 2)

and the documentary Searching for Angela Shelton.

The films, books I watch & read are probably going to be ones you may not have heard of (to help shed light on those independently made.) I am also hoping to have a rating system, so you can see if a book or film is worth your time (and money).

Mieradome's FREE e-book

2011-01-17T04:27:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone!

I am SO excited to announce that MIERADOME is, for a limited time, being offered as a FREE e-book! Just send your email address to mieradome@gmail.com
I'll send it off to you as soon as I can.

And stay tuned for interviews with me on some fabulous blogs! You're not going to want to miss it!

MIERADOME IS PUBLISHED!!

2010-11-10T22:46:00.000-08:00

Mieradome is finally published and ready for you awesome people to read it! The more copies sold as the book debuts, the better chance it has to get on the NY Times Paperback Bestseller list!! <3 Every copy you buy counts! Thanks so much!!

Places to get a copy of Mieradome:

Indiebound

Amazon USA - paperback
   - Amazon UK
   - Amazon Canada
   - Amazon Japan
   - Amazon Germany
   - Amazon France

Barnes &Noble - currently Mieradome is Kid's Club eligible!

Borders

The Book Depository

Chapters-Indigo

Books Inc.

If you haven't already, join the chat at Goodreads on the Mieradome page and add it to your bookshelf. Over 500 people have already done so! Thank you all SO much for your support! It means the world to me!

Kate~

Trailers!

2010-10-23T21:50:00.000-07:00

Mieradome's Official Trailer

The Saskatoon Balloon Official Trailer

The Animals

2010-10-23T21:31:00.000-07:00

I think originally animals were used to explain various traits, as the world was new to people as we as humans began to populate the world. And I think they used animals because they didn’t think animals had feelings, emotions, brains or thoughts. I recently watched an Animal Planet show (I can’t remember the name), but it talked about how in the study of animals through science, we’ve come to see other beings not as inferior (but generally, much smarter) than we supposedly are. They seem to adapt to situations much better than we do. And in all honesty, animals (or various creatures) have been around longer than we have, so perhaps the teaching lies in the animal teaching us, not us trying to teach about the animal (when we really don’t know it all that well to begin with). Animals have always been fascinating to me.

The Raven

2010-10-23T21:29:00.000-07:00

The use of birds in my story (particularly ravens), and this creation myth, also talk about birds. In the book Classical Mythology by Morford and Lenardon, they discuss the creation myth The Birds, which was written as a play, a comedy, by fifth-century writer Aristophanes. The birds in the story are seen as the oldest of the gods. The part that really got my attention in the synopsis of the tale was, “In the vast hollows of Erebus first of all black-winged Night, alone, brought forth an egg, from which Eros, the desirable, burst forth like a swift whirlwind, his back glistening with golden wings” (Morford, 19). The reason I chose ravens (black, ebony birds) is based on some time I’ve spent with these creatures and though my inspiration was not a creation myth, it does however have some strange coincidences going on.

Ravens, big black birds, seemed all of a sudden to enjoy landing on my parent’s house a few years ago. They would plop down and we could hear them on the roof just jumping and walking around. They wobbled on the freshly cut grass out front, hid in the redwood trees near the corner of the sidewalk, and glare down at me from their perch at the roof. There were a lot of these birds stalking the house, I mean; we’re talking at least twenty to thirty at a time. Our house, one might say, perhaps was haunted because of the amount of birds at one time occupying our space. But then one day, my sister and I realized the birds had all disappeared and not one was ever to be found again. My mother had died between the time of birds coming and the time of birds going.

Did the ravens vacationing on my parent’s house know the world was changing directions and were trying to warn me somehow? Perhaps they were. Through Myth: A Biography of Belief, David Leeming believes that it is not just myth itself, but rather the things behind it that pop out for us. “Myths are created by the collective imagination as symbolic ideas of what goes on in life. They sprout from our personal experience with reality, and our instinctive need to wrap that experience in mimetic story and concept” (Leeming, 19). Perhaps Erebus was the black winged birds coming to my parent’s house and the egg was the inspiration (the idea) for my story. Joseph Campbell says pretty much the same thing, but in a different way. “Myths are clues to the spiritual potentialities of human life” (Campbell, 05) and “Mythology teaches you what is behind literature and the arts, it teaches you about your own life. It has a lot to do with the stages of one’s life through childhood, teenage years, to adulthood. It is your recognition of the new role you play, and is like a butterfly in a cocoon, throwing out the old and embracing the new” (Campbell, 12-13). Maybe all things are all interconnected and more so than we usually think; we need myths to make sense of things, as the myths need us to continue to flourish as stories.

Were the birds trying to tell me something? Edith Hamilton seems thinks so as she describes the use of ravens through a myth regarding the Norse gods and the raven’s job within the tale. “On his shoulders (Odin’s) perch two ravens, who fly each day through the world and bring him back news of all that men do” (Hamilton, 455). Birds have always been used in stories/myths as a way to send word from one character to another. In this particular myth it is a raven; in my own story, I have ravens, but those characters are rarely seen; but I do, however, have a bright viridian parrot bird who wears black goggles named Ditto #3 and is a postal bird for my faery world of Mieradome (again, using a bird to send communication, back and forth). I think that these birds are used as a device for communication because they have this freedom of flight, to go long distances, which would make it possible for words to be exchanged. It is interesting then to see how one little animal could be so important in the myths, legends and centers of various stories.

Royal Lineage

2010-10-23T21:28:00.000-07:00

It is a funny thing when your own life wraps itself up in the twisted tapestry of myth: for if certain events did not occur, I may not be here or exist in the world today. In every part of myth and legend, (at least, in the parts of Celtic myth that I can speak for), have somewhere at their heart and center, a truth. A section of the story may be embellished, but a small part will always stay in tact, and lead you to an interesting truth you may not have known because you weren’t looking hard enough.

My truth is that I am a descendant of High King Niall of the Nine Hostages of Ireland, as he is approximately my 35^th Great-grandfather on my Dad’s side. Oddly enough, he also shows up again on my family tree, but this time not on my Dad’s side, rather through my mother’s. My parents, through Niall and other grandfathers, are cousins and therefore related to one another, however distantly. The reality of this interesting part of my history is that both my parents come from Celtic culture. On my Dad’s side, (O’Hegarty & O’Brien) he has a direct shot there (meaning: because of his surname, he can trace his

line back because he is the last male descendant of his family line).

Keys

2010-10-23T21:27:00.001-07:00

Keys are also a very important symbol of my family and in Mieradome. There are special keys to use to open old Grandfather clocks we have to pull up the weights for. There are keys for opening doors to houses, safe deposit boxes, rooms, desks, jewelry boxes and so much more. My Dad made the comment awhile back that “We sure has a lot of keys.”

The funny part is, we do and I’m sure they go somewhere specific, but since there are so many we have no idea where the keys might lead to, could be anywhere. There are many keys in my story (rusty old metal or glorious shiny gold, bronze ones too), and I think that imagery also hits home to the idea that keys are one part of the equation to get to a new special hidden place. My keys are a way to keep on the search, to keep looking for things, a way of a small adventure to find something new; so I suppose the symbol of a key could be a symbol of life itself. Amavia, (the main character of my story), is made to find things her mother set out for her, as a game to find out who she really is.

I suppose one could go on and on about symbols and what they meant or didn’t mean in my story. And funny enough, symbols that I, as the writer put in, may not be picked out by YOU the reader. You may find something completely different that pops out for you. That symbol may mean something important deep down in your mind or soul, and that is perfectly acceptable. We all see things a little differently, the symbols will change shape just as different people see them. It is all in perspective. The symbols will come alive as they will in the shape that makes sense to us.

The Ebony Vauntz

2010-10-23T21:26:00.001-07:00

I think for me the idea of evil is when you consciously hurt other people, whether mentally or physically and being of the type of person where you have no care AT ALL about destroying anyone else or any creature, or plant on the earth. The good make mistakes just like the bad do, but the good try to fix things, make amends; the bad, I feel, do not. I found a great quote that adds to my thoughts above on good vs. evil from one of the books I’ve been reading, A Complete Guide to Faeries & Magical Beings by Cassandra Eason and it says, “Fairy folk may be a catalyst for change, a reminder of the unpredictability of life. They can make us see the need to accept responsibility for our own shadow side rather than projecting it on to other people, the forces of fate or, in folk traditions, the fairies” (xv, Eason).

A Belief in Faeries

2010-10-23T21:17:00.000-07:00

I believe in faeries because they make sense to me. I see faeries of that realm, that sort of sound of Dad’s wind chimes in the backyard jangling around when there really isn’t any breeze to be felt (which oddly enough happens to be one of my mother’s favorite sounds). I see faeries more as a feeling rather than a real life creature. A presence, but not a ghost.

The spelling of faeries, my gosh…uh…it just goes back to how I have known them, how I was introduced to them by Grandpa John Sr. “Jack”. They were always faeries to me, just like that. I see “faeries” as being a way to stretch what myth has written about them and twist it in a unique way to put my own spin on the culture. I let my “faeries” have technology (I come from a family of ship builders and engineers) and that takes them from place to place. My “faeries” have wings and can use them, but not forever. Their wings are like humans with our feet & legs, we use them a lot but they can only take us so far before we’re exhausted (or, we just want to drive around even when we’re capable of walking.) I think with faeries it is the idea that because they are so small and so quick, you have to slow down enough to actually see them. That is why most people cannot see them, because they can’t slow down.

I think faeries make a mess of our lives to slow us down and make us laugh at life and enjoy things. In my family, we get too serious sometimes. Faeries for me are jovial creatures (unless provoked) that strive to get us humans to see clearly the beautiful world before us. If you ever get to travel to Muir Woods or Yosemite and you sit softly in the woods, watch as the light streams down through the trees, as sparkles drift like a little hypnotic tiny ballet before you. Those are faeries; being in the moment and enjoying where you are, who you’re with, seeing things you might not if you walk by so fast. That to me is the meaning of faeries.

The Parlor - Locations - Other

2010-10-23T21:15:00.000-07:00

The Holy Grove of Larkmeisena/Temple – Amavia’s hometown and birth city. The Temple of the Sisterhood stands within this bustling city.

Caves of Ndovu – orange desert home of the Fussig faeries.

The Crystal Palace – home to The Snow Queen, above Norsane in the clouds.

Sacred Glen of Nagaren – Amavia’s hometown and birth city. The Temple of the Sisterhood stands within this bustling city.

Palace of Senrulan – royal desert home of Prince Boyt and his family.

Twirling Twisted Tower/The Postal Mystique – home and office space to the postal birds who send vocal telegrams all across Mieradome’s kingdoms.

The Parlor - Locations - Grandmother Tree

2010-10-23T20:50:00.000-07:00

The idea of creatures going into the oak tree, The Grandmother Tree is not a new idea at all. In my own family, we’ve watched animals and curious eyes stare back at us in the depths of foliage of our garden; to discover that perhaps something magical lived within. “In Celtic mythology, it (meaning the oak tree) is the tree of doors, believed to be a gateway between worlds, or a place where portals could be erected” (wikipedia.org). Or perhaps the idea of the oak stems from the source of my history and past, as if you take a close look at the intricacies of the Hegarty family coat of arms, you can understand my story in a unique way. You can view the coat of arms here:

The oak also is: “The oak is the emblem of County Londonderry in Northern Ireland (where the Hegarty’s, or rather the hEigcearitagh’s originally came from), as a vast amount of the county was covered in forests of the tree until relatively recently. The name of the county comes from the city of Derry, which originally in Irish was known as Doire meaning oak” (wikipedia.org).

I see the idea of the Grandmother Tree more as the way to keep imagination alive. As adults get older they have trouble being creative and imaginative sometimes, and I know this because my Mom was like this a little. I really don’t see the Grandmother Tree as a bad influence. I actually see her as the greatest heart of that world. She sees what goes on in and out of the magical realm and yes, she does need those children right now to survive (so you are right to be at first suspicious of her), but perhaps in the end it not only has a positive outcome for her AND the children brought there, but also for YOU in the human world. Perhaps she is the reason the trees still grow (and give us oxygen to breathe), perhaps she helps bees on their way to pollinate the flowers, and perhaps she spends the rest of her days organizing plans and schedules for the sun and moon and stars to continue to make fields and livestock thrive. So as I said before, there might be a hard outside for this character, but in this case, she also has a soft inside.

The most sacred tree of all was the Oak tree, which represented the axis mundi, the center of the world. The Celtic name for oak, daur, is the origin of the word door- the root of the oak was literally the doorway to the Otherworld, the realm of Fairy. Long after the Druids of old have vanished into the mists of time, the lore of trees continues as a vital part of Celtic myth and folklore. Countless Irish legends revolve around trees. One could fall asleep next to a particular tree and awake in the fairy realm. (About.com, Celtic Tree of Life)

Great Links about Gardening/Protecting the Planet:

Arbor Day

You Grow Girl

The Parlor - Locations - Braun Manor

2010-10-23T19:16:00.000-07:00

Braun Manor House – the ancestral home of Sir Henry Braun, who takes in Anastasica Melondia (as well as Thewlis, Amavia, and Inocian) when they all arrive at his doorstep in the rain one evening.

The Braun House, an important place in my story, is very much a sanctuary for faeries, mermaids, or any type of mythical, magical, mysterious creature. I named the house Braun Manor because of two specific people named Braun who are important in the tapestry of my own life. When my paternal Great Grandparents Otto Hillefeld and Etta Kreutzmann both died by the time (1928) my Grandmother Maria-Luise was 15, they were shipped from aunt to uncle and back again. Nobody took responsibility; no one took care of them. It wasn’t until my Great grandparents’ best friends Karl and Rita Braun decided to finish raising their friends’ children, that my Grandmother and aunts finally found a home.

The funny thing is Karl (Uncle Charlie) & Rita (Tante Rita) really never wanted kids, yet ended up with 3 teenage girls (15, 14, & 13). It was the love of their friends and their friends’ children that made them step up when blood relatives did not. They made it possible for my grandmother and her sisters (Elisabeth & Henrietta) to stay together and not end up in an orphanage. Using their name as characters and as the house, is an homage to these wonderful people.

The Braun Manor house is also inspired by a local historic building where I live, called the McHenry mansion and also another historic building, The Winchester Mystery House.

The Library - Character Descriptions

2010-10-23T19:07:00.000-07:00

-Anastasica Melondia – Amavia’s mother, the good part of her mother that separated a long time ago from the bad.

- Amavia Celestino – Main character of story. Born a Princess of Goryntha and named Empress of Mieradome. Finds and deals with The Light. Through The Sisterhood becomes protector of the universe (faery realms and humans ones as well) and with that is given a great deal of power. Possibly the evil in the universe…

- His Imperial Majesty Emperor Salvanto Llewellyn Celestino – Amavia’s true biological father.

- Thewlis – a close friend of Amavia’s.

- Inocian – a close friend of Amavia’s, becomes an automata (a machine for a purpose not yet known).

- Sir Henry Braun – adopted father of Amavia and husband of Anastasica. Has a secret of his own in the faerie magical realm.

- Ditto number 3 – Amavia’s friend and viridian parrot postal bird of The Postal Mystique. Ditto number 3 is Amavia’s way of sending messages across Mieradome’s vast kingdoms and lands. Ditto number 3 also participates in Amavia’s adventures, generally getting into messes of trouble though.

- Fussig Faeries – these are a hybrid of faeries and are very magical. The difference between normal faeries and Fussig faeries is that the Fussigs are soft, fluffy creatures like that of a small puppy (and about the size of a teenage animal) and they do not have any wings (which, being a species of faeries, makes them very distressed). A member of the tribe is Hamira Sabarei Janskoo, a lady-in-waiting to Amavia.

- HRH Grand Duke Tobias Cardinal Lareandotte – the one who ordered Amavia, Thewlis, and Inocian be brought into the faerie world of Mieradome after getting word from Ami Dar’ya that Amavia would know where The Light is hidden. Father of Caiden.

-Captain Mielseki Eskian - Captain of The Sacred Brigade. Amavia's personal bodyguard. Husband to Flora Eskian.

- HRH Hereditary Grand Duke Caiden Candelario Lareandotte – supposed sibling of Aselin (though he actually is an only child). Friend of Amavia who likes her very much.

- Aselin –a bit of a mystery...

-Jenie Eiram - a disabled faery girl in Mieradome. Bound to a teal wheelchair. Able to make magic happen. Studies at The Academy with Sasha & Walji.

- The Cailleachs – They are the custodians of the universe. It is stated from many generations before the dawn of time that women are the keepers of the earth, men are the keepers of time. The Cailleachs (Mothers of All) help to keep a balance between the elements of earth, sky, land, and sea, but it is not they who have ultimate control. There has to be an equilibrium, center for all four corners to survive. The Emperor Salvanto was reputed to have had a daughter, so she would have inherited the responsibility, been the Supreme Custodian, holding the title of The Zahrah of the Universe. It would have been her duty to keep everything in balance. But since there is no sign of the Emperor’s female heir, each side of the universe is vying for that position, wanting to have complete authority over everything and anything they can.

- Ami Dar’ya – the one who finally brings Amavia into Mieradome. A Cailleach in the Frequentic Sisterhood.

- Naidrau – an orange and green spotted Telkar egg found on the roads back to the Kingdom of Chartina-Astoy. The egg is put into a cauldron by Tai Ming Kiels which helps it come out of the egg. Nairau shows himself as a crimson winged dragon/lizard hybrid creature and his scales that come off, like the shedding of one’s skin, come in very handy later on.

- HRH Prince Garin Pieter Holstalken – acquaintance of Amavia’s, and likes her very much. He is bound to her as his mother put an icon upon his skin (a dragonfly) to be seen only by the person he is connected to.

- Walji Tookie – half sibling of Sasha Tookie, son of Dorlan Tookie. Helps Amavia out of the Temple to meet with the Sacred Brigade to help save Inocian and Thewlis.

- Sasha Tookie – half sibling of Walji Tookie, daughter of Dorlan Tookie. Helps Amavia out of the Temple to meet with the Sacred Brigade to help save Inocian and Thewlis.

- Tai Ming Kiels – an extremely short (he’s only about 4 feet tall) violet Utopisol creature with wrinkled skin, bright blue eyes, four small toes and a long nose that droops down at the end. A wise creature who helps many on their way through Mieradome and explains complex ideas, machines, and elements. Works with Prince Boyt a lot.

-Kaiser Raevin Holstalken – Emperor of Zerkan. Father of Garin & Damodar.

- The Snow Queen, Luminosity Seis – lives up in the clouds above Norsane, Queen of the area of sky. Once upon a time knew Amavia’s mother Anastasica. Was trained by The Sisterhood.

- Feig – one of the Ebony Vauntz’s creature henchmen. Skin of blue midnight and butterscotch daylight, but is not a creature of either.

- Jeiks – one of the Ebony Vauntz’s creature henchmen। Skin of deep green with neon tattoos all along body.

- HRH Prince Damodar Felonius Holstalken – second son of King Raevin. Does not like the fact that Amavia became Empress as he believes his family should hold that right instead.

- HRH Prince Boyt Nikolaos Senrulan – friend of Amavia’s and a Prince of Senrulan (a kingdom of the desert). Very interested in plants and everything herbology-wise. Ends up central to the adventures of Amavia and saving everyone.

The Portrait Room - Bio

2010-10-23T19:02:00.000-07:00

Full name: Kathryn Marie iníon ni hEigceartiagh
Named after family members on both sides of her family tree.

Languages: American English & ASL Fingerspelling

Skills: Martial Arts (Aikido & Tai Chi) & Dance (Ballet, Jazz, Lyrical & Modern)

Awards: Gold & Silver awards in Girl Scouts of the U.S.A; Recognition in Written Composition for GSE (Golden State Exam)

Travels: France, Switzerland, England, Ireland, Greece, Germany, Austria, The Netherlands, Turkey, Canada, and Italy.

First professional performance: Party Adult in Central West Ballet's The Nutcracker (2000)

First professional publication: Southbound Bus (poem, 1999)

First published collection: Mieradome (2010)

Behind the Name:

Kathryn

From the Greek (Hekate), possibly derived from (hekas) meaning “far off”. In Greek mythology, Hecate was a goddess associated with witchcraft, crossroads, tombs, demons, and the underworld.

The Compendium - The Books

2010-10-23T18:54:00.001-07:00

MIERADOME

Mieradome began on a very chilly evening on October 31st, 2002. Yes, I really did begin my fantasy story on one of the best days that celebrates unique oddities, Halloween! I, the idiot that I was, forgot to buy candy that day when I was at the market. The only place in my small apartment where I could have a light on and no one would see me, was my front room where my computer sat. I was trying, with no luck whatsoever, to hide from the trick-or-treaters. I thought about moving my TV into that room, but didn’t want to deal with all the wires and then putting it back when I went to bed. Thus, I put in my headphones and started typing.

• A good many names in my story are actually real surnames! (but, the rest I made up). Some real surnames used in the book: Amavia, Thewlis, Inocian, and Feig.

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THE SASKATOON BALLOON

Coming December 2011