We are so excited to welcome Savannah Jezowski to Lands Uncharted today as part of her Curse and Consequence Blog Tour! My path first crossed with Savannah when we both had stories published in the Mythical Doorways anthology, and when I heard her latest book described as "Jane Austen meets dragons," I just had to know more! I'll share all the details about Curse and Consequence and the blog tour below, but first here's Savannah telling us about the magic system in her story! Enjoy!
The warm glow continued until only a thin strand of blue sparkles coiled around Hugh, like a weak chain desperately fighting to keep him contained.
(Excerpt from Curse and Consequence)
Magic has fascinated readers for generations.
I am no exception. I grew up watching Disney fairy tales and reading classics by C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Diana Wynne Jones, Gail Carson Levine, and Lloyd Alexander. I loved the feeling of being myself enchanted as I entered these fantastical worlds filled with magic rings and oracular pigs.
Magic can be tricky to write, because it has to make sense within your story world. It needs to have its own rules and boundaries, or else it comes across as trite and too convenient. You also have to decide what your magic will look like: is it all smoke and shadows? Lightning strikes and flashes of light? Is it invisible? What does it sound like? What does it smell like? How is it conjured? By a snap of the fingers? A magic wand? A thought?
For my story, I decided to go with sparkles and glowing lights. My design clients will tell you that I love sparkles—they’re so shiny and sparkly and make everything more exciting. For my light-hearted, humorous tale, sparkly just seemed to make sense. I didn’t want anything too grim or sinister.
When I set out to design the magical system in
Curse and Consequence, I also wanted something a little more complicated than Girl Touches a Magic Spindle and Boy Saves Her with a True Love’s Kiss. Not that there’s anything wrong with that…but I love character driven stories. I love personality conflicts and misunderstandings, and I wanted my story world to reflect this.
In
Curse and Consequence, like many fairy tales, you’ll find the basic curse that needs breaking, as well as the spiteful soul who casts the spell—in this case, a greedy faery. Unlike many story worlds, however, such as
Harry Potter or
Howl’s Moving Castle, you won’t find any magic wands or complicated spells. You won’t find magical orbs or pools of enchanted water.
There are no oracular pigs.
The magical system in Dragonshire is more genetic in nature: only those with faery heritage possess it. It’s not something that can be learned or obtained through a magical object like a talisman. Either you have it, or you don’t.
Most importantly, magic is directly related to the emotions and thoughts of the characters.
Is it the kiss that breaks the curse or actually the intentions behind the kiss? Similarly, is it the caster or the emotion driving the curse that truly matters in the end?
(Excerpt from Curse and Consequence)
It’s difficult to say much more on this subject without giving away awful SPOILERS. I should probably just tell you that curses affected by the intents of the heart are much more difficult to break than one that simply requires two bat wings and the essence of a unicorn.
You can’t just go to the faery supermarket and buy yourself a remedy.
So if you decide to visit Dragonshire in the near future, just don’t run amuck of any faery curses.
They’re terribly complicated to get out of.
Thank you so much for sharing with us, Savannah! Doesn't Curse and Consequence sound like fun? Here's the back cover blurb:
When Love visits Ravenhead Hall, sparks fly…quite literally.
Miss Rea Abernathy only wants to honor the family who has taken her under their wing, rescuing her from a life of poverty. But thanks to two determined suitors, she finds herself in a state far worse than the one from which her benefactress saved her.
When Mr. Sedgwick Whitby sets his sights on his mother’s sweet-tempered pig keeper, his orderly life is thrown into chaos: Rea’s station is less–than-desirable, and another gentleman may be pursuing her. Hoping to get his annoyingly charming twin brother out of the way, Sedgwick purchases a simple curse from a disreputable faery which consequently plunges them all into a misfortune far more serious than troubles of the heart.
With time running out to break the curse and tempers flying high, can Sedgwick and Rea set things right and find love after all? Jane Austen meets dragons in this frolicking fantasy romance about a comely pig keeper, two wealthy gentlemen, and the curse binding them all together. Perfect for fans of Diana Wynne Jones and Gail Carson Levine.
I love it! You can find Curse and Consequence on Amazon and Goodreads. And here's a little more about the author:
Savannah Jezowski lives in Amish country with her Knight in Shining Armor and a wee warrior princess. She is the founder of Dragonpen Designs and Dragonpen Press, which offers author services such as cover design, developmental edits, and interior formatting. Her debut novella “Wither” is featured in
Five Enchanted Roses, an anthology of Beauty and the Beast, and is a prequel to
The Neverway Chronicles, a Christian fantasy series filled with tragic heroes and the living dead. She is also the author of
When Ravens Fall, a Norse Beauty and the Beast retelling. She is featured in several Fellowship of Fantasy anthologies, including
Mythical Doorways,
Tales of Ever After, and
Paws, Claws, and Magic Tales. When she isn’t writing, Savannah likes to read books, watch BBC miniseries, and play with cover design. She also enjoys having tea with her imaginary friends.
You can connect with Savannah on her website, newsletter, Facebook page, Facebook group, Twitter, and Amazon author page. Make sure to catch the rest of the blog tour stops! Here's the full schedule:Monday, June 1st
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Katherine Brown Books: Book Review
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C O Bonham: Book Review
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Beka Gremikova: Book Review & Book Excerpt
Tuesday, July 2nd
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Jessica Belmont: Book Review
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Lands Uncharted: Guest Post on Magic
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The L. Palmer Chronicles: Guest Post on Themes of
Curse and ConsequenceWednesday, July 3rd
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Paper, Ink, Lizard: Book Review
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Baroness’ Book Trove: Book Review
Thursday, July 4th
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She Hearts Fiction: Guest Post on Themes of
Curse and Consequence & Book Review
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Flowers of Quiet Happiness: Book Review
Friday, July 5th
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Annie Louise Twitchell: Book Review
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Selina J. Eckert: Book Spotlight
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Kyle Robert Shultz: Book Review & Author Interview
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Pooled Ink: Book Review
Saturday, July 6th
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The Rustic Reading Gal: Book Spotlight
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Bold Reads: Book Review & Book Excerpt
Sunday, July 7th
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Unicorn Quester: Blog Tour Wrap-Up
