With the blessing of TV Tropes, the Snarkology is pleased to host a blog series based on the Periodic Table of Storytelling.
Enjoy!
The
hero’s journey: an archetypal story pattern, common in ancient myths as well as
modern day adventures. Henrietta the legendary dragon slayer goes on the
classic hero’s journey, starting with receiving a magical tchotchke, the dragon
stone. Hence the title, Henrietta and The Dragon Stone, Book 2 of the Five
Kingdoms series
Action
Girl: Henrietta is a young woman of action. Don’t ask her to sit on her duff,
and she doesn’t like being confined to small spaces. TVTropes says, “The Action
Girl is a female fighter who can go toe to toe with her male counterparts
without breaking a sweat.” Yah, that’s Henrietta, which leads us to the next
element.
Badass:
“Badass is an adjective used to describe a character who gets away with
outright insane stunts,” says TVtropes.org. Henrietta is a bit larger than
life, especially now that she’s affected by the magic of the Dragon Stone. Much
of what she does would be hard to pull off in real life. She is a fantasy
figure with whom the audience roots for and wants to be like.
Saving
the World: Over the course of book 2, she’s being asked to take lead and save
the world. It’s inevitable, others tell her, though she doesn’t want to hear
it. This is an overarching theme of the whole series. (I’m writing book 3 now,
and day-dreaming book 4.)
Conflict:
Throughout the story Henrietta is faced with conflict in the form of crazy
fighters, evil baddy minions, magic, masked enemies, and her own guilt about
the past.
Omnicidal
Maniac: In this book 2, Henrietta realizes for the first time about the big
baddy who is hunting her at every turn, and is going after everyone she
cares about. He wants what she has – the Dragon Stone -- so he can get what he
really wants -- which is total control over the Five Kingdoms and even beyond.
He unleashes destruction and chaos wherever he and his minions go.
Title:
Henrietta and the Dragon Stone
Publisher:
Firewolf Books
Date
Published: 1/29/2014
Genre:
Young Adult Fantasy/Epic Adventure
Word
Count: 85,000
Excerpt:
Jaxter
sounded so serious, so different from his earlier joking bard self she’d spent
nearly a full moon on the road with. Jaxter had been an apprentice then journeyman
jester and bard for years in a Baron’s Hall in her own kingdom, the Kingdom of
Bleuve, across the sea.
“Lots
of changes in such a short time.” Henrietta nodded and ignored a shimmer of
nervousness, this time in her gut.
“The
same for you.” Jaxter gestured to the Dragon Stone around her neck.
She
touched the healing stone. Smooth and cool with its diamond-cut edges, the
Dragon Stone’s magic so close to her made her nervous. The dragon Mimoto had
chosen her and had given her the stone before the great beast had shifted into
a rainbow of light. Henrietta had to do right by the dragon and the stone’s
healing gift somehow. For starters, she’d be bringing it home to heal her
mentor from the mysterious illness that had him wasting away.
Henrietta
waited for Jaxter to tell her the reason for their early morning secretive
meeting. It couldn’t be good, though her nerves could only be from
anticipation. She always felt jumpy before an adventure.
About
the Book
Henrietta the legendary dragon slayer wants
to return to her village for a heroes’ welcome. But an unknown sorcerer rides
after her and her Dragon Stone and aims to destroy everyone she cares about.
Can she claim her newfound powers sparked by the Dragon Stone and keep her
loved ones safe, or will the sorcerer destroy everyone and everything she
loves?
What
Readers are Saying:
“Five
star heroine -- Ambushes, magic, dragon stones, and mystery, Henrietta is a
wonderful role model as a heroine.” – Chris on Amazon.com
“A story
full of magic and adventure -- I couldn't stop reading this book. Beth has
written a compulsive page-turner. Vibrant action and adventure and magic that
does not strain credibility. And great dialogue to boot.” – Rohi Shetty
“Fun
page turner! -- Henrietta and the Dragon Stone is a real page turner and is apt
to please anyone who loves young adult fantasy or adventure novels. Beth Barany
is an award-winning novelist and really knows how to keep a reader's interest
and keep the plot racing along! It's so good to have a female protagonist
that's not a wimp or a horrible role model for young women.” –
“customerlovingit” on Amazon.com
Book 1 of the Five Kingdoms, Henrietta The
Dragon Slayer was the 2012 Grand Prize winner at the California Fiction Writers
Book Contest and the 2011 Finalist at the Hollywood Book Festival.
Reader reviews of the award-winning young
adult fantasy, Henrietta The Dragon Slayer, Book 1 in the Five Kingdoms series
“As far as young adult fantasies go,
Henrietta, The Dragon Slayer is a good read that I think any age, teen to
adult, would enjoy. I only hope a sequel is in the works!” --LunaMoth
“The witty dialogue and good story line makes
this book hard to put down. I really could not stop reading it and was really
tired the next day. It's also very satisfying to read about a girl heroine
fighting the good fight.” --Jeri
“Beth, best known for strong heroines in her
stories, this story is no exception. It is a tale of righteousness and
overcoming adversity including magic.” --Robert Mendak "RJ"
“The book is a beautiful story about
friendship, a heroine, and a quest to kill a dragon. Who wouldn't be excited?
The entire concept sounded interesting and I was not at all disappointed.”
--Brittany, from Goodreads
“Beth Barany has made a world where unlikely
friendships rule and being a friend means more than you can know.” --Tami, from
Goodreads
Where
to find Henrietta and the Dragon Stone (Book 2):
About
Beth Barany
Award-winning
author, Beth Barany has been making up fantasy and adventure stories all her
life.
She writes
magical tales of romance and adventure for women and girls to transport them to
new worlds where anything is possible.
In
her off hours, Beth enjoys capoeira, reading and watching movies, and
traveling, with her husband, author and singer/song writer Ezra Barany.
Beth
Barany lives in Oakland, California with her husband, two cats, and over 1,000
books.
Some
fun facts about Beth: She’s run 4 sprint triathlons (swim, bike, run) and
finished each one, and she’s so far earned 2 belts in capoeira. More fun facts
about Beth here.
More
places to find Beth Barany:
Enter
the giveaway for more places to friend/follow/stalk Beth Barany.
Giveaway
Beth
is running a very special and exclusive giveaway for the duration of Melissa
Snark’s blog series based on the Periodic Table of Storytelling.
She’s
giving away 1 bracelet and 1 pendant necklace to 2 lucky winners. Use the
Rafflecopter to enter the giveaways. Prizes can only be shipped to US
addresses.
Congratulations on a great story idea, Beth. Nice to see your smiling face. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kayelle! :)
ReplyDelete