Friday, July 11, 2014

Elemental Storytelling: HENRIETTA AND THE DRAGON STONE by Beth Barany

  
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

A new story of young adult epic fantasy adventure by award-winning author, Beth Barany.

Book 2 in the Five Kingdom series of the continuing adventures of Henrietta The Dragon Slayer.

What if everyone you loved was threatened by a force you couldn't see or fight?

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):
iTunes 


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.




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