by Gwyn Dolyn
Runner-up in the 2017 Hollywood Book Festival Awards
When
a gwyllion wind engulfs 13-year-old Apple Standish outside of her
Irish
middle school, the veil between her everyday reality and an unseen
world is momentarily torn away.
Apple catches a glimpse into another ether-world, where she locks
eyes
with Tak, the feline leader of a clandestine order of numinous
nine-lived cats, known by tree folk and fey alike as Magnificats.
The effect of this unseasonable sheegee sweeps Apple out of her
attachment to bitterness over her parents’ divorce and into a
massive
struggle to save the world from a powerful demon wind she
accidentally
releases.
Along the way, she meets her first true friend, an awkward and
isolated
foster child with a gift for healing animals named Krystal, as well
as
Magnificat leaders, including the Clouders,
constant allies of the human race throughout their time on earth,
both
openly and secretly. The events set in motion entangle both girls in
a
magical struggle against a terrifying enemy,
and ultimately bring them to a new understanding of courage,
purpose, loyalty, and family.
Gwyn Dolyn holds a B.A. in Educational Philosophy, including
southwestern Native American learning philosophies, from Prescott
College,
and has worked in the field of healing arts for over twenty years.
She
attended Pacific College of Oriental Medicine at the M.A. level, and
taught art from K-12 in court, public,
and private school settings. Her career evolved into Child
Protective
Services advocacy, which provided her insight behind the iron
curtain
of the foster care system,
and into the lives of children and teens under conditions of
poverty, abuse, and neglect.
Gwyn writes periodically for her local newspaper on military history
and American armed services heroes. This experience has taught her
what
forms a hero.
Magnificat Tak and other characters in this debut novel exhibit
those values.
Having traveled to Ireland, the magic that colors the Erin land
attuned her to ancient lore.
Why dare to move a tree for a road when it may house a thousand
Faerie
families (especially since Faeries retaliate in the most
uncomfortable
ways)?
Why not read the language of trees when a leaf lands at one’s feet?
Or listen to a changing wind for direction?
The primary setting for Magnificats could be nowhere other than the
enchanted Emerald Isle.
For additional information, news, and resources for educators,
please visit the author’s website:
https://www.magnificatbooks.com/
or email her:
gwyndolynauthor@gmail.com
