But I Smile Anyway…

Today I am delighted to have my dear Blog Sis, Colleen Chesebro over to tell us about her newest book, Fairies, Myths & Magic, part two!

Many thanks to you, Ritu, for the opportunity to share the news of my new
book, just in time for the winter solstice and Yule.

I often write about spirituality and faith in my poetry. In Fairies, Myths, & Magic II, I concentrated on some of the more mystical aspects of faith.
It’s not unusual for me to use the symbolism of a tree to represent a connection between the different cosmic zones. There is always an upper, middle, and lower level the mystic travels to arrive at a mystical revelation.
In the story poem “A Prayer to the Rowan Tree,” I share the legend of the Rowan tree as it connects to Paganism. It’s interesting how these myths and legends endure. The Rowan tree is still recognized as protection against witchcraft and enchantment.
The physical characteristics of the tree contribute to its protective reputation. If you examine a berry from the tree, you will see a small five- pointed star or pentagram on the bottom of the fruit. The pentagram is an ancient protective symbol.

(Image by H. Hach from Pixabay)

Another attribute of protection was the colour of the berries—red! Ancient people believed the vibrant red protected them against magic!

I’ll share the poem portion of the story “A Prayer to the Rowan Tree” here:

sacred rowan tree—
life-giver to all women
motherhood, birth, blood,
the fragility of life,
represents to us
protection and survival
under your abundant boughs
fleeting white blossoms
five-pointed starred red berries
start anew each spring
frail trees of the bleak highlands,
grows next to heaven
protects the living from the dead
no evil can enter here…
© Colleen M. Chesebro

Thanks so much, Ritu. I enjoyed spending time with you.

How lovely, Colleen! I had a chance to read an ARC of the book, and I will share my review, below.

My Review:

Fairies, Myths, & Magic II: Book 2: A Winter Celebration by Colleen M. Chesebro
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Fairies, Myths & Magic book 2, as it brought a sprinkling of mysticism to the darkening nights.
Colleen Chesebro has woven her poetic verse and stories within recounts of various myths and legends, all things fae, and it won my heart!
The first story, about the changeling, was my favourite read. These things fascinate me, and if you are looking for something to add a little magic to your life, then you should really pick up a copy of this!

About the Book:

In this second book in the Fairies, Myths, & Magic series, step into a world
where dark fairies, and other magical beings converge in a collection of
poetry and short stories inspired by winter and the celebration of the winter
solstice.
From Autumn’s scary fairies to the forgotten female characters of Yule,
prepare to embrace the magical winter solstice myths from around the
world. Meet Frau Holle in the Wild Hunt, Befana—the Christmas Witch of
Italy, and the Japanese goddess Ameratasu who controls the springtime.
Prepare to embrace the Scottish trows, The Irish Goddess of Winter—the
Cailleach Béara, and Snegurochka—the Snow Girl.
Learn how to make Yuletide rituals part of your celebration by embracing the
symbols of Yule by decorating with evergreens and crystals.

Fairies, Myths, & Magic II Links:
Colleen’s Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Colleen-M-
Chesebro/e/B01N9MV2RX
Amazon Universal Link: https://mybook.to/FairiesMythsMagicII

About the Author:

An avid reader, Colleen M. Chesebro rekindled her love of writing poetry
after years spent working in the accounting industry. These days, she loves
crafting syllabic poetry, flash fiction, and creative fiction and nonfiction.
In addition to poetry books, Chesebro’s publishing career includes
participation in various anthologies featuring short stories, flash fiction, and
poetry. She’s an avid supporter of her writing community on Word Craft
Poetry.com by organizing and sponsoring a weekly syllabic poetry challenge,
called #TankaTuesday, where participants experiment with traditional and
current forms of Japanese and American syllabic poetry.
Chesebro is an assistant editor of The Congress of the Rough Writers Flash
Fiction Anthology & Gitty Up Press, a micro-press founded by Charli Mills and
Carrot Ranch.
In January 2022, Colleen founded Unicorn Cats Publishing Services to assist
poets and authors in creating eBooks and print books for publication. In
addition, she creates affordable book covers for Kindle and print books.
Chesebro lives in the house of her dreams in mid-Michigan surrounded by
the Great Lakes with her husband and two (unicorn) cats, Chloe & Sophie.
Find Colleen here:
Word Craft Poetry: https://wordcraftpoetry.com
Colleen M. Chesebro, Author, Poet & Unicorn Cats Publishing Services:
https://colleenmchesebro.com

Facebook Page: Colleen M. Chesebro, Poet & Author:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085941528913
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/colleen-m-chesebro-6b856b237