Bridging the Void Between Heart and Story
Guest blog post by Heidi Garrett
I believe at its core the heart is nonverbal. It registers, it receives, it responds, it loves, it bleeds, it breaks, it heals, it pulses, but it doesn’t speak. Not with words. Thus, there is rapture in devouring stories, words, anything that translates the heart’s wordless depths into the realm of the verbal…for discussion…and connection.
The best novels achieve some measure of capturing the nonverbal experience of the heart and bringing it to the page, so that we may better understand, acknowledge, and accept our own ecstatic, unfathomable, and oftentimes, wayward beats.
The way I see it, the reviewer of books lives—there—in the space between the wordless heart and the word-obsessed storyteller. By offering their interpretation on whether the impossible—giving word to the wordless—has been achieved, the reviewer speaks for the heart, answering these questions: Has something been released into the world’s consciousness? Has something been clarified? Has something been brought up from the depths and into the light?
Is this important? You bet it is. The pen is mightier than the sword, and a skilled reviewer of books wields cultural, economic, and philosophical power. And they work for it. Thoughtful, well-written, insightful, and independent book reviews require a passion for reading, a respect for the reader, and that uncanny ability to bridge the void between the heart and the story.
I do check reviews before I pick up a book. Most of the time, at that point, I’m glossing over them. There’s one exception to this: the Goodread’s Updates from my friends. When I’m scanning through those, I’m looking for reviews that stand out to me, and whenever I find one that does, I’ll like it and add the book to my to-read list. Otherwise, I’m a forager when it comes to books, kind of going off on my own.
My favorite time to read a review is after I’ve read a book, especially if that book has had an impact on me. I want to get other readers take on it. Then when I read a review and feel that yes, they got it, too, it’s a blissful moment. The reviewer has grasped what I’ve felt or experienced when I read the novel and that leaves me with a sense of connection. It is a connection incremental to the one that I felt while reading the book, the added value that community always brings.
Great reviewers give us that. That’s why we read them, whether or not we profess to. That is why they are so important to both readers and writers.
Heidi Garrett is the author of The Queen of the Realm of Faerie series. Her personal message to all her readers is:
Once upon a time, you lived in an enchanted world, too…
There is magic in all our lives; sometimes we need to look through different eyes to see it.
The Queen of the Realm of Faerie includes many strong female characters within an intricate fantasy land. It is also a fairy tale fantasy.
The first book, Nandana’s Mark, is one of those free ebooks; the second book, The Flower of Isbelline, is now available; and the third book, The Dragon Carnivale, will be released in June 2013.
The series was inspired by the 15th century French fairy tale, Melusine.
Heidi’s hope is that when you read her books, you will rediscover the enchantment in your own life.
She currently resides in eastern Washington with her husband and their two cats. So far, she loves the snow. Being from the South, she finds it magical.
Learn more about Heidi and enjoy her stream-of-consciousness reading journal, Eating Magic, at: www.heidigwrites.blogspot.com.
Cover Reveal
When the story opens in the first book, Melia is troubled by her dark moon visions, gossip she overhears about her parents at the local market, and the trauma of living among full-blooded faeries with wings—she doesn’t have any. As the series unfolds, the historic and mystical forces that shape Melia’s life are revealed. Each step of her journey—to find the place where she belongs—alters her perceptions about herself, deepens her relationships with others, and enlarges her world view. In The Dragon Carnivale, book 3 of The Queen of the Realm of Faerie, energies in the Enchanted World are shifting and new alliances are forming; the Battle of Dark and Light has begun. Melia is desperate to make things right with Ryder, the young priest from Idonne, but first she must warn the half-bloods in the Mortal World that Umbra is coming for them, and face the powerful Dragonwitch and her spectacular Dragon Carnivale.
The Dragon Carnivale is scheduled for a June 18, 2013, release.
Sign-up for Heidi Garrett’s new release email List and receive a lavender and gold Half-Faerie bracelet while supplies last…because you’re half faerie, too, right?
Want To Read The Entire Series?
The first two books in the series: Nandana’s Mark and The Flower of Isbelline are currently available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, and Smashwords. Nandana’s Mark is free.
Dark visions haunt the half-faerie Melia, but try as she might, she cannot chase away the images of destruction that are linked to her father’s ambitions. Looking for a way to stop him and the visions, she visits the Illustrator and is given a strange mark meant to bring her help. Before it arrives, a tragic accident occurs and a family’s dark legacy is revealed. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!
Download now from FREE!!!
The half-faerie Melia wants to save her sister from a false marriage, and their world from a dark power. But her sister is determined to pursue their father’s damning legacy, and the cost of denying true love will be apocalyptic.
What’s not to love? I love your awesome taste in books. 🙂
What do I love about this blog? I love the cosmopolitan feeling. Coming here feels like going to the big city:) And…I discovered Misty’s reviews on Goodreads.com. I LOVE THEM, and now, always look for them. She’s always got something clever, snappy, tart, and/or intelligent to say about the books she reads. Misty, thank you for having me guest post and showing off our new cover for book 3, Heidi
Ohhh… “Tart” I like that. 🙂
The posts and blog layout