Donna White – Lyndsey Hall

Hi friends! There’s just two weeks until my next charity anthology, Enchanted Forests, is released, and today I want to give you a sneak peek at the absolutely beautiful artwork Elena Shelest has created for our stories. Plus, a little summary of each tale to give you a flavour of the anthology.

Ready to take a look?

Gems of Fae and Foolery by Alice Ivinya

In this fresh take on the Frog Prince fairytale, two female dwarves on the run from an indentured labour camp at the mines become entangled with an arrogant fae lord.

The Lucky Tortoise by Ben Lang

A fugitive child and his tortoise friend seek refuge in the mangroves.

A prince’s duty is to bring his people luck. Pity this one is more occupied by his giant tortoise.

Feather Green by Jennifer Kropf

When Estheryn overhears the royal family’s secrets, it’s her father who pays the price, resulting in a careless murder that propels her to do the unthinkable: disobey the direct order of the Prince of Persianna and enter the forest.

Apple and the Dead Forest by Xander Cross

In a desolate post-apocalyptic world riven by famine, three children make a journey for seeds defended by a dragon.

To Snare a Prince by Sky Sommers

What do you do when a six-headed dragon complains of indigestion after it’s just gobbled up a dark elf? Easy, you tell him to wait in line and go consult your Granny’s magical books.

Blood of the Unicorn by N.D.T. Casale

A wicked queen’s desire for blood from the hearts of unicorns, sends a princess through a divided forest into the shadows of death.

Dimension of the Sasquatch by Donna White

A lot has happened to the curator of a supernatural treasure trove since she discovered that she can walk through different dimensions, now she’s traveling with Bigfoot.

The Fern Flower by Elena Shelest

On the night when the legendary fern flower appears in the forest, will Miray and Savko find their true path?

Willow Daughter by Astrid V.J.

In this retelling of Erutan’s Celtic song, The Willow Maid, a woodcutter follows a song into the forbidden depths of the forest and finds himself tangled in a deadly conflict between the Willow Daughter and the Forest Father.

One Fair Eve by Lyndsey Hall (that’s me!)

Pip’s desire to escape his impoverished mining town and play piano in the world’s most prestigious concert halls leads to a bargain that could spell his doom. Are three years of fame and fortune worth the price he’ll pay – an eternity as the Goblin King?

And there you have it! If those brief blurbs and the stunning artwork haven’t sold you on Enchanted Forests, then nothing will! Except, maybe, the fact that we’re donating all profits to the Rainforest Foundation to support their work preventing deforestation and working with indigenous communities who rely on the forests for income and resources.

We’ve smashed our preorder goal (and honestly any expectation we ever had is on the floor in tatters, and we couldn’t be prouder!) but we’d still love to raise even more money for this incredible organisation. So if you can spare $2.99 and you love folklore and fairytale inspired fantasy stories, then you can still preorder Enchanted Forests here: https://mybook.to/Enchanted-Forests

Or, you can wait until release day, 1 July, and buy the beautiful paperback!

And get ready for an exciting announcement next week about our next project…

Lyndsey

Hello, hello! The weather has brightened up considerably here in the Midlands (I imagine ‘the Midlands’ sounds pretty *^*fantasy*^* to people from outside of the UK, but it means exactly what it sounds like, the middle section of England).

We’re just over a month away from Once Upon a Name‘s release day, so if you fancy getting 20 short fantasy stories for 0.99 and supporting Book Aid International to provide reading resources and libraries in underprivileged countries, then you can preorder the book here.

Today, I want to share a chat I had with my new Enchanted Anthologies coauthor, Donna White. Enchanted Forests comes out 1 July and we’re so excited to share this follow up to Enchanted Waters, which will be raising funds for the Rainforest Foundation, and will be fully illustrated with gorgeous artwork by our incredibly talented coauthors, Elena Shelest.

On with the show!

Hi Donna! It’s lovely to get to chat with you finally, and welcome to the Enchanted Anthologies team! First off, can you tell us a little about yourself?

I was born and raised in Tennessee where I started writing rock-n-roll songs about my cats and their adventures at the age of eight. My life was filled with tree climbing, playing in any source of water, reading mysteries, and exploring with my animals in tow. Fast forward a few years, I married the Man of My Dreams and we moved out west, ending up in southern California. We share four wonderful children and a pack of large, well-loved dogs. Writing brings me joy, as does being in the outdoors and driving fast cars. For the great indoors, I love cooking and interior design. My husband is the biggest supporter in my writing. He talks over my stories with me, helps me with the technology, and keeps a stocked home library for our family.

That sounds wonderful, my husband isn’t a big reader, but I’m trying to instill a love of books in our little boy. And life wouldn’t be worth living without a pack of large dogs to snuggle! Tell us a little about your favourite books to read and write.

I’m a fantasy girl. I love the action/adventure stories of Robert Howard’s Conan the Barbarian series. I’ve always been drawn to ancient cultures and different styles of fighting. J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit is my all-time favorite book. The forest adventures and wild creatures resonate with my imagination. I admire J.K. Rowling’s use of many legends taken from cultures throughout the world and given a new spin with stories inside stories. My first book is The Whitmere Legacy: Inheritance which deals with a middle-aged mama and her unwanted inheritance. It turns out there’s some supernatural mysteries and dangers that warrants the use of her hidden talents, alongside some pretty talented friends. One of my reviewers called me “a master of cryptic chill…” because I can put the scare factor in my tales. The second book is The Whitmere Legacy: Heritage which unravels some of the mysteries, and unlocks some scary beings. Readers are treated to mythological creatures, exotic locations, twists and turns, spine-tingling chills, lots of fighting, southern charm, friendship, humor, and gumbo. There’s always gumbo.

Here is the link to my Amazon author page.

Wow, that sounds fantastic, I love books that are inspired by mythology and folklore – especially cultures I don’t know as much about. Books that I can learn something from at the same time as being entertained are my favourite. Where do you find inspiration for your characters or settings?

I’m over 50, so I’ve had a lot of experiences from modeling posh clothing to practicing Japanese martial arts that make it into my stories. I also know some of the most colorful individuals on this planet whose adventures get polished and handed to my characters. Once I saw someone who looked like they just escaped from the set of The Lost Boys walking around in the searing California sun. I took it from there and created more than I expected. Most of my settings are places I’ve been, or scenes that I’ve dreamed. Nature, grand or gothic architecture make for iconic atmospheres.

Those are some interesting and diverse sources of inspiration! It’s amazing when you can take bits and pieces from a dozen different places and combine them to make a story that is completely unique and yet still relatable. Do you consider yourself a plotter, pantser or plantser?

I start every story with a scene that mills around in my head for a long time. The characters start out simple. They grow with the story. My body has to be engaged with an activity, and my mind has to be working on something satisfying for my imagination to be free. I have my ideas when I’m working in the kitchen while listening to music, or driving on the freeway. After I’ve written some scenes and stitched them together, then I jot down all the other scenes in my head and put them in order. So, usually halfway through the first draft I have an outline. The story changes as I write it, but it’s good to have a list of things I don’t want to forget while in the wild stages of manic writing. I’m a plantser.

I’m somewhere between plotter and pantser too, but leaning more towards plotter. I need a framework before I can even start, or I’ll get myself into a tangled mess that no amount of editing can ever get me out of! What are you working on right now?

I’m writing the first draft of the third book in The Whitmere Legacy series.

Exciting! What one piece of advice would you give aspiring authors?

Read On Writing by Stephen King. It doesn’t matter what genre you write. This master of the craft can teach you how to produce compelling stories.

Thank you so much for chatting with me today Donna! It’s been a pleasure, and I can’t wait to read your story for Enchanted Forests! Before I let you go, how can we find out more about you and your books?

Website: https://www.amazon.com/author/donnawhitethewhitmerelegacy

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whitmerelegacy

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/thewhitmerelegacy  

Donna’s story in Enchanted Forests, Dimension of the Sasquatch, is a companion story to her series The Whitmere Legacy, so you can get a taste for Donna’s writing before diving into her novels AND help us raise funds for the Rainforest Foundation at the same time!

Happy reading folks,