Hunters of the Dream
by Ingrid Koivukangas
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: YA Fantasy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
When
the summer holidays begin, Aurora thinks she’s just a normal teenager about to
have another boring summer. Then, for her seventeenth birthday, Nana Brin gives
her a long-silent Oracle that has been passed down through their family for
generations. The mysterious Oracle soon awakens in response to the creeping
Darkness that is escaping and destroying all worlds. Aurora must quickly find
the courage to come to terms with her calling as the Huntress of the Dream.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt
Three:
As the Bone Seer began to pick up another bone, she
hesitated, cocking her head from side to side, as if listening to someone
speaking. She breathed in sharply, surprised, and suddenly frightened, and in a
high pitched voice began singing:
The
wise one will read the signs,
As
the all seeing one awakens,
When
the drum woman travels,
And
the compass unravels,
And
he, who swims between worlds,
Joins
the one who sparks and twirls,
The
broken wing is set free,
The
wolves howl and protect thee,
Gathering
under a double moon,
Agreements
hewn,
The
Huntress is born again,
As
Darkness slips its chains.
Looking directly into Aurora’s eyes she hissed, “The
Darkness is waking, Aurora. There are many teachings you must complete, and
amulets and allies to gather in preparation for the battles ahead. You must
find your fellow hunters before the Darkness escapes and finds you, or all will
be lost.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Ingrid
Koivukangas, BFA, MFA, is an award winning environmental artist, writer,
designer, Reiki Master and educator.
As an artist
Ingrid works intuitively at sites creating new works in response to sites and
their energies and histories both natural and human. Her work encompasses many
media including site specific ephemeral, large scale public works, writing,
video, photography, sound, web, sculpture, painting, drawing and printmaking.
Ingrid's
artworks have been exhibited in Canada, the USA, Europe and Asia. She's been
featured as an artist in residence on CBC-TV; has had numerous gallery
exhibitions; has many site specific ephemeral works left in situ and large
scale permanent public art projects.
Ingrid's
artworks have been included in many publications and books including: Art in
Action: Nature, Creativity and Our Collective Future, published by the Natural
World Museum and the United Nations Environmental Programme and Art + Science
Now: How scientific research and technological innovation are becoming key to
21st-century aesthetics by Stephen Wilson, Professor of Conceptual and
Information Arts at San Francisco State University. One of her favourite
publications to be included in is Scholastic Book's Now See This! Art That
Influences.
Ingrid has a
Bachelor of Fine Arts, with Distinction, from the University of British
Columbia Okanagan and a Master of Fine Arts, Environmental Sculpture, from the
University of Calgary. You can view her work at: www.ingridkoivukangas.com
Ingrid lives on
Salt Spring Island with her husband Robin, two dogs, Lucy and Scout, and a
fierce cat named Hunter.
Interview with Ingrid Koivukangas
As a kid did you write
or make up stories?
I think my child self would tell you there is no real
difference between the two, only that one is written and the other spoken.
Where does most of your Character inspiration come from?
Most of the characters arrive through dreams and during
meditations.
Do some qualities of your characters
come from real people?
All the characters in Hunters of the Dream are fictional. I
think that characters, in all books, have qualities that are shared with real
people.
What was the inspiration for your book?
As an environmental artist my work is about creating a new
sense of awareness between people and the natural world around them. I work
with deep intuition, dreams and meditation. Most of my work is gallery-based,
and often combined with workshops and residencies working with small groups. I wanted
to reach more people and invite them to see, and experience a world of wonder. I have always loved storytelling and writing and had been
thinking about how I could share some of the experiences I’ve had working with
Nature and Spirit, and combine them with fictional characters. I wanted to reach out
and speak to the hearts of youth, and adults. As my intention became clearer,
the Hunters of the Dream characters began to arrive, during meditations. They
each carried a part of the story with them, and their stories blended with
parts of mine to become the Hunters of the Dream Trilogy.
What is your favorite spot to write?
I love writing by the water, whether it’s the ocean, a lake,
a pond, river or stream. My studio looks out an artesian spring fed pond.
What advice would you give budding
writers?
Just keep writing. Keep following the story. Stay true to
your characters. Don’t give up.
***
Links:
NOTE: Hunters of the Dream will be available at Amazon from February 22 to March 20 for only $0.99
Visit the World of Wonder membership site. This site is for
Hunters of the Dream readers. Continue exploring the world of Hunters of the
Dream: http://bit.ly/EnterAWorldofWonder
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER
CODE
Ingrid
Koivukangas will be awarding an Eco Heart Oracle Deck valued at $28 US, (the
Eco Heart Oracle is an integral part of the Hunters of the Dream trilogy) to a
randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour (International
Giveaway).
RAFFLECOPTER
CODE:
