Sent: Fri 2/20/09 4:14 PM
To: dennyswartzlander@hotmail.com
"Hello Mr. Swartzlander,
I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed Eleganta. It was so much better than the Lord of the Rings trilogy, mostly because hobbits are fictional and fairies are not. It was much more exciting reading and I immersed myself into it completely. Your descriptions of nature the fairies soaked up felt like I was there with them. But, I have to know what happened to Ethywyne. What became of Preen? Please tell me you're writing the sequel. I can't stand the suspense.
Thanks so much,
Jason G."
Comment from Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars a wonderful find, March 15, 2009
By Amanda Fitch
"i loved this book. it is too bad that it has not had any exposure. i read Twilight before this book and that one was not nearly as good."
Fan email from a satisfied reader:
Sent: Sun 5/03/09 12:10 AM
To: Denny Swartzlander (dennyswartzlander@hotmail.com)
"I absolutely loved it! The characters and details are enchanting. My 14 year old is reading it now. I caught him up at 2am last night reading. It's really hard to discipline a teenager -- especially a BOY -- for staying up late to read. lol. He has already asked me if there is a 2nd book. I let him know you are already working on one. He says his favorite part so far is the imagery is excellent. We are definitely looking forward to your next novel!
good luck and thank you for such an excellent book!
Jenn V."
Comment from Lulu.com:
24 Dec 2008 (updated 24 Dec 2008)
"I absolutely love the book! It is very well written and has all the elements of a good novel: mystery, danger, humor, romance,tragedy and victory. The creative ways the writer describes the lovable fairies, their unique dwellings and the magical use of the fairy dust on the perilous journey to the Queen's castle is quite imaginative. The value of friendship and trust is shown throughout the novel. I have shared this book with friends and family of different ages and they all love it. Can't wait for the sequel!!
For those who live in the Kansas City area, Eleganta is now available at The Reading Reptile in Brookside, Prospero's Books in Westport, and Rainy Day Books in Fairway.
Eleganta – An introduction
What must first be told is that somewhere in the northern seas of our earth, there was an isle, fairly small in size, but large enough to contain a variety of different landscapes, strewn with snowy mountains, thriving forests, dry plains, and snaking rivers. The location of the isle today can only be given in such terms as ‘northwest of the land of the Irish’, or ‘somewhere in the seas beyond England, but before reaching Greenland.’ No one is quite sure, even to this very day, how to find the place. It is said to be hidden behind the fog, and the only way to happen upon it is to get lost in a northern storm. At the storm’s end, the isle will be seen granting the safety of its shores. Some have even said the isle does not really exist and that the tales coming from it are but myths derived from traveling storytellers. Perhaps you’ll form your own opinion, when all is said and done.
For many thousands of years, the isle, undiscovered by human kind, nurtured and evolved an array of interesting creatures, not unlike any isolated environment left alone to give rise to animals found only there. One such creature said to have arisen from the rich forests there is known today as the fairy, and it was one such fairy who unknowingly, for better or for worse, changed the course of every species on the isle.
By most accounts, though variations have been told, it was the year of the modern calendar 876 A.D, on a day in the month of June. The world was well into its age of darkness, lost in the savagery and ignorance brought forth from the collapse of empires. In the region to the north of Western Europe, where lie the great isles of Britain, people were sparse and uncivilized, and fierce men from the icy Norse lands roamed the seas, seeking out new land to pillage and plunder, and form new settlements of their own. It was a time ruled by the sword and the shield, when people lived in fear and desperation, and the mysteries of the earth had yet to be solved.
Although I am technically the author of this book, I think of myself more as a kind of ghost writer. This is because fairies and goblins are telling it to me as I write it. The tale has been passed down through many generations of both species (resulting in often differing versions from the two), and I am merely attempting to record the said events in a balanced manner. 'Eleganta' is a true story, in so much as the words of fairies and goblins can be believed. Why they've chosen me to record their story I don't know, but I find myself with fairies on my right and goblins on my left, eager to see their tale in print, so what choice do I have?
I will write it, and I hope many will read it, for the subjects of its plot are far too often forgotten, or pushed aside as mere fantasy. 'Eleganta' is their story, from their own mouths, through my pen, to you.
ELEGANTA - Enter the 9th century, a time of magic and mystery. On a hidden isle in the seas near England, a young fairy named Ethywyne Eleganta secretly gives birth to the first youngling in fourteen years. She and her child become the hunted prize of the wicked troll general Sunderin. Ethywyne must make the perilous journey across the Fairy Realms, to get her child to the Fairy Queen, the only one who can protect her from the shadow that seeks to destroy all of Fairykind.
Her experience takes her from a humble life of gardening and craft-making to the center of an adventure that grows to involve fickle goblins, giant ogres, magic fairy dust, thieving pixies, an enchanted hedge maze, and even Vikings of the Norse lands who happen upon the isle in their plundering voyages.
Wanted to let everybody know that tomorrow I am taking Dad to a different doctor to have his artery rechecked and see if they can take care of that blocked artery. I desperately hope that this doctor can help him. So your thoughts or prayers will be appreciated !!!