The Foll Stones by Brigid Huey

Do you love a good fantasy novel? How about one with romance and adventure? That’s the winning combination for Brigid Huey’s The Foll Stones, and it will not disappoint. It is exciting and fun with much to discover in the fascinating world of Terratalam. Let’s go for a quick visit.

Blurb

A land of myth and legends. . .

A world out of balance. . .

And a last hope to heal an ancient pain.

Cleona Willow is more than ready for college. Though it means leaving her best friend Brian behind, studying in Ireland is her dream. She longs to explore the land her grandmother knew so well, but leaving Brian is harder than she would like to admit.

Two worlds collide when a necklace left to Cleona by her grandmother magically pulls her and Brian to Terratalam, a world apart from their own—and a world out of balance. It rains nearly every day, the crops barely produce, and kingdoms wage war. The Great Tree, Terratalam’s fabled life force, was destroyed so long ago that only stories and legends remain.

Navigating the secrets of the past and their growing feelings for each other, Cleona and Brian must unite the mythical Foll Stones and heal the land. If they fail, what will become of Terratalam—and what will become of them?

From the Author

The Foll Stones is a fantasy romance, a very different genre from what I’ve written previously. In truth, however, this was one of the first stories I ever completed. I’ve been thinking about these characters and their journey since at least 2009! The root of this story comes from my love of the natural world, and my relationship with my grandmother. In The Foll Stones, The Great Tree is the most important magical element. I’ve always felt a connection with nature, and I wanted to share that passion in a story with dynamic characters in a classic quest to save the world.

The world of Terratalam is a creation of my mind, but it is heavily influenced by my love of Ireland and the British Isles. My maternal grandmother lived with us when I was growing up. She was from Northern Ireland, and being Irish was part of our shared identity. She was a great storyteller, and I remember listening to her tales of life in Ireland when she was young. This story was inspired by her, and her unfailing faith that I would “turn out well.”

I feel almost as if my characters are dear friends, and I am so excited to share them with you! Cleona’s dedication and unwavering loyalty, Brian’s caring nature and quick mind, Aine’s fierce, loving heart, Wren’s solid dependability, and Crispa’s quiet power all come together in a story that is as much adventure as it is romance. There is magic, strange worlds, and best of all, a happy ending. I hope you enjoy it!

Now it’s time to sneak a peek at the world she inspired, the magical world of Terratalam, and to meet the characters.

To see The Great Tree, take a look at the full wrapper.

Brigid shares an excerpt with us to give a little hint about what’s inside. Are you ready?

Excerpt

There was another loud clap of thunder, and then several things happened at once.

The tornado sirens went off, her mother called frantically from downstairs, and
Cleona’s door slammed with a bang. But above all that, she could hear something else.
There were two voices, one deep and raspy, the other clear and feminine, calling out
above the rain. They were chanting—almost singing— but Cleona couldn’t understand
the words.
“I usaid an chumhacht seo,
Chun teacht ar cad a lorg i.
No chtann an suiomh
Na cloiche!”
“What!?” Cleona shrieked. Her heart was pounding in her throat. Where the hell is that
coming from?
“Cleona!” It was Brian that responded, from behind her bedroom door.
“Brian?” She tried the handle, but it wouldn’t budge. “Brian! Quit messing around, we
have to go downstairs!”
“I’m not doing anything—the door is stuck!”
The sirens wailed and Cleona’s panic rose. She pounded frantically on the door with
her fists, but it wouldn’t move. “Brian, stand back, I’m going to try and kick it in!” But he
didn’t answer. She called his name again. Nothing.
And then, so faintly at first so that it took Cleona a moment to notice, her necklace
began to glow. She felt the heat of it prick her skin as it smoldered a deep, beautiful
brown. She gasped, staring in wonder. It was much brighter now than it had been when
she’d unlocked the box earlier. It was almost too brilliant to look at.
The sound of rushing wind brought her back to the danger at hand, and she threw
herself against the door with all her might. It opened as if it had never been locked.
Cleona stumbled forward and found herself knee-deep in foliage. She sucked in a
sharp breath. Tall, ancient-looking trees surrounded her, and soft, damp ferns carpeted
the ground as far as she could see. The forest around her was blanketed in stillness.
She turned slowly with a sense of dread, but her bedroom had vanished with the storm.
Cleona stood panting, staring wildly around at the dank forest. She must be
dreaming. This seemed a lot like the forest from her nightmare. Maybe she had fallen
back to sleep? She started pinching her own arm, but nothing changed.
It began to drizzle, and something inside her twisted. Where the hell was she? And
where was Brian? Hesitantly, she called for him, but the forest gave no answer. Not
knowing what else to do, she began to walk.
Cleona wandered through the growing dark of the forest, becoming more miserable
with each squelchy step. There was no path to follow, and her feet were caked with
mud. Walking barefoot over the uneven, rocky ground was downright painful. Now and
then she called for Brian, but the only answer she received was the occasional noise of
a small animal, which was not the least bit comforting. The forest was old—ancient,
judging by the size of the trees—and dense with underbrush. She couldn’t see very far
ahead but kept going nonetheless.
Damp ferns brushed against her legs as she walked. They looked like the wood ferns
from home, but this forest was nothing like the New England woods she was used to.
The trees were shorter than oaks and birches, but much thicker; there was no way she
could wrap her arms around their trunks.
Her foot snagged on a hidden root and she stumbled forward, her shoulder brushing
against a huge shelf fungus growing on the side of a nearby tree. It left a bright orange
streak on her shirt, and Cleona fervently hoped the spores weren’t poisonous. She
picked up a handful of wet leaves from the forest floor and tried to wipe away the ginger
smear, but it stubbornly remained. After a while, she noticed a cluster of slightly smaller
trees butting up to a small rocky outcrop. It seemed like a good place to take shelter
from the unceasing drizzle and wind. Cleona approached the overhang wearily and
stepped incautiously into the small clearing—which just happened to be occupied.

Buy Link

The Foll Stones Universal Buy Link

Giveaway

Meryton Press is giving away two eBooks of The Foll Stones and the giveaway is international. To enter, share your thoughts about the blurb. Did it intrigue you? What about the excerpt? Are you ready for other excerpts? Do you love fantasy stories? Do they give you an escape into another world? We want to hear from you. The giveaway will end on Wednesday, the 20th of September, at midnight central time. Good luck to all.

Other books by Brigid Huey

A Chance Encounter in Pemberley Woods, Interrupted Plans, and Spies of Our Acquaintance are available on Amazon in eBook, Paperback and Audiobook format.