This fascinating story was just released. It’s a mix of Rapunzel an American West historical setting, and a bit of mythology that I’m not overly familiar with.
Never allow a stranger to buy you anything. Never reveal what you truly are. Above all, never, ever allow your hair to be cut.
In a plague-ravaged world, people will stop at nothing to find a cure. Rebekah is a young norn who on the run for her life. Charles, a man desperate to heal his ailing wife, wants the life-giving magic contained in Rebekah’s hair.
When Rebekah’s path crosses with Martha’s, a mother who has lost her daughter to the same man, secrets will be revealed. Buried fears will be resurrected, and the conflict between norns and humans may cause devastating havoc. Will Rebekah and Martha find a way to help both human and nornkind, or will Rebekah’s pursuer capture her? Will the plague be eradicated, or is a more sinister plan at work?
Things are not how they appear in this story of finding a place to belong. Rebekah’s Refuge is a tale of sacrifice, love and courage. You will meet many individuals, human and norn alike, who bear scars, scars that cannot be seen. A tenuous thread binds their destinies together, but threads, like hair, can easily be cut. Only those who listen can find the courage to fight. Rebekah’s Refuge is a tale of desperation and hope, a story of turmoil and healing.
Spotlight for Rebekah
Rebekah appears to be an ordinary child. She loves to play games and sing. She enjoys gardening and spending time outdoors, particularly at the time just when dawn is spreading its rosy fingers through the sky. The early morning dew has a curious effect upon Rebekah; invigorating her and helping her to face each day. She loves the smell of a rain-washed field. She cannot see the beauty of nature, but that hardly hinders her enjoyment of creation. She was born blind, but she does not allow her blindness to rob her of life’s joys.
While Rebekah seems quite ordinary, she does have strange tastes in food. She cannot eat meat of any kind, and she adores strange concoctions such as rutabaga cream tonic. She has an inherent ability to know when someone is in distress and needs help. Emotions come to her through her sense of smell, which is quite keen. Bad emotions such as sadness have acrid scents, whereas happy emotions carry the sweet scents of different types of flowers. Her kind heart aches for those who are sad or suffering in some way.
Rebekah is not too good to be true. She struggles with her temper at times and experiences loneliness and desperation much the same as anyone else. In her infancy, she suffered a traumatic separation from her birthmother. The one whom she now calls Mother will do anything to protect her, and Rebekah is irrevocably linked with her protector. A mysterious song binds Rebekah and her adopted mother together, a song that Rebekah is finding more and more difficult to hear. When they are separated by cruel circumstances, Rebekah holds out hope that she and her adopted mother will be reunited. However, the song is fading away as danger draws ever nearer.
Rebekah is more than she seems; a child who is not a child. Rebekah is of a race called the Norns. Even as an infant, her hair was exceptionally long. Extraordinary power lies within her hair, and she listens daily for her Creator’s song, the song that compels her to create life-giving plants from her exceptional hair. However, her hair is being sought by a desperate man, and Rebekah must find any means to escape. If her hair is cut, her power will be ruthlessly stripped away, and Rebekah needs all the help she can find in order to save her mother and herself. Perhaps others need saving as well.
Author Bio:
Meredith Leigh Burton is a voracious devourer of fairy tales. She is a motivational speaker, teacher and writer. She attended the Tennessee School for the Blind and Middle Tennessee State University, where she received a degree in English and theater. Meredith hopes to convey through her writing that people with differences can contribute much to the world. “Snow White” has always been her favorite fairy tale. Meredith has written another fairy tale based on “Snow White” entitled Hart Spring, which can be found in her anthology, Blind Beauty and Other Tales of Redemption. She resides in Lynchburg, Tennessee.
Find her online at: Goodreads || Amazon
