NEPHY'S WORLD: Dark Fairytales Part Three

We have finally come to the end of an era. It seems that I have been writing about Tay and his friends for a lifetime, and I have loved every moment. I allowed my imagination to take flight, and it even surprised me at times.

All that being said, there were moments when I honestly thought that I would never get to the end of Gray's book after suffering severe autistic burnout over Covid. I would like to say that my literary juices are flowing again, but sadly it's still a struggle. That's not to say the struggle isn't worth it and there will surely be more books coming your way, although sadly not involving Tay and his friends whose stories are now told.

The third and final book in the trilogy, Godric's Gift, was released on Friday 13th and I sincerely apologise that I wasn't around to give it the kick-off it deserves. Unfortunately. I recovering from Covid and I'm still pretty poorly. I can only say a huge thank you to Silver Dagger Tours for making sure that this momentous occasion didn't pass by entirely. They have set up an amazing blog tour with all kinds of surprises and treats from reviews, to teasers, excerpts, and a Rafflecopter draw for a gift voucher.

Gray, of course, isn't happy because he just loves to be the center of attention at all times. Of course, he is now getting his wish in way he never envisaged, but is uniquely suited to.

Oh. and if you were wondering why Godric the Great, became Gray...it's because it rhymes with Tay of course - although I don't think Tay ever actually caught on.

*****

Tay's best friend, Cale always told him fairy-tales were dark, but they all have happy endings, right?

Willow’s Way

Dark Fairytale Book 1

by Cheryl Headford

Genre: LGBTQ YA Epic Fantasy

Cale always told Tay that fairy tales were dark. But they always have happy endings, right?

Taylor Preston is a normal sixteen-year-old whose biggest worries are his GCSE exams. He’s right in the middle of them, but he has a summer of fun with his parents to look forward to after. Or not.

Despite their promise to spend the summer focusing on their one and only son, Tay’s parents, Local Authority specialist foster carers, take on one more special case.

Willow’s arrival throws more than Tay’s summer into chaos. Suddenly, his best friend is possessed by a demon, his parents aren’t his parents after all, and he’s literally living a nightmare in a fairy tale world that as dark as anything Cale ever warned him about. All he has is Willow and a burning desire to save his friend before he succumbs to the demon and Willow kills him.

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Tay’s Trials

Dark Fairytale Book 2

Tay is trying to settle into his new life with a group of strangers who call themselves his family. Even Willow has deserted him. Then he meets Wisp, and things look up – until a shadow assassin attempts to kill him, Cale traps his shadow in a gem and the only way to save him appears to be a mad wizard.

What can possibly top all that? Meeting a hundred-thousand-year-old king and his dragon friend, the very dragon on whom the entire city is built.

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Godric’s Gift

Dark Fairytale Book 3

Tay had thought that fighting demons was the hardest thing he’d have to do, but what came after was so much harder.

No one thought Tay was ready to face his possessed brother and the demon army at his back, and that included Tay himself. Gray, however, thought different and, as usual, Gray got his way. But if Tay thought the demons were the hardest thing he’d have to face, he would soon find himself dead wrong.

From determining ownership of the land formerly occupied by the demons to a world that had been without a High King for so long they weren’t sure they needed one, every day brought new problems, and then there was the magic that was not so slowly leaking out of the world. Tay’s life got more complicated every day.

When Gray stepped up with the answers, it only made things a whole lot worse.

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Cheryl was born into a poor mining family in the South Wales Valleys. Until she was 16, the toilet was at the bottom of the garden and the bath hung on the wall. Her refrigerator was a stone slab in the pantry and there was a black lead fireplace in the kitchen. They look lovely in a museum but aren’t so much fun to clean.

Cheryl has always been a storyteller. As a child, she’d make up stories for her nieces, nephews and cousin and they’d explore the imaginary worlds she created, in play.

Later in life, Cheryl became the storyteller for a re enactment group who travelled widely, giving a taste of life in the Iron Age. As well as having an opportunity to run around hitting people with a sword, she had an opportunity to tell stories of all kinds, sometimes of her own making, to all kinds of people. The criticism was sometimes harsh, especially from the children, but the reward enormous.

It was here she began to appreciate the power of stories and the primal need to hear them. In ancient times, the wandering bard was the only source of news, and the storyteller the heart of the village, keeping the lore and the magic alive. Although much of the magic has been lost, the stories still provide a link to the part of us that still wants to believe that it’s still there, somewhere.

In present times, Cheryl lives in a terraced house in the valleys with her son, dog, bearded dragon and three cats. Her daughter has deserted her for the big city, but they’re still close. She’s never been happier since she was made redundant and is able to devote herself entirely to her twin loves of writing and art, with a healthy smattering of magic and mayhem

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