On an ordinary morning in her village, Talia Ridgetree has no idea the adventure she is going to be captured on and taken for, nor does she have any inkling to the looming mystery of her past. With the cast of a powerful spell from the evil forces of the Blood Wizard, Talia must embark on a journey with an assorted cast of companions, from the village she calls home, to an elven forest. In the company of a pompous wizard, a strong woodsman, an herbal master, and a royal elven wizard, Talia finds herself in strange lands among strange magic. As the stonebearer of the Talisman of Hope, Talia must find her inner strength and courage to tolerate the magic and mysticism around her. Questions assail her of who she calls family, who she can trust, and what she can ultimately believe. In the face of pending war and tragedy, Talia struggles to be true to her heart and soul as she treks to faraway lands in search of answers, all the meanwhile fending off the wickedness of the Blood Wizard, battling unimaginable beasts, overcoming biases, and freeing captured creatures.About the Author: The author was born in Hertfordshire England and moved to New Zealand at the age of nine. Here her passion for horses flourished and she spent many happy years training and competing them at advanced level dressage. After her two daughters left home to attend university the author relocated to a lovely cottage in Tuapere Southland and now works as a calf rearer on a large dairy farm while also pursuing her love of writing in the fantasy genre. She currently shares her small farmlet with two dogs, one cow and calf, a cat and a Shetland pony.