The Fae Chronicles: Insider Look by: Joli Campbell

Hello everyone!!

My name is Joli Campbell, and I am a new (ish) author, who enjoys writing speculative fiction about everything from fantasy to horror. I could write for the “Beyond the Realms” anthology, and of course, given my lifelong dream of becoming an author, I jumped at the chance.

I’ve been writing off and on since I was in middle school, however, it was in the 10th grade when I had my English Lit teacher, Ms. Hooker, take notice in my writing. She would read my stories to classes anonymously, as I was quite shy, and often encouraged me. She made me want to become a writer when I grew up. However, I never lacked the confidence to move forward with it, and found myself often confused about how I would go about it, anyway. That all changed when my longtime best friend, Jenna Campbell (Morrison), had been diagnosed with cancer. When it was discovered it had rapidly spread and, for a time, it did not look like she would make it. She had a bucket list, and becoming an author was on it. She asked me to co-write with her, in case she didn’t make it. To my great delight, she pulled through, and we wrote a few books together under the combined pseudonym Kenna Campbell. 

Sadly, my friend has found herself back in the same situation, and this time it is unlikely she will pull through. However, she will have at least one more book coming out in another anthology that we were both a part of. Which I will definitely cover in some of my upcoming newsletters.

That said, I wanted to introduce all of you to my story from the anthology, “The Fae Chronicles; Battle for the Underworld.” My story is about overcoming the hands that fate deals you, rising above the obstacles that life can throw in the way. The bulk of the story takes place in the center of the Underworld, a place called The King’s Tree. This is where the king and queen of the Underworld lives, as well as our main character.

Today, I thought it would be fun to introduce you to the characters of my story and the various realms that exist inside. So, buckle up! This will be my longest newsletter to date! As mentioned, the main location is the King’s Tree. It’s a beautiful village set in the center of everything, full of quaint little cottages along cobblestone streets and cute little gardens that surround a massive tree in the center of town. The tree is lit with hanging lanterns and fireflies, and inside it is a door that leads to a portal to the human world. Within this part of the kingdom is an enormous castle where the king and queen, as well as many within their courts, live.

My main character is a young boy, and eventually man, named Cian. Nessa and Atlas are Cian’s parents. His mother is human, but his father is a Fae. They are both best friends of the Queen and King, and Atlas serves in the King’s army, as well as a member of the Courts, and he and Nessa are both the King and Queen’s closest confidants and friends. Nessa and Atlas love one another deeply, and have a happy life together. However, tragedy finds them as the Death Fae.

Queen Esta and King Kniall are benevolent rulers who deeply care for their subjects. They’ve made few enemies and are held in high regard to most of the kingdom. They are not only the King and Queen, but they are Cian’s godparents, who play a pivotal role in his life.

Gai and Louelle are Cian’s two best friends. The three have known one another their entire lives and have a great deal of loyalty to one another. They often go on adventures together, exploring and experiencing the world around them.

Aynne is a shy girl who had also grown up with Cian, Gai and Louelle, but they didn’t know one another well. She keeps to herself, but Cian often finds himself captivated by her. Little does he know, they have much more in common than he can imagine.

Nallite is the King’s other top military advisor, along with Atlas. He is a powerful warrior who comes from a long bloodline of men who have put themselves in harm’s way to protect what they thought was right. His father and grandfather have both held the same position he now holds. He is loyal and dedicated to the crown, but has formed a bond of friendship with both King Kniall and Atlas, as well.

Roux is not from the King’s Tree, but she lives there shortly before Cian is born. She is trained as a dryad, but comes from a mysterious bloodline, and therefore doesn’t look like one. She has wild red, spiky hair, and her eyes are a swirl of black and green. Unlike other dryads, however, her abilities go well beyond healing! She was raised in the realm of Scaoilte Glas, but I’m putting her in this section because this is where she is for most of the story. 

Without giving too much away, it is through these people that Cian will either prevail, or falter for rising above the hand that fate has dealt him.

The next part of the Underworld I’d love to discuss is Scaoilte Glas. It is not heavily featured in the story, but is very important to it. This part of the Underworld is located towards the Southern part of the map. It comprises flat, but beautiful wide-open plains, covered in wildflowers. You will as easily find a unicorn playing in the fields, as you would dear or rabbits. All year round it is Springtime. This is where the dryads live, the strongest healers in the Underworld, and where Roux was found, raised by the dryads.

To the North of the King’s tree lies the Snowy realms, made up of two kingdoms, Ifreann and Oighear. Ifreann is a dark and twisted shadow kingdom led by the evil Lord Kai. His followers are the Death Fae. Oighear is controlled by the beautiful, yet indifferent to the world around her, Lady Reòth, who is a minor character in the story... for now.

To the very far West of the Underworld is the rugged and dangerous territory of Talumh. The land is a dry and unforgiving desert, surrounded by a jagged and steep mountain range. This is a place where particularly naughty Fae are sent to their demise, because their bodies give way to the rough terrain around them, or they find themselves food to the Skell. The Skell are small, squat fae creatures with an unpleasant disposition. They have a rudimentary education, dwell in connected burrows under the ground and often with very little light. Scavenger fairies with beady eyes, loose skin that is dry and prickly, sharp teeth and squat bodies and no clothes, except for the “royals”. Believed to result from frequent and encouraged inbreeding. They live off of certain desert plants, bugs, lizards and sometimes outcast fairies from other realms, which they particularly enjoy. Led by a lower lord and lady, named Gyst and Geisa, who govern over the small group. They lack manners and are completely feral. Their communication skills are lacking, speaking in only incomplete sentences for the higher ups and some barely even grunt... but while they are not learned through books and a traditional education, their intelligence lies in survivability skills. They have little communication with the outside world, and barely acknowledge the high Fairy King and Queen, unless they absolutely must. The Skell are creatures I hope to feature more of in one of my future story lines, though they do not play a huge part in this story. 

And finally, we have Oceana. As the name implies it is the Ocean realm. It is protected by the great Lady Adira. A beautiful mermaid who cares deeply for her people, and the surrounding ocean creatures. Her castle is made of seashells and is surrounded by a maze of seaweed and coral to protect it from potential threats, as well as the occasional hydra and Kraken.

So, there you have it! This was originally going to be a series where I had intended to write several books to be released at the same time. There was no Part One for the series, just different perspectives featuring all the different parts of the Underworld, which would eventually lead to a Part Two. However, that endeavor was entirely too taxing for a newbie such as myself! I hope to fully bring these characters to life soon, and that for now, that anyone who reads, “The Fae Chronicles; Battle for the Underworld” enjoys the story enough that they will hopefully want more.

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