A NEW fANTASY NOVEL FOR CHILDREN (AGED 8+)
ILLUSTRATED wITH
wATERCOLOURS AND pHOTOGRAPHS
Publication date: 22nd July 2024
When the Guardian Angel of Nature’s Secrets appears disguised as an elderly musician, a magical adventure unfolds for a little girl called Gaia. Every long journey begins with one small step….
A FANTASY ADVENTURE STORY
BY
Maria de Fátima Santos
This exciting novel for children takes the form of a tale told by a grandmother to her granddaughter. Set in the Traveller Community and against the backdrop of spectacular and mystical locations in Scotland, the book explores the age-old art of storytelling, Celtic mythology, the cultural value of traditional languages, the power of nature and the bond between generations.
In addition to being a fantasy adventure that will inspire the imaginations of children, Serendipity also introduces children to some vocabulary from the traditional language spoken by the Scottish Traveller Community. As well as the Celtic mythology of Lugh (the sun god), the Cailleach (the goddess of the ancestors) and the alphabet of the trees (OGHAM) created by the Celts are also woven into the enchanting narrative.
“Silence reigned in Titania’s Royal Court:
’We’ve longed for your people, human child, to come to our Kingdom from a place of pure love for nature. Belonging and place are of the most vital importance to our existence, and we need a human child like you to bring them back home. We share the same breath of life. Because of this, the People of Peace value you very much. We give you a sense of purpose to defeat the Giants of the underworld and save Truth, Beauty and Goodness,’ the Queen explained.”
Thank you to Magdalena Zeechin for holding the camera for me.
Thank you to the Table Read’s team.
Thank you for watching it.
Thank you to Dilton Silva for being the cameraman in the right place & right moment.
Thank you to Arkbound’s Team.
Thank you for watching it.
A word about the publisher, Palavro
“Palavro is an imprint of the Arkbound Foundation, a UK literature charity that supports authors from a range of diverse and disadvantaged background and get published.
The Arkbound Foundation aims to widen access to literature and improve diversity within publishing. Arkbound run projects that empower people from disadvantaged backgrounds and deprived communities to get their voices heard supporting books with important social and environmental themes. They mentor aspiring authors so that they can produce books that are widely read and which dispel negative stereotypes, whilst seeking to build resilience for the most excluded communities through the power of literature and journalism.
Based in Glasgow and Bristol, their founding ethos is about empowerment, positive transformation and accessibility.”
About Maria
Maria was born in Angola and brought up in Portugal. Maria moved to Scotland in 2007 and now divides her time between Portugal and Scotland. Maria has a profound love of the natural world and is deeply interested in regenerative projects in agriculture, horticulture and forestry. She loves photographing nature and landscape - particularly in Scotland. Her writing stems from her passions for nature, Celtic culture and storytelling - all of which she explores in her debut novel, ‘Serendipity’. Maria wrote ‘Serendipity’ as a tribute to her own grandmother.
Media Enquiries:
serendipityenquiries@proton.me