Oonagh flew to join me in our "official" United States book launch of Alinda of the Loch (Sleeping Beauty's Daughter) held in the manor house on the property of La Casa de Maria in Montecito, California on Sunday, December 14th, 2009. It was a wonderful event. Here are some photos from the day...

Check out some photos from our recent promotional campaign!

     Faith Fairy went to the Westside Santa Barbara Boys and Girls Club to sign and hand out copies of "Alinda of the Loch" to all the little ones and the staff!

(PRLEAP.COM) Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Alinda of the Loch is a short-novel that tells the tale of Sleeping Beauty's daughter. This is the first book by co-authors Oonagh Pope and Julie Brown, who happen to live across the globe from one another! Pope (Scotland) and Brown (US), are teachers who collaborated to create this modern fairy tale.

The daughter of Sleeping Beauty (Queen Aurora of Inverness-Shire) is asleep for hundreds of years and awakens in our time to discover what it takes to be a modern day "princess." A new sleeping beauty and her companion, the Loch Ness Monster, adapt to our world in this story for all ages.

Pope and Brown traveled around the world to create a new kind of fairy tale for all to enjoy. Pope is a primary school teacher in England while Brown is a college professor in Santa Barbara, California. Their combined experience created a book that interweaves a traditional fairy tale and contemporary influence. Parents, children, and even college students will find enjoyment in this tale of love, family, and self-empowerment. 

About Across the Pond Publishing:

Across the Pond Publishing is proud to announce a new fairy tale that will become a classic for many generations to come. The book is called Alinda of the Loch – The Story of Sleeping Beauty's Daughter. It is now available on Amazon.com as both a print and audio book.

Julie Ann Brown
Across The Pond Publishing 
(805) 236-3199

From J.E.E - Laguna Beach, CA
     This book REALLY is fantastic. It is creative and entertaining. It is well edited to give it a good flow and the graphics are perfect.
     "Alinda of the Loch" would make a wonderful movie. It is for all ages and a real heartwarming story. The visuals are clearly painted - each person is vivid in my mind. My favorite is Pisces.
     The suspense is thrilling- starting from, "Had Shadow's gift failed?" to "Will she go back?" Romantics will love the triangle between Alinda, Andrew, and Grant and also the problem of Millie. Anglophiles will love the British speak, spelling, and style of writing.
     The story also satisfies those who enjoy modern twists to fairy tales. When Grant is introduced, that page immediately includes modern references of airplanes and email. The story line of Alinda becoming famous designing jewelry for the rock star, Pisces, shows the comparison between a princess 500 years ago and a modern day princess. Alinda will have the choice between both. The many modern/ancient comparisons are thought-provoking.
     The back story of Nessie reminds me of the back story of Wicked- it's amusing to think about all those years of people watching for Nessie and now we know where she came from.

The ending is clever and perfect. :)

     Today, an opportunity to share the beauty of Alinda's story unfolded as I walked down State Street in my beloved Santa Barbara, California. After seeing three former students and listening how each of their current personal and professional lives are developing, I followed my daughter and her new husband into a bookstore. After browsing those hallow selves, I decided to ask one of the young associates working in a section of the store that sold fantasy books, if he thought they might be interested in the book my fellow teacher (who lives across the pond) and I had written. He was fascinated by the story and said he thought it deserved to be "pitched" to his manager.
     After meeting with his manager, the following offer was given. As long as the book could be evaluated and judged as a "good read" and would not be under either a "vanity press or “print on demand," (which it is not as we also have begun our own publishing entity) they would offer us the chance to both sell it and promote it. If Oonagh and I wished, we could also do a reading and signing promotion.
     It will be approximately three weeks until the audio book and printed book will be available for sale, gifts, or promotion (it take quite a while to build a life, a family, an education, and a book) in their "perfected" form. The new publishing website "Across the Pond" is being designed as we speak...When we dream...we think...When we put the magic ingredient in our work which is "love," our product will be beyond the ordinary...and beyond our own imagination or expectations.

     A Druid priest named Daly announced to his brethren that there was a blessed and enchanted healing well which was located deep within their fertile and lush valley. A sacred stone cover protected this enchanted healing water well. Daly warned that should the stone be left uncovered a great consequence would befall the land and its people. One long summer day a young Mother from the valley came to the well to fill her jug. Suddenly, she heard the cry of her child. Fearing the child was in danger, she ran to him. She had in haste, forgotten the warning of Daly and not replaced the stone cover on the sacred well. Within seconds of her departure and with great speed the well began to overflow with water and began to gush throughout the valley. The people realized that before their very eyes the valley itself was transforming. Waves were quickly replacing the landscape which moments before held an abundance of both flora and fauna. Citizens climbed up to the highlands for safety. Once safe, they looked down at the water and said in their native tongue, "Tha loch' nis ann" (which is pronounced loch neesh) which translated means, "There is a lake there now."

     One night during a deep sleep, the kind and gentle comforter priestess of the Celts known as Bebhinn, was to be given a powerful message. This message had come from the Queen Caoimhe who ruled the land of the fairies. Caoimhe had weaved her needs and desires into Bebhinn’s dreams. The priestess was told that she had been chosen to become the human messenger of the fairies. She would serve for a season, those who resided in the land of the fairies or ancestors. The fairies needed a human voice to assist them, as many centuries had passed without finding a human worthy of the task. The Queen told the holy woman that contact was often not sought with the living as knowledge from the fairies often frightened those who walked in the kingdom of men. Many fairies had tried to bring messages to the sons of Adam. They found that through their attempts at contact they had become objects of ridicule or curiosity. However, now they believed they must share their happiness and secrets as the good people of the highlands were their neighbors and kin. They knew that to not share with others they themselves could lose their wisdom, which would be lethal to both worlds. Many fairies remembered the brave and kind Bebhinn from their time in human form. After hearing how the priestess had healed many who suffered from pain and despair, the Queen decided that they had found a messenger they could trust. The fairies would request she come to their grand kingdom to collect knowledge on how to heal and spread joy to those most like them, the people who lived in their old glen and highlands. Bebhinn was then told by Queen Caoimhee to take a journey to the land of the great northern loch. Once she reached he well-known rocky outcrop overlooking the water, she was to make a camp and rest. When in a deep sleep, she would be taken to the land of the fairies. Bebhinn was eager to do the will of the fairies. She set off the next day on her journey to the great loch and land of the fairies. When she arrived, she made her bed and began her rest. Suddenly, she felt peaceful and fell into a deep slumber. When she awakened, she found herself in the heavenly land of the ancestors. She enjoyed her time with the enchanted ones. She was told many secrets by the fairies and was given healing potions and stories to share with her upon her return to the highlands and the loch. Filled with their joy and hope, she returned to her people. Bebhinn became known both near and far as a wise and holy healer. Many sought to learn from her until the end of her life whereupon, she traveled once again to the land of the fairies and ancestors.

     It has been a lovely day for our book! The ISBN number has been assigned and approval for its copyright is pending. Creating this book which is both beautiful in its content and tone has been truly self-actualizing! From the process of its creation, I have begun to understand why God made us...Our Lord and Father (whether or not we choose to accept, acknowledge, or love him, these are His loving names) is indeed the ultimate writer and reader. We are His stories. We begin within His creator imagination. To Him each of us is a living mystery novel or short story. Even though He knows the ending I believe he has decided to not look ahead to know our ending. He wants to be surprised and delighted in how much we have chosen to learn and love during our earthly sojourn. He hopes that that we will have a "happy ending." This happy ending would be to fly into His arms upon our homecoming while feeling His "unconditional love,understanding and healing" of our now transparent raw souls.