Authorpreneur Dashboard – L Leander
INZARED, The Fortune Teller
Literature & Fiction
What do you do when life seems impossible to handle? You go home to make amends. Inzared Romanoff, nee Bertha Maude Anderson, leaves the circus and returns to the Appalachian farm of her childhood without her beloved elephant, Cecil. She is now a Gypsy Fortune-Teller and Healer but hopes to learn more about medicine from her Ma, a woman who has never shown her much affection and may not even want to see her again. Inzared gathers her courage and makes the odyssey, only to find life in the remote area very different than what she remembers. Will she stay in the mountains she loves? Or will she return to the Romanoff Brothers Circus and regain her title as Queen of the Elephant Riders? What about Cecil, the elephant that is her confidante and best friend? And, will a chance encounter with a man from her past bring her joy or sorrow?
Book Bubbles from INZARED, The Fortune Teller
Timmon gets bullied
Inzared and Timmon have joined her family at her brother Ezra's wedding in the little town of Brower's Gap, where she grew up. Some of the locals are snobby to her and have a lot of questions. Timmon goes to play with the other children and suddenly Inzared hears a lot of yelling and investigates. She finds two older children bullying her son and takes matters into her own hands.
Inzared meets Jonah Graves
Ezra and Thelma's wedding is in full swing. Inzared takes a break and walks away from the festivities. She is startled by a voice and finds a young man leaning against the building. She introduces herself and finds out he is the nephew to the storekeep she loathes in Brower's Gap, Mr. Shaw. She keeps her distance and is very formal as she chats for a moment and leaves to rejoin the reception.
The Nightmare
This is the first page of Inzared The Fortune Teller. Inzared is all alone and feels guilty for leaving her home in North Carolina years ago without telling anyone. Her life is different now and she feels the need to make peace with her family and introduce them to her son, Timmon. But the nightmares won't stop. They plague her and give her a foreboding of danger. She is afraid of what the future holds. Her only worry is for her son Timmon. She must make some difficult decisions.
INZARED, Queen of the Elephant Riders
Literature & Fiction
Bertha Maude Anderson has no inkling of how famous she will become. She lives in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina in the year 1843. Her world changes forever when she is enticed to join The Romanoff Brothers Circus and her name is changed to INZARED, Queen of the Elephant Riders. Inzared discovers her true calling while learning to live with the nomadic Gypsies. From the hatred shown by some of the performers to the love she finds along the way, Inzared finds herself immersed in the rich folklore and customs of the misunderstood people who call the circus their home. Her one constant is Cecil, the elephant, and together they form a bond that no one can break as Inzared finds herself lured into the world of the Gypsies. Will Inzared cling to her own roots or try to break free of the chains that keep her from her destiny?
Book Bubbles from INZARED, Queen of the Elephant Riders
Mystery at the circus
Strange goings-on have been happening at the circus for several years. No culprit has been found but dangerous things happen. Jaelle calls Paytre to check on a harness that has been cut. If the horses had been hooked up one of the riders could have been killed or hurt during a show.
Boldo the Lion Goes Berserk
Some of the circus animals have been acting strange lately and no one can figure out why. Udo enters the ring with the lion, who is usually quick to obey his commands and do their show. However, this time something goes awry. With no provocation, the lion grabs his trainer's arm and refuses to let go. The audience is aghast at what is happening and bedlam breaks out. The circus people are quick to react and try to save the Lion Tamer by distracting the animal and restoring calm to the people who are watching.
Persecution and bias in the circus
Inzared has led a sheltered life. All of a sudden she is thrust into a world she knows nothing about - the Gypsies are a different culture and people. In this excerpt Inzared questions why the circus caravan travels at night under cover of darkness. She has trouble grasping Paytre's explanation and doesn't understand the bias and hatred he says his family has withstood at the hands of locals in the small towns the circus plays.
Beauty and grace at the circus
It's no secret in the circus camp that Lileth doesn't like Inzared. But Inzared still hopes the two of them can be friends. Meanwhile, she is astounded at the graceful Lileth as she performs tricks on the trapeze and high wire with her brothers Guaril and Andrez, The Flying Kasarskis. Having lived on a farm all of her life, Inzared has never seen anything so lovely as the threesome who perform their death-defying act high over the heads of the audience.
Bertha Maude Anderson hates her name
In this first chapter of Inzared, Queen of the Elephant Riders, the reader is introduced to Bertha Maude Anderson, a 16 year old girl from Brower's Gap, N.C. in the year 1843. Her family comes from sturdy stock and lives high in the Appalachian Mountains. They raise chickens, sell eggs and farm, to eke out a living from the land. Bertha's folks are stern people, not prone to frivolity and they have a hard time understanding their wayward daughter, who has a hankering for a different life, one that includes travel and excitement.
Danger At The Circus
Boldo is in the ring with Udo, his trainer. The lion seems to be fine at the beginning of the set but something goes terribly wrong. The massive animal grabs Udo by the arm and won't let go. The audience at first thinks it's part of the act until they see the blood and the lion shaking his trainer back and forth. Paytre reacts before the crowd even realizes what's going on. He knows something is terribly wrong, just by the animal's growl, and he runs for the cage in center ring, where he tries to help the unfortunate Udo.
Inzared bonds with Cecil
In this chapter Inzared is having problems facing dislike from some of the Gypsy circus performers. Her friend Mala tells her to ignore the petty people, but Inzared is upset because she is trying so hard to fit in. She and Cecil, however, are beginning to bond and she loves spending time with the elephant and often talks to him about her problems. Inzared needs an unbiased friend in the circus and Cecil becomes that friend. He is an animal, yes, but he listens to her and she is able to talk about all the things that are bothering her and sort them out.
Inzared and Mala Girl Talk
Mala is the best friend Inzared has in the circus. The two are about the same age. Mala was born into the circus and is a performer with the Amazing Zelenkas Bareback Show. She and Inzared share Mala's wagon on the road. The troupe has been traveling for some time and Inzared has spent much of the time walking at the back of the line with Paytre and Cecil, the elephant. She is taking a break in this excerpt and she and Mala are talking about the pay they will receive when they reach their destination. This is Inzared's first paycheck and she is both excited and scared to have money of her own. Although at this point she has not admitted her feelings for the elephant trainer, Paytre, Mala calls her out.
Inzared strives for acceptance
Inzared is a beautiful name for an innocent, Applachian hill girl. This is her first time away from the area where she grew up and she is having a difficult time fitting in. Although she is eager to embrace her new way of life and tries to make friends, some of the Gypsy circus performers show their disdain and shun her. Inzared has made a friend in Mala, the youngest sibling of the Amazing Zelenka Bareback Riders. As they sit in the wagon sewing a costume for Inzared, she finally opens up and asks Mala why some of the others don't accept her. Mala, full-blooded Gypsy and family to most of the clan, is wise for someone so young and hastens to assure Inzared that they are a misunderstood people and that they have reasons for hesitating to include her - that she should just relax, do her job, and let them come around.
Inzared Learns To Ride The Circus Horses
On her way to becoming a fit acrobat and able to do tricks on the elephant, Inzared is turned over to Fonso, the owner of The New Zelenkas Bareback Act. Fonso and his wife Jaelle are two of the most graceful performers Inzared has ever seen but Fonso is a perfectionist, making Inzared do the tricks over and over again, even though her knees are black and blue and she is bruised all over. She feels ungraceful, ugly and frustrated as she tries hard to please the trainer.
Inzared Becomes an Elephant Rider
Although Bertha Maude Anderson has ridden the plow horse all her life and thinks she's a good rider, she finds it's not the same when she gets on the back of Cecil, the elephant. When she reaches what she thinks is a good point in her training, the circus owner, Shandor, seems unimpressed. Shandor takes for granted the experience and expertise of the performers in the troupe and has no time to mollycoddle a newcomer. He attends to business as usual and rather than complimenting the new girl on learning the ropes he barks orders to the crew. Shandor has just bestowed a performer's name of Inzared on Bertha Maude and her pride is deflated as she heeds his comment "Don't get too cocky." She stands by silently while he gives instructions to those around him.
The Realization of a Dream
All her life Bertha Maude Anderson has yearned for adventure. She has met a handsome young man named Paytre at the Gypsy Circus that has come to her small Appalachian village. Paytre is the boss handler - he trains and cares for the elephant. Paytre is infatuated with Bertha and although it is against circus rules, he offers her a ride on Cecil, the elephant his father raised from birth that is the main attraction for the small show. Bertha is beside herself with excitement and happily accepts. She and the elephant form an immediate bond, sensing something between them.
