Introducing Genna Tarling and her first novel Mirus Realms: Call of the Forest
Mum Genna Tarling is preparing to become a published author at the age of 46 after an unexpected message from her childhood inspired her to finally fulfil a long-held creative ambition.
Genna, who works full-time in the insurance industry and lives in South Gloucestershire, will be holding a book launch for her debut novel on Halloween, Saturday October 31 in her own community of Chipping Sodbury.
The romantasy novel tells the story of Ria, a 27 year old woman who has just lost her dad, broken up with her boyfriend and moved from London to a village to be near her mum.
Ria finds herself drawn to a forest where she stumbles on a portal which transports her to another realm. This realm has evolved around ley lines, using its energy as a way of life with the help of rituals, crystals and plant healing.
But the ley lines are fickle and failing and Ria, not only learns that her connection to the realm runs deeper than she could ever imagine, but also she has a key role to play in its survival. Ria realises that if she helps the mysterious and handsome Aidan save his realm she may never return home. The decision to risk everything rests entirely on her shoulders.
“I have been interested in spirituality, and concepts beyond our scientific understanding since I was very young,” Genna said. “I’ve always been creative, however, life, the development of my career and then the practicalities of being a mum led me away from my childhood dreams of writing stories for a long time. When my life changed dramatically just over a year ago, I was inspired to start being imaginative again, and I’ve been writing ever since.”
Genna’s journey towards becoming an author began after the death of her mum, Stevie, in March last year. Whist searching for old photographs for her mum’s memorial service, Genna discovered an old box with memories from her time at primary school. Inside were messages from teachers and classmates, including a handwritten note from her Year 1 teacher, Miss Wiseman, who had encouraged her early love of writing.
The message read: “Genna, keep writing! I will look for your name on the bookshelves.”
Finding the message decades later prompted Genna to reconnect with the creativity she had enjoyed as a child and ultimately begin the journey towards publishing Mirus Realms: Call of the Forest. It also enabled her to process her own grief as her main character Ria has also faced the death of a much-loved parent.
“Finding that note from Miss Wiseman after losing Mum felt incredibly poignant. So much time had passed since it was written and life had taken me in a completely different direction, yet there was this reminder of the child I had been and the stories I once dreamed of writing,” said Genna.
“Writing has helped me through a particularly difficult year and although Ria’s character is not based on ‘me’, I have found that writing about a character who has lost a parent has been a great way to process everything that has happened. This book has given me something both enjoyable and challenging to focus on while adjusting to life without Mum. Being a supportive and positive role model for my own children is also very important to me, and I feel my literary journey is an extension of that as well. Publishing my first novel at 46 feels like reconnecting with a part of myself that had been waiting quietly for many years.”
Genna has written the novel alongside the demands of her full-time career in the insurance industry and family life as a co-parent of two young children. The publication also represents the beginning of a new creative chapter, with Genna hoping this will become the first book in a trilogy.
“I would love this to be the beginning of at least three books and to continue developing the world and characters I have created. Becoming an author was not something I expected to achieve at this stage of my life but, finding that message when I did, reminded me that life is short and creativity does not have an expiry date,” Genna said.
“It is particularly meaningful that the book will now exist after Mum’s death because, in many ways, the process of writing it has helped me find my way through that loss and to the new person I’ve become. I hope the story will transport readers into another world, one which they will want to return to with each part of the journey I write.”
Mirus Realms: Call of the Forest will be available on Amazon on Saturday October 31 and is published by Rowenvale Books.
Photography by Barbara Leatham.
Article from Scott Media
