Wednesday, January 22, 2020

About the Book

Book: Indebted

Author: Charmayne Hafen

Genre: Young Adult, Adventure, Mythology

Release Date: August 25, 2019

When the abandoned princess discovers a friend, some muscle, and a passion for swords, she also acquires the crucible by which she uncovers the mysterious key to unlock her grief and win true freedom. Or will her strength confound her future in the kingdom to which she rides?
At the mythical edge of the Berkshire Forests, Wren finds herself rattling around in an austere castle, abandoned by the King and Queen. King Belodawn seems to blame his daughter for the mysterious disappearance of his wife, and he avoids his daughter at all costs in favor of conquests requiring his person away from the kingdom. But, things are about to change; the princess has matured. Wren’s spirit refuses to remain the lost bird she became at age twelve. With the aid of the cook and the cook’s son, Wren discovers her unknown dexterity in sword fighting. With it, she believes a new community in which to live will open up but is this young girl prepared to encounter deceptive ghosts, angels, and demons in the maze of the forest to attain her aim?

Click here for your copy.

About the Author

Charmayne Hafen is a graduate of John Brown University and has her masters in counseling from the Denver Seminary. Her love of Celtic mythology in Christian themes inspired her to write her debut Young Adult novel, Indebted: The Berkshire Dragon. She is a fan of the author, Stephen Lawhead.

She has written several short stories for children, teens, and adults, as well as the fantasy trilogy being published in 2020 by Capture Books, called, The Land of Twilight. She is currently working on the development of her sequel to The Berkshire Dragon.

Charmayne has a Bachelor of Science degree in journalism and psychology as well as a Master of Arts degree in counseling. When she’s not writing, Charmayne is running counseling groups for adults and a therapeutic photography group for teens. She lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband John and her two chihuahuas, Pepe and Frida.

More from Charmayne

Hello, Readers, Educators, Book Reviewers and Celebrate Lit Bloggers!

Although I am new to a lot of social media, I have heard that your group is a fantastic resource to new authors. Being a little bit of an introvert, you might even call me reluctant or a slow starter, but I assure you that I can imagine strategies and battle in the heavenlies for readers’ minds with the best of ’em. I say, “Let’s go!”

Please feel free to connect with me on any social media platform, or to write to me directly. I have loved engaging with anyone who has read my book and has sent me a comment or question. Because Indebted was published, I was thrilled to be able to speak to a group of college students taking coursework in literature and writing at Texas Tech last year.

I love facilitating creative writing seminars especially speaking to authors about how to join a system of discipline and creativity to overcome writer’s block.

My hope, however, is to be able to engage more students in elementary school and junior high about the topics in my books because I write about the things facing young people with a certain perspective that the Lord sees them right where they are, that God actually cares deeply for them, and that He has answers for them. These answers include that Jesus paid the penalty for a kid’s lying, bullying, violence, disbelief, envy, and rebellion and that bringing them to back to God means that they get to be adopted into His kingdom as princes and princesses.

I hope that my books provide that suspension of disbelief needed for us all to see the possibility of walking in faith with others in traumatic times and to experience the wonders of God’s word to us.

Sincerely and Gratefully,

Charmayne

This is a very enchanting story set in the 16th century. Oh how I loved reading about castles, knights, princesses and oh yes a dragon. The story is filled with adventure, danger and a young princess who is destined to fight with a sword. In the days where the story is set, it is unheard of for a young girl to be able to use a sword to fight or even to spar. As the story continues the author illustrates the Armor of God in a brilliant way.

Princess Wren is by far the best character in the story. She is fierce, beautiful and also holds a deep hurt in her heart. It was sad to learn that her mother had abandoned her at such a young age. Wren has carried the guilt of being the reason her mother left. Her father the king has completely turned his back on Wren. What a horrible way to live thinking you caused a parent to leave and know that your father detests the sight of you.

I loved the imagination the author used in having Wren travel to another kingdom and use her ability with the sword to find a new home. The fights were very vividly written. I could hear the clank as two swords collided against each other. Wren finds herself in danger when she is demanded to slay the dragon or find herself locked away forever. Would it be better for her to give into the dragon and be its slave? I cheered as I understood the semblance of what the dragon represented. The dragon or as I refer to it as the enemy or devil whispered lies to Wren in order to control her. She allowed her fears to overtake her mind and fell victim to the enemy's lies. The enemy is the father of lies. He will convince you that he knows what is best for you. He will entice you to follow him thinking you are doing the right thing.

One of the main things Wren lacked was trust and belief in herself. The author does an excellent job of showing us how easy it can be to fall for lies from the enemy. Wren felt she was not good enough for anyone and would never find love. The enemy loves to devour us with lies and Wren needed to build her faith in order to slay her demon. I loved reading how Wren slowly began to read the Bible and open her heart to the One who loves us unconditionally. Will Wren be able to trust anyone or will she wander the earth always guarding her heart?

The story is filled with wonderful characters who come into Wren's life and try to show her what friendship means. The action is good and the description of the dragon is one that I will not forget. This is not just another princess in distress knight in shining armor to the rescue story. What it is however is a story that uses a young princess to show us how to slay our enemy. God never leaves us. He is always there and all we need to do is have faith and trust.

" We all need someone we can count on to be there for us when other people let us down."

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.