Today I have a special guest- post (plus some giveaway swag) from THE Serena Chase! She's going to be talking about a topic I dearly love....Fairytales! Don't forget to check out her awesome blog, and her even more awesome books! Review to come soon for The Seahorse Legacy!
Serena Chase lives
in Iowa with her husband, two teen daughters, and one very spoiled (but really
adorable) dog, Albus. A frequent contributor to USA Today’s Happy Ever After blog, she also writes for Edgy
Inspirational Romance. Serena has served as a youth leader for high school
students at her church, coaches her local high school’s Color Guard, and drinks
entirely too much coffee between these and her daughters’ activities. You can
find Serena on Facebook, Twitter @Serena_Chase, and Pinterest. Visit her website www.serenachase.com
Finding Yourself in
the Fairytale
by Serena Chase
When I was about five
years old, I saw the cartoon version of C.S. Lewis’s, The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe on television for the first
time. That viewing spawned a series of dreams in which I, like Lucy Pevensie, discovered
a portal to another magical land—a land I was somehow responsible for saving.
Unfortunately, I always woke up before being able to complete my heroic task.
Imagine my
enthusiasm, then, when my antique-loving mother happened upon a walnut wardrobe
in an antique store one day, bought it, and brought it home! Of course I
climbed in that old wardrobe right away—and many times after that first,
unsuccessful attempt; but even though I never found my way to Narnia, or even
to that land from my dreams, my love of fairy tales only grew. And when I was
old enough to digest the complete Chronicles of Narnia in book form, I more
than crawled inside that fictional wardrobe: I found myself, mirrored in the
characters who entered Narnia just ahead of me.
I saw myself in Lucy,
the true believer who still had to be taught a lesson from time to time. I was
also Edmund, the betrayer who received mercy and become an advocate for
justice. From time to time I even saw a bit of myself in Trumpkin the dwarf,
wanting definitive proof before committing myself to a cause.
As an adult, I have
made a point of regularly rereading the Chronicles of Narnia. Each time, I
discover more of myself—and more truth—within each lovely story. More than any
other character in Narnia, however, I’ve found myself, my story, mirrored in that
of Eustace Scrubb, the Pevensie children’s pathetic whiner of a cousin. And
that is not a very flattering comparison, is it?
But wait.
Eustace came on scene
with a sneer. He was a spoiled, arrogant bully who found his worth inbelittling others and demanding he have his own way. He coveted others’ belongings, status, and even their character and bravery so much that, once in Narnia, he was literally transformed into the most covetous of creatures, a dragon. But as Eustace discovered—as all of us must discover—he was his own worst enemy. And when he repented of his selfish ways and admitted his need and loneliness, he was befriended and redeemed. Even now, I am brought to tears when I reflect on the beautiful scene in which Eustace’s dragon scales are painstakingly removed by the claws of a frightening, merciful Lion, because I have realized my own raw need for the same patient, resilient, persistent, and cleansing love.
I won’t pretend to be a fraction of the writer C.S. Lewis was, but it is my prayer that even the most jaded of readers will discover a new sense of hope while traveling through E’veria by way of my books; that by identifying with a character’s struggle and triumph, they would realize a fresh awe for the Creator King who longs to fully immerse them in the wonder of his love, even when it hurts to receive it. It is my hope that, within these novels, these re-imagined fairy tales I call the Eyes of E’veria series, readers will not only be so fully immersed in the tale that they are living the adventures along with the characters, but that when they have finished reading they have discovered something new and true and beautiful about themselves that can be applied beyond the fairy tale and breathed into their own story as they journey forth to become the person they were meant to be in this world. Our world.
My mom still has that
old wardrobe, and both of my daughters—as well as my six nieces and nephews—have,
at one point or another, crawled inside. As far as I know, none of them have
yet found a lamp post or have dined with talking animals at Cair Paravel, but
even though they are bound to be disappointed by my mother’s wardrobe, they can
still find Narnia within those books. And if they listen very closely, I’ve no
doubt they will hear their own names being whispered in the pages of a fairy
tale.
Do you enjoy fairy
tales? With which fairy tale characters do you most identify?
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