"There was something floating on the peppermint dark sea, caught in the light of the moon. Was it a fish - or maybe a seal?"
Where The Story Takes Place
Aarti and the Blue Gods is my third book and it’s set on a wild Scottish island. When I began thinking about writing this story, I knew a few things about it and lots that I still had to discover. Like my second book, Tamarind and the Star of Ishta, I wanted to have mythology in it, I wanted it to be magical and I also wanted a strong nature setting.
|
Connecting East and West
When I began doing some research I found some amazing connections between Scottish and Indian mythologies. Did you know the Ancient Druids walked as far as Tibet and exchanged ideas with the Brahmins in India? Me neither! I found lots of similarities between the poems of the Druids and the God Krishna and in this story I bring East and West together!
Here are the poems: |
A Secret Symbol
Meet the Characters
AARTI - "Hi I’m Aarti. I’ve lived nearly all my life here on this wild beautiful island. I have a special fox friend called Chand who goes everywhere with me. But more than anything I really want to find out about my past."
EUAN - "Hi I’m Euan! I’m Aarti’s very first human friend! Even though I’m a good sailor, I was caught in a storm and my boat was washed up on her island. She nursed me back to health and we had real fun exploring but I can’t wait to get back home. My family will be really missing me."
AUNT AMALIE - "I’m Aarti’s Aunt. I adopted her when she was little and brought her to the island that’s been in my family forever. She’s so lucky that I protect her from all the dangers of the big bad world. "
CHAND - "Until Euan arrived I was Aarti’s only friend. I keep Aarti company and we go everywhere together. Sometimes Aunt makes Aarti sleep outside and I make sure she stays cosy under my fur."
EUAN - "Hi I’m Euan! I’m Aarti’s very first human friend! Even though I’m a good sailor, I was caught in a storm and my boat was washed up on her island. She nursed me back to health and we had real fun exploring but I can’t wait to get back home. My family will be really missing me."
AUNT AMALIE - "I’m Aarti’s Aunt. I adopted her when she was little and brought her to the island that’s been in my family forever. She’s so lucky that I protect her from all the dangers of the big bad world. "
CHAND - "Until Euan arrived I was Aarti’s only friend. I keep Aarti company and we go everywhere together. Sometimes Aunt makes Aarti sleep outside and I make sure she stays cosy under my fur."
Creative Activity
You could create your own shrine on a shelf at home or even in a shoe-box turned on its side. Collect things you like. These could be leaves or shells, stones or small things that are precious to you. Place them together. You can write a line of poetry or even words you enjoy saying out loud and put these in your shrine too. You can also include some wishes for yourself, your friends and family and our planet.