Forest Song: Finding Home
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A video link from youtube.com where Vila reads from Forest Song: Finding Home. Comments on the video for Forest Song: Finding Home hvnlylink Wow, this is so terrific, so dramatic, so... so scary! I'm going to your website right now to order mine! Thank you so much for? reading this piece. And LOVE the kitty! shiroshine Another wonderful passage-thanks? for sharing! Forest Song: Finding Home Video Want to preview Forest Song: Finding Home download a CHAPTER PREVIEW FREEBIE pdf click here. Available from Vanilla Heart Publishing as a download. And at amazon.com in paperback 
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kindle download.
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In the disputed territory between Germany and Poland from 1929 to 1933, Judy Baumann struggles to escape to her true home in the woods, often encountering surprising adventures. Both heartwarming and exciting, it’s a tale of Judy’s growth and education in a tumultuous time.
Excerpt from Forest Song: Finding Home, pp 296-297 I laughed so hard I thought my ribs would crack. Matka Lasu laughed too, though, judging by her face, initially surprise brought the mirth to her lips. Drying his eyes and glancing back and forth in an effort to get the punch line of the joke, Tranoc broke into titters. My teacher pointed at me and then at him. She said something neither of us could understand and fell on her side with renewed hilarity. His titters ripened to gulping guffaws, and I, the original source of the contagion, was infected all over again. I fell into his lap and, as helpless as a noodle, I held my aching sides and howled. I couldn’t open my eyes. I couldn’t utter a comprehensible word. Several times our paroxysm dimmed to simple snickering. Then we’d look at each other or someone would snort, and we’d be on fire again. When the laughter finally died we all lay on the floor unable to move except to gasp for each new breath. “Oh that was fun!” Matka Lasu declared wiping her eyes on a hankie from her pocket. “Masha brought us laughter! There’s no greater gift than that.” She blew her nose and shook her head and chuckled again. “What were we laughing at?” His leftover grin looked about to smother in all that facial hair. “Does it matter?” Sitting up she crossed her legs and fluffed her dress down over her knees. “At the joy of having you back. At the absurdity of it all. At life.” She held up an imaginary glass. “To life!” “To us.” He clinked his phantom glass to hers then tapped it against mine. “Including Masha.” I toasted the head of the stairs. “To everything and everyone that makes life worth living. To all the joys that make the sorrows bearable and to the sorrows that help us to appreciate the joys.” Forgetting her glass, she kissed each of us. “To the people I love so much.” I held Heidi up to her, and she kissed the doll too. “Now, let’s have some breakfast.” To see and hear Vila reading this excerpt, click here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRswnLeK7Ss |
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Welcome to the Literary update at Whispers of the Muse
SNEAK PEEK, NEW “Forest Song: Finding Home”, Chapter 3, by Vila SpiderHawk. Between 1929 and 1933, Judy Baumann adjusts to her true home in the Polish woods, overcoming unexpected challenges. Both heartwarming and exciting, this is a tale of Judy’s education in a tumultuous time. Enjoy the great reading! Support our authors in the NEW MUSE SHOPPING GUIDE, with 35 published authors and 80 books in various genres for you to peruse, choose, enjoy or give as gifts … and the guide keeps growing! See you all June 20, 2010 for another Literary Update. As always, thank you all so much for reading at Whispers of the Muse! Write on! Riley and Natalie I blog - http://rileymagnus.wordpress.com/ I write - http://deborahriley-magnus.com/ I play - http://whispersofthemuse.org/ I tweet – http://twitter.com/rileymagnus |
RewiewsHI Vila~ I finished Finding Home tonight and it was such a thrilling book! I never can find the words to say how much your writings mean to me! You’re such a revelation to me. I learn so much from you and I'm so in awe of your wisdom. Thank you for writing this book! Jon DiBenedetto Review of Forest Song: Finding Home, as seen in issue 78 of Sage Woman MagazineForest Song: Finding Home is the first of a series of novels about Judy Baumann, wise woman of the woods. Vila SpiderHawk introduces the protagonist as a little girl living with her impoverished family on a farm in the contested lands between Poland and Germany. The year is 1929, and Judy is already hearing the siren call of the wild. “It wasn’t the wind in the trees or the splashing of rain against arthritic trunks,” she tells us. “Those sounds were there, in their proper seasons … but there was something else curling through [bird sounds and chirping crickets]…. Sometimes late at night I’d awaken with a start and stand on my bed near my slot of a window and watch the shimmering white halo dance like angel wings around the crowns of the trees, and I’d promise, “I’m coming. I’m coming soon.”(p. 12). But Judy’s mother warns her of unknown dangers and calls her willful. Her father hires a salacious blacksmith to build an iron fence around the farm to keep the little girl safe.Judy does, of course, get out of jail. She digs under the bars and escapes into the forest — and is promptly frightened by how wild it is. She’d expected something like a Disney fantasy, but what she finds are “predatory vines,” creepy-crawlies, and wild things. She is terrified. Suddenly she meets a talking tree that comforts her. This being introduces her to the fairy Malgorzata, who takes her to Matka Lasu, the Polish Mother of the Woods. Matka Lasu, who seems to be an unusually magical witch, adopts Judy and begins teaching herbal and other kinds of transformational magic to the child. Sometimes, as when Judy learns to travel as a spider, Matka Lasu’s pedagogical techniques remind us of Merlin’s work with young Wart in T.H. White’s trilogy about King Arthur. In the forest, Judy has come to her true home. She is, in fact, so much at home in Matka Lasu’s underground house that her visits back to her birth family are troublesome. When she gets her first ride in a pickup truck, for example, she faints, and she also sees that her beloved older brother is already turning into a young Nazi. Even though she takes magical gifts, like ever-renewing gold coins, home, she realizes that these people are not her true family. With a rural setting that seems almost medieval (except for a treadle sewing machine and the truck), friendly wild animals, and beneficent magical beings, Forest Song: Finding Home might almost be one of the tales collected by the Brothers Grimm, or perhaps it is in the tradition of Kipling’s Jungle Book. But let’s remember the setting: Germany at the beginning of the Great Depression, in an impoverished country ready to listen to Hitler. Living in a magical land is not living in paradise. Judy is indeed a willful child, and she learns some hard lessons about life and death. As the book ends, Judy is growing up, and we witness her first menstruation, with its attendant ritual, gifts from goddesses, and the arrival of a fertility god. Vila SpiderHawk has already published the second book in the series, Forest Song: Little Mother as well as Forest Song Cookbook. She promises to tell the story of Judy’s life as a forest witch, and that is something for readers to look forward to. Review by Barbara Ardinger. Vila, I am about 3/4 completed with your "Forest Home" book. It is so rich with detail and I have totally just lost myself in the story. I become "Judy" and feel just as she did with Matka Lasu and the loss of her beloved friend. Your words are such a blessing. I just can’t wait to read your other books! — Phoenix
Vila, I have Hidden Passages: Tales to Honor the Crones and Forest Song: Finding Home I keep them right by my bed. I'm still trying to save the money for the cook book!!! These books are my sanity savers!!!! They are my "quiet place" when the pain gets really bad, or I want to "get away" I wouldn't want to go to bed if they weren't on my night stand. To be honest, they helped me make it through the Yule season which is a very hard time for me. You just don't know how much your books help me deal with pain, depression and sometimes when I get lonely. These past days when it's been so cold here, we aren't used to these temperatures, and it's caused me more than a little pain, so I crawl in my bed, and of course at least 3 of my kitties and the two dog's come too, we snuggle under the cover's and I open one of your book's. Soon I'm where ever the story takes me and the pain slips to "background noise" and that's where we spend the afternoon or the whole day!!! — Pam Short
Dear Vila, I absolutely love your book [Forest Song: Finding Home]. It speaks to me on so many levels. I see myself in Judy, longing to get away from life and explore who she is truly meant to be. Nature, forest, birds, butterflies, magic - have always been part of me and I am just discovering the joys of it now in my old life of 49. Your writing is so inspirational and touches my soul. You have a wonderful gift and I thank you for sharing it. —Brenda
Vila, I have Hidden Passages: Tales to Honor the Crones and Forest Song: Finding Home I keep them right by my bed. I'm still trying to save the money for the cook book!!! These books are my sanity savers!!!! They are my "quiet place" when the pain gets really bad, or I want to "get away" I wouldn't want to go to bed if they weren't on my night stand. To be honest, they helped me make it through the Yule season which is a very hard time for me...so thank you my sister!!!! — Pam Short
I wanted to tell you I finished Forest Song: Finding Home and Forest Song: Little Mother. Loved them! You know, I want to find out more about what happens to Judy. Like does she see Klaus again? What happens to all the characters? Does the next book continue the story? If not, you should. I would love to have that story go on and on. Maybe you can just write more for me...LOL....just kidding obviously. But has anybody else asked you that and/or have you thought of that? — Love these books! Scarlett
Vila, I just have to tell you I am loving Forest Song Finding Home! I cried when Masha died...I mean, you are awesome!!! I don't get a lot of time to read, so it's a slow process several times a week, but I just love it!!! Can't wait to read the next book! Well, actually I'll just take my time reading this first of course... — Scarlett
Overall I have to say I loved reading Forest Song: Finding Home By Vila Spiderhawk. There are times that the book was so detailed that I felt everything that Judy was feeling. I felt like I could even almost taste the pierogies. I can even understand Judy because my parents didn’t understand my calling to the woods. The whole book was one big climax, which I loved. Anyone who loves fantasy will love this book. I can’t wait to read the next one and hopes there are more in this series. **** 4 stars — Laura Matthews, Reviewer Mind Fog Reviews
I just wanted to send you a note to tell you how much I really love Forest Song, Finding Home. I am not one to re-read a book. Once I have read it, I am not one to pick it back up again. However, I can read Judy's story over and over again and feel like I am reading it for the 1st time every time. I look forward to being able to read the next saga in Judy's life! I am going to ask for it for Christmas this year and I know it will be one of my favorite gifts...:) I just wanted you to know how much I love your writing Vila. — Kathy www.TheCelticWitch.com
Forest Song: Finding Home has changed my perspective on a lot of things that deal with life, death, and the rest. The characters are vivid and alive and the situations strike a chord of familiarity in me that I have rarely seen or read anywhere else. The writing is exquisite in its simplicity and I could not put the book down to save my life! I give this book MANY thumbs up! — Kate Marian Mason, author of Lady of Shadows: The Coming of the King
Forest Song: Finding Home by Vila SpiderHawk - Book Review by Dawn "Belladonna" ThomasPosted October 19th, 2008 by AnonymousI was excited to begin this book after reading Ms. SpiderHawk’s book Hidden Passages: Tales of to Honor the Crone. I was definitely not disappointed. The story begins with a young girl, Judy, living with her family in Germany. Her family builds a wrought iron fence to attempt to contain her. Judy hears the song of the forest and constantly tries to break through and run for the woods. She realizes at a young age that she doesn’t fit in with “city life.” When Judy finally makes it to the woods, it changes her whole world. She sees and hears things differently than what she is used to. The lessons that she learns are essential to all of us. Those she meets in the woods become more of a family than she ever had with her biological family. Judy learns about relationships, magic, and ways to honor nature and Goddesses.I found myself rereading sections because the messages in the story are so profound. I can see myself becoming more involved. I felt very strong about this message: “But rituals are important. Without them it’s easy to forget who you are. And if you lose yourself you can’t help other people.” Ms SpiderHawk is a talented storyteller and I believe I will be rereading this story again and again. I am sure that I would enjoy any book that she wrote and I am already looking forward to her next book. Divine Caroline Book Reviews Forest Song: Finding Home By: Sandra Carrington-Smith (View Profile) With words as magical as the realms she so skillfully describes, Vila Spiderhawk's charming voice shines through the pages of "Forest Song: Finding Home". Spellbinding bits of wisdom are delightfully threaded through the fibers of a most enchanting story, in which harsh reality and blissful fantasy dance gracefully together. The reader can't help identifying with at least one of the wonderful characters in the story, especially Judy, the young and courageous little girl whom, under the watchful eye of her teacher Matka Lasu, is gradually initiated into the mysteries of womanhood, birth and death; through Judy's eyes, one sees the connection with all expressions of life, and glimpses at the greater concept of being part of a whole. In the end, as Judy finds herself reflected into the very thing she feared in the beginning, she discovers that embracing one's fears is the road that will lead to one's true power. "Forest Song: Finding Home" is a book I will not soon forget, and I certainly believe that it is a must-read for all who seek greater enlightenment, or even for those who just need a good story to brighten their day. I am not through reading Forest Song: Finding Home, but It is just so EXCITING! You are not sure what pops up next!!! Vila you are a wonderful writer and because of this amazing book I am going to buy the other one [Hidden Passages: Tales to Honor the Crones] when I can. I so recommend this book!!!! My husband picked it up (that is one of the reasons I' am not finished yet). He just loves it! He could not put it down! Thank Vila!!!! You are so AWSOME!!!! — Vikki Sawyer
REVIEWS OF FOREST SONG: FINDING HOME Published in Cosmic Cauldron 
Rev Stormy Monday 
Sometimes, however, you read a book, and just get the feeling that you must tell everyone that you know about it. I have been, and now I wish to share what I can of it with you. The book is called, 'Forest Song Finding Home' by Vila SpiderHawk. Vila wrote another book prior to this one called 'Hidden Passages Tales to Honor the Crones'. Both are fantastic! But it is Forest Song that has touched home and touch my soul, and now, I wish to share it with the world. As far as writing a review, I am not that good at this, but her characters feel alive, and her descriptions will bring you to where she wishes you to be in the book. My main point here is that there is a message here in this book...some of us have found our homes, and some are still searching. My home lies in the calling of the forest. The following is a post I posted at MySpace and Pagan Space, (with Vilas' permission). I am not very good at book reviews, but perhaps reading a few of her words will be review enough for you to Find Home..... "Kochanie, people come in and out of our lives. Sometimes they stay with us for only a moment. Sometimes they're with us for years and years. But long time or short, they inevitably bring us a lesson or a blessing to remember." She held me at arms length and offered me her hankie, on which I blew my nose. "Don't ground yourself in people or in time or in place. Time passes: places change, and people are explorers. They don't tend to stay put, and when the time is right, we all wander into death. Everybody dies, Kochanie, even Tranoc." She grabbed a fistful of dirt and handed it to me. "Ground yourself in Matka Ziemia, our Mother, the Earth. Wherever you are She'll be under your feet, supporting and guiding you." Sitting on the forest floor, she took me to her lap. I'd grown since the last time we had sat that way, and I didn't quite know what to do with my legs. I settled on letting them sprawl on the ground. "The trick is to let people come and go, let time pass and let places change. Life is not static. And so we love what is, and when it changes, as it inevitably will, we go on, grateful for the lessons and blessings those people, those times, or those places brought us." She kissed my forehead and each of my cheeks. "Love always means knowing when to let go." "Then I don't want any part of love," I pouted, paradoxically hugging her neck. "If you can't feel the thorn," she whispered in my ear, "you can't feel the velvet of the rose." She squeezed me again. 'Come now, Kochanie. Let's give those tears to the stream." Forest Song Finding Home by Vila SpiderHawk is page 300 in the most beautiful book I have ever read, and if I had a class of Pagan students, this book would be a must read!!!! If you want a most beautiful book to read, please find this book! Forest Song Finding Home by Vila SpiderHawk. You won't regret buying this book, I promise you!!!  Forest Song – Finding Home by Vila Spiderhawk © Vanilla Heart Publishing ISBN 978-0-9814739-8-7 399 pages $15.99 (U.S.) This is the second book I have read by this author. The first was Hidden Passages, which was a collection of short stories. This one is a full length novel, which allows for greater character development. This book is a treat. It has so many facets it is dazzling. It is a fascinating story of a young girl’s encounters with life. It is a novel set in the recent past. It teaches basic magical concepts and beliefs. On top of all that it is an enjoyable book which is fun to read. It is, I suspect (and hope) the prelude to a series of books which will allow us to experience Judy’s journey from a gawky pre-teen running away from an over-controlling family through her years to the start of her life as woman, and on to her crone-hood. There is much to tell if this book is any indication. Ms. SpiderHawk knows how to tell a story. It will appeal to a wide range of readers, ranging in age from young adult through senior citizen; from those looking for a fun story to members of the Pagan community looking for a way to pass along some basic knowledge in a painless way. I cannot recommend this author’s work strongly enough. Vanilla Heart Publishing is also becoming a favorite publisher. — Michael Gleason
Forest Song: Finding Home sings indeed—with verbal imagery and plot turns that keep you eager for every morsel. — Jim Mc Conkey, author of Journey to the Far Side of Earth
Vila SpiderHawk's exquisite prose paints detailed images of Judy's experience; we feel her every emotion, hear every bird call, smell every earthy scent, experience for ourselves everything Judy experiences as she grows from gawky girl into Wise Woman of the Woods. SpiderHawk truly knows the forest, and does a masterful job of conveying the wisdom you will garner if you listen, just listen, to the music of the trees. — Smoky Trudeau, author of Redeeming Grace and The Cabin
Forest Song: Finding Home is a book not to be missed by maiden, mother, or crone. SpiderHawk has done it again! One more MUST read that will become a classic. — Helen Collins, creator, editor, and publisher of Folk Music Ministry Magazine
Dear Vila, I read Forest Song: Finding Home cover to cover! Put it down? Not a chance!!! I laughed and cried and it hit me right in the heart, just the way it should! And I plan to read it again and again! What a marvelous book! My advice to people is: forget the million things you have to do and sit down and read this book! You'll be soooooooo glad you did. — Sandi
What can I say about this brilliant book that hasn't already been said over & over again? I am the very proud owner of a personally signed copy of Forest Song [Finding Home] and it left me with a feeling of joy, peace & fulfillment. It's wonderfully crafted as well as being a delight to read. Truly, it calls to you and sings to the very depths of your soul. It is filled with insight, wisdom and happiness. Do yourselves a favor and buy this lovely book. I was entranced from the first page to the last. Thank you, Vila, for giving such a literary gem to the public. Blessings — Jo Gray, author of Tails from the Cat Basket
Forest Song: Finding Home is an enchanting tale which captivates the mind and soothes the soul With words as magical as the realms she so skillfully describes, Vila Spiderhawk's charming voice shines through the pages of "Forest Song: Finding Home". Spellbinding bits of wisdom are delightfully threaded through the fibers of a most enchanting story, in which harsh reality and blissful fantasy dance gracefully together. The reader can't help identifying with at least one of the wonderful characters in the story, especially Judy, the young and courageous little girl who, under the watchful eye of her teacher Matka Lasu, is gradually initiated into the mysteries of womanhood, birth and death; through Judy's eyes, one feels the connection with all expressions of life and glimpses at the greater concept of being part of a whole. In the end, as Judy finds herself reflected into the very thing she feared in the beginning, she discovers that embracing one's fears is the road that will lead to one's true power. "Forest Song: Finding Home" is a book I will not soon forget, and I certainly believe that it is a must-read for all who seek greater enlightenment, or even for those who just need a good story to brighten their day. — Sandra Carrington-Smith, Author of "The Book of Obeah" and "Housekeeping For The Soul"
http://www.bookofobeah.com
Forest Song: Finding Home is a true masterpiece. I just loved Judy and her mother and Matka Lasu and the other characters. Vila SpiderHawk’s words took me far away from where I was and put me into the story so that I couldn’t put the book down. I found myself re-reading a few of the chapters just because they were such a joy to read. I just loved this book and didn’t want it to end! If you liked Hidden Passages: Tales to Honor the Crones. You’ll love Forest Song: Finding Home. It really is an amazingly beautiful book! — Danielle Crawford
"For those who are reading this, and I hope that you all are, I would like to talk for a moment about Vila SpiderHawk's book. After reading 'HIDDEN PASSAGES Tales to Honor the Crones', I thought that it probably didn't get much better that that. But I have since received Vila's new book, 'FOREST SONG- Finding Home'. I must admit, I have not had much time to read as of late! So this wonderful book sat on the bookshelf, patiently waiting. As it sat, it called to me, just slightly at first, then a little more each day. Today, even though I have a million things I must do, 'Forest Song' actually made me pick it up and asked me to read just the first two pages. So I did. Upon reading the first two pages, I came to realize, stop with the million things you feel you need to do... make time to read this book!! Vila, may I say to you, after only two pages of your wonderful new book, I soooooooo look forward to making the time now to finish this book! I can tell it will be another 'can't put it down till it is finished' book. Thank you my friend Vila, you are amazing!!! I hope it is OK with you if I put in this quote from the very start of your new wonderful book, 'FOREST SONG Finding Home'. — Robert Morini
I am a voracious reader with eclectic tastes. Every now and then a writer comes along whose work gathers my attention so that I seek more and more of her work. Vila Spiderhawk [http://vilaspiderhawk.covenspace.com/] is one of those writers who captivates me. I read Hidden Passages: Tales To Honor The Crones non-stop and found myself looking for more from Vila! And now! Right now, there is m-o-r-e! I just got the book yesterday, and I am already halfway through Forest Song: Finding Home. This is Vila's second book, and it is an ambitious, courageous adventure into the psyche. It has passages that reach the heights in the lyric mastery that lets the spirit know that for those who are willing ~ there is always help and hope! — (Many Feathers)
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