Local Long Island Author Blends A Touch of Irish Folklore With Charming Urban Fantasy in the Lighthearted “Tales of Tanglewood”

In the wake of the last Harry Potter novel comes a refreshingly new and endearing tale that can be enjoyed by children and adults alike. The Tales of Tanglewood: The Lon Dubh Whistle is the first in a series of new novels to be written by local Long Island author Scott Michael Kessman.

Smithtown, NY, — The Tales of Tanglewood: The Lon Dubh Whistle proudly stands apart from the mass of copycat fantasy fiction and mundane adventure stories currently flooding the market.

Gathering inspiration from a recent trip to Ireland as well as many of Long Island’s beautiful parks, Scott deftly weaves together subtle traces of Irish folklore with more traditional fantasy in an urban setting. The result is a beautifully written story containing the perfect combination of fun, mirth, magic, and adventure.

Within the pages of the book, readers will discover Colin, a child who is fully aware of the hidden world of myth and wonder hiding within the woods just beyond his home, long kept secret by old magic. Only the fey magic which runs through his veins has enabled Colin to find what others cannot; the Tanglewood, the ‘wood within the woods.

Full of odd characters and fey beings, the Tanglewood is a world of magnificent folklore come to life. As Colin begins to explore the Tanglewood, he will find friendship with the ferrish Ailfrid, the elfin girl Deidre, and Doc Muffingrow, a wise druid.

Colin will also find that there is much magic in himself, as well as dangerous enemies who will not let him find solace in the wood so easily. Ailil, King of the Sprites and ruler of The Below, has laid claim to his spirit, and Colin will need the help of his friends and quite a bit of magic to save himself.

The Tanglewood is a place like no other, and Colin is a boy like no other. Throughout his adventures, he will uncover the secret of the fey blood within him, and help dispel the poisonous corruption and hidden dangers that threaten the inhabitants of the wood and the Tanglewood itself.

The Tales of Tanglewood: The Lon Dubh Whistle is available online at all major book retailers such as Amazon.com, Borders, Barnes & Nobles, and other, and can be ordered through local booksellers.

Reviews
“In a world filled with strife and hardship it is a stroke of luck when a book appears to take one away from it all. The Tales of Tanglewood: The Lon Dubh Whistle is just such a story.

This is a chronicle of a young boy named Colin and the seemingly unexceptional forest beyond his parent’s yard. Colin felt the woods to be special, and often dreamed of the magic that was busy in the trees in the form of wood nymphs, elves and other creatures. One warm summer night, upon awakening from a recurrent charmed dream, he followed his instincts outside into the woods. After pushing through the trees for some time he came to an archway, and then to a clearing, where before his eyes, cast in the glow of firelight was…well, here the adventure takes off for young Colin in The ‘Wood. Colin is initiated into the grove with characters like the be-horned Ailfrid, Colin’s fairy guide; Doc Muffingrow, the druid and muffin-baker extraordinaire; and Deidre, the strong-willed elfin runner. But all is not right and peaceful in The ‘Wood. And as Colin always suspected, he is not a simple Kynney Deiney; or member of the human race, but in fact possesses Blood of the Fey, or fairy spirit.

What ensues is an engaging adventure of transformation and rebirth all through the world of the supernatural, rife with the creatures of one’s wildest imagination; brownies, sprites and pixies abounding.

This book is a delight for all ages. The Tales of Tanglewood is fundamentally charming, from its enchanting characters to its deft anthropomorphizing of the natural world. Whereas some fairy fables devolve into sentimentality, this tale is utterly entrancing. Written in clean, capable prose, the story moves without a hitch to the final pages, which hint at more Tanglewood tales to come. The reader should be so fortunate.”
-Rachel Bravmann, reviewer for BUST Magazine, Seattle Magazine

Visit the official website at www.talesoftanglewood.com for more information and to download a 3-chapter preview.