The Story of Jasmine

The Story of JasmineThe Plot: "To embrace her destiny as the Successor of a Great Wizard, the young princess of UR escapes to an ancient ruin on a mountain. A magician took her father's castle using subterfuge, magic, and a small army of men. Seeking to legitimize his tenuous claim over UR through marriage, the usurper searches for the runaway princess. A prince, a warrior maiden, a spy, and a mercenary have separate reasons to converge on the mountain on the prophetic

The Plot: "To embrace her destiny as the Successor of a Great Wizard, the young princess of UR escapes to an ancient ruin on a mountain. A magician took her father's castle using subterfuge, magic, and a small army of men. Seeking to legitimize his tenuous claim over UR through marriage, the usurper searches for the runaway princess. A prince, a warrior maiden, a spy, and a mercenary have separate reasons to converge on the mountain on the prophetic night of a full moon. What does destiny have in store for them?"

The author/artist, DARLENE, is a visionary accomplished in a multitude of creative disciplines related to the book arts. As a writer/illustrator, sheÕs a powerful visual communicator who works intelligently with archetypes and symbols, understands their significance, and uses them appropriately so she can successfully inspire peoples' imaginations through words and images. Guided by the power and spirit of beauty, her work serves to bridge the known with the unknown.

"The Story of Jasmine" has deep roots beginning in 1978 when the creative Muse first visited DARLENE. The Muse dangled the fragments of a grand narrative before her, asking ÒWhat kind of story can you make?Ó What creative person would not accept such an invitation? Of course, she accepted. Like a fierce kitten, she took the bait Ñ rolled with it, engaged with it, chewed it, tasted it, attacked it, loved it. She serially published magazine installments in 1980 but did not finish the story when her contract ended. She now attempts to understand why it showed back up decades later. The story wants to be told. Its deeper, more symbolic meaning will not be silenced.

The story lives in the realm of symbols and archetypes. With the help of the Muse, DARLENE fished them out of the sea of the collective unconscious. When she initially accepted the Gift of the Muse, she did not know the gift could impart greater insights relevant to a time frame forty-four years into the future. That's pretty mind-boggling. The Muse's gift of an epic tale is still in the process of unfolding. This is the first of many books to come. Sharing "Book One: The Birth of Jasmine" with the world, DARLENE realizes the tale has become her heart's song. How glorious!