The Full Story
Serana the Antelope
As a small publisher, at Linden-Lime, we only publish books we really believe in.
Serana is the kind of book that we were founded to create.
Why? Read on and let us explain...
The Story...
Serana lives in the mythical land of Southerca: a large and wonderous place of pristine beaches and lush jungles. In its centre, is a beautiful, peaceful desert- a place where Serana and her friends Liya and Kia, and her brother, Bahar pass their days. The four young antelopes live joyful lives, playing together and grazing flowers amongst the rocky slopes and scattered acacias of their home. However, when tragedy strikes the herd, Serana and her friends must grow up fast. They are forced to seek help. Finding courage and strength in each other, and pursued by an angry villain, the young heroes journey across a world that is both larger and stranger than they could have imagined.
The Prose...
A story may be held together by its structure, but it lives and breathes in the minute details of its text; powerful words, compelling mental pictures and poetic sentences pave the way to a great reading experience. Here is the opening of Serana the Antelope-
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"Far away, to the South of here- beyond even the farthest reaches of the known world- lies a vast and shifting ocean. Its waters are endlessly restless and its tides are as fickle and treacherous as can be. For this reason, perhaps, very few have ever crossed the ocean and most of them have ended up shipwrecked. Their boats- be they the tiniest schooners or the largest modern warships -end up as often as not marooned on sandbanks, or dashed against sharp rocks that lurk, unseen, just below the surface- invisible to all but the keenest eye and as still and patient as the ocean is mobile and impatient...
"...Now, it is said that the earliest ancestors of mankind at one point, in the longforgotten past, crawled out of the oceans. When the world was young and only God, the stars and the plants were there to witness. And perhaps in this there is some truth- if only because deep in the soul of all mankind lurks a relentless restlessness that can only have been born of the waves. True to this restless nature, in each and every generation arise men and women who strive to go beyond whatever the place or time of their birth, to see the wider world, push back the boundaries of human existence and make the world a better place. This story is about several of these restless souls. Although their names may be unfamiliar and their land, a strange and foreign place, I am sure there is much about them that you will recognize, for every part of this Earth is blessed with brave, kind and restless souls, who make their own journeys of discovery, with all that that may bring. Each land has those who go beyond what is expected of them and surpass their own wildest dreams to make the world a better place...
"...Perhaps the first of these souls in our story are the sailors who crossed the wide oceans to the South of here; the men who battled with the tides and storms and rocks, purely to see what lay beyond the waters; men who did battle with their own hunger, fear and exhaustion, if only to squint beyond the horizon: to know what lay beyond.
The first men who did this were brave, of course, but braver still were those who came thereafter, because they knew the risks of such a journey and yet they made it all the same. In all of the trials faced by humankind in all of our combined existence, our greatest strength has been not just our courage, but also our perseverance, for one without the other is like a right hand without a left...
"...So, our story begins with sailors who took their ship far to the south of all of the world that they knew. Against the odds, their ship found land- a vast, raw, exotic continent beyond all of their hopes and dreams. A place beyond even the wildest imaginings of those they had left behind
Southerca, the Southern Continent, was both very foreign and entirely familiar to the crew of that first ship. Its sandy Northern beaches were like the finest they had ever seen. Great swathes of powdery yellow sand swept a thousand miles unbroken in each direction and, at first, the only footprints were their own...."
The Purpose...
One of the greatest joys of producing stories for children and young adults is the wonderful opportunity they present to balance entertainment with learning. Sometimes, even quite complex situations can be clearly understood when woven through an engaging storyline. Bambi, after all, deals with loss; The Lion King explores growing up and the burden of responsibility; the various Tracey Beaker stories examine hope, helplessness and finding support; Harry Potter considers sacrifice, loyalty and the age-old battle of good against evil... and so forth. Besides, all good adventure stories need elements of peril, a hero and a villain. Serana the Antelope has all three. Like many of the best stories, it also explores ideas with wider consequences- themes like compassion and courage.
Wider Themes
Some social problems are difficult to talk about. Especially in an age-appropriate way. Violence against women and girls is an obvious example. Often, the only way to broach subjects like these is via analogy. In Serana, we see a tribe of fictitious (talking) antelopes in which the females are forced to have their horns removed for reasons of tradition and modesty. This could be read as a parallel for any of several physically damaging traditions in human societies worldwide. In Serana, we see our young female and male heroes call out injustice. When their protests fall upon deaf ears, we see them embark on a quest to seek help from a powerful, but wise and kindly, human leader.
Humour & Humanity
As in life, itself, moments of lightness and humour counterbalance more serious times. Even in sad or slightly scary times, there are always some rays of happiness and hope, are there not? In Serana the Antelope, some characters are light and humorous, even when others are more thoughtful. Emotional moments are handled gently and the joy and optimism of Serana the Antelope's young heroes breathes life and hope into moments of adversity. Serana the Antelope shows that even a difficult subject can be broached with lightness, humour and panache. It shows that complex themes can produce a truly great read.
You can read it for free on kindle unlimited from 31st March.
or BUY A COPY on Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon Australia or your regional Amazon. For paper copies, see below-
A Fondly-Memorable and Age-Appropriate Adventure
The reading age of Serana the Antelope is between 8 and 12 years- we consulted British primary and secondary school teachers for their input on the appropriate reading ages, themes and humour.
A modern classic?
Make your own mind up:
Kindle copies available here- Serana on Amazon.co.uk
Serana on Amazon.com
Serana on Amazon.com.au
You can read Serana for free on kindle unlimited.
Softback copies are coming soon WATCH THIS SPACE.
Bulk-order softbacks mailed direct to your school/ library/ college*.
*Details on enquiry- costs depend upon order size.
*Direct mailing available in the UK only at present.
*For more info/ to order, contact Linden-Lime's General Manager,
Marc Salazar - marcfsalazar@protonmail.com
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Free Teacher-resources COMING SOON.
Free Book club resources here- COMING SOON
FAQ- CLICK HERE.
Media/ Interviews/ Press: contact the author via jamesmsutton@protonmail.com. See also Media Page and FAQ.
