The Blossoming - by Katherine Roberts

This winter we've had one storm after another, each wilder than the last, and often combined with heavy rain (the Hollywood type where they throw buckets at windows so you can really see it on screen). But spring has arrived in Devon this week with trees everywhere bursting into pink and white blossoms in preparation for a summer of fruit.

Blossom can be seen in its full glory at National Trust properties around the country, with several events planned to show the flowers at their best (see link for details). Even a walk through your local town might treat you to a show - or, on a windy day, maybe a shower? - of delicate petals from the trees in urban parks and gardens.

Cherry blossom, in particular, is beautiful at this time of year, and is celebrated across Japan as Hanami or "flower-viewing" - a long tradition dating back to the first century, when the emperor and his court would party under the flowering trees and write poetry as an aristocratic pastime.

Hanami - Mount Fuji
(woodcut by Hiroshige, 1858)

When I contemplated writing a sequel to my Earthaven novel Spellfall, I decided to bring the story forward six months to the season of spring with a special ceremony to celebrate the blossoms of my enchanted world. The result is Spell Spring, in which the evil Lord Hawk escapes from the Thrallstone where he was imprisoned at the end of Spellfall and plots his revenge on Earthaven by interfering with the Blossoming, when the giant soultrees of my fantasy world prepare to produce new spells. Hunted by Hawk's Casters, Natalie and her friends return to Earthaven to protect the tree known as Oq that is home to her mother's soul.

page from the paperback edition of Spell Spring
(c) Katherine Roberts

Of course, even fantasy worlds need their own internal logic, otherwise the plot becomes meaningless. In our world, blossoms are fertilised by insects such as bees or beetles. After pollination, trees can then produce the fruit and seeds necessary for survival of the species. But the fruit of Earthaven's soultrees is magical (the spells of Spellfall), so I wanted an equally magical method of fertilisation. I settled on the dust from unicorn horns... and if you're wondering how that works if unicorns can't fly, then you need to read the book to find out!

To celebrate the end of winter, the Kindle edition of Spell Spring is on special offer for only 99p until 1st May.

Spell Spring
* ebook only 99p/99c until 1st May *

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Katherine Roberts writes fantasy and historical fiction for young readers.

Find out more on her website www.katherineroberts.co.uk