Myth and magic is cleverly interwoven in this thrilling and atmospheric story set in Britain during the Iron Age. Tegen finds she has unexpected magical powers which lead her away from the simple life and into great danger. Intrigue and old enmities threaten to overpower Tegen but she bravely steps up to take her rightful place as a druid.
Reading Guide available to download for this title.
When fifteen-year old Tegen is declared the Star Dancer - the one who will save her people from a terrible evil - she is stunned. Then Tegen learns to work real magic with an enchanted silk shawl, and has no choice but to accept her destiny. But there are those who are hell bent on destroying her before she can fulfil the prophecy.
From her childhood Beth had an interest in reading and writing. However she only started writing seriously when she moved abroad, she would write stories for her friends and found she had a passion for writing.
She has been influenced greatly by authors such as C S Lewis, Susan Cooper and Alan Garner but her biggest inspiration was Nathaniel Hawthorne’s ‘Tanglewood Tales.’ Her favorite topic to write about is myths and legends and she found that these authors helped fuel that interest.
Her latest book Star Dancer comes out in September 2006. She got the first idea of the story when she was a student. A woman mentioned to her the irony that people who have talents are unable to express them, due to disability or their sex. So the story of the Star Dancer grew, inspired by her work on books for adults with learning disabilities. She had her first character Tegen who emerged from the first draft she created Griff after her work with disabled adults. Beth enjoyed writing Star Dancer because it gave her the opportunity to research about different periods in history. Star Dancer is loosely set in the Iron Age – Roman times and she liked learning about the lives of the people and it gave her the chance to work with myths and legends. She described writing the book as ‘makes me feel like a kid in a chocolate factory. Beth admires the work schools are doing nowadays to help children with disabilities have a relatively normal childhood and get help to develop their talents and express their interests.
