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Journey to the Heart Stone
by Catherine Raphael 
Narrator: Marisha Tapera
Category: Action & Adventure Fantasy, Fiction, Audiobook
Praise "Imaginative and ambitious, the fantasy novel Journey to the Heart Stone adventures through an ancient, magical land, conveying real-world insights along the way" -Foreword Clarion Review |
ABOUT THE BOOK
Imaginative and ambitious, the fantasy novel Journey to the Heart Stone adventures through an ancient, magical land, conveying real-world insights along the way" Foreword Clarion Review
In the beginning, the Goddess danced the world into existence. Peace reigned for generations through matriarchal rule within the Minca, Dute, and Carroo tribes. But then one man’s lust for power destroyed this balance: Vestor assassinated his sister, Mother of the Minca tribe. His army ravaged the Dute and Carroo tribes. A once-idyllic world was thrust into war, famine, and despair.
Yet today, there is hope. Vestor’s niece, Cora, has a vision: if she can convince an emissary from each tribe to rendezvous at the Heart Stone, she can overthrow her evil uncle, take her rightful place as Mother Minca, and restore harmony.
But the Dutes have disappeared deep into their mountains. There are rumors that the Carroos are extinct. And Cora must move swiftly—lest Vestor learn that she’s pregnant with the Mincan heir.
Imaginative and ambitious, the fantasy novel Journey to the Heart Stone adventures through an ancient, magical land, conveying real-world insights along the way" Foreword Clarion Review
In the beginning, the Goddess danced the world into existence. Peace reigned for generations through matriarchal rule within the Minca, Dute, and Carroo tribes. But then one man’s lust for power destroyed this balance: Vestor assassinated his sister, Mother of the Minca tribe. His army ravaged the Dute and Carroo tribes. A once-idyllic world was thrust into war, famine, and despair.
Yet today, there is hope. Vestor’s niece, Cora, has a vision: if she can convince an emissary from each tribe to rendezvous at the Heart Stone, she can overthrow her evil uncle, take her rightful place as Mother Minca, and restore harmony.
But the Dutes have disappeared deep into their mountains. There are rumors that the Carroos are extinct. And Cora must move swiftly—lest Vestor learn that she’s pregnant with the Mincan heir.
CATHERINE RAPHAEL
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
My life is an unfolding adventure, with lessons to learn and opportunities to take — finding humor along the way.
I grew up in a suburb of Pittsburgh, PA and graduated from Syracuse University with a major in metalsmithing. I worked as a jeweler for sixteen years, first in Philadelphia and then back in Pittsburgh. I also travelled to Arizona several times to do construction work on Arcosanti, Paolo Soleri’s ‘city of the future’.
Then, a couple things happened.
In 1984, I gave birth to my son. Six month later, my mother was diagnosed with cancer. Those events shifted my focus for quite a while. When I came up for breath, I felt the impetus to find new creative activities.
I got active in working for women’s rights and equal justice. I am one of the founding mothers of the Women and Girls Foundation of Southwest Pennsylvania. I served on the boards of the Ms. Foundation for Women and the Women Donors Network and volunteered with other progressive organizations.
For fun, I attended a series of playshops for grown-ups (non-competitive play, art, and storytelling). I loved it, and eventually led my own playshops. In 1999 I wrote and published a workbook for hosting playshops, It’s Our Turn to Play!!!
Playshops led to storytelling, led to working with an improv troupe, led to acting rolls in a couple films, and…led to writing fiction.
I’ve loved fantasy since I was a kid, but found few protagonists I could identify with. For the most part women were idealized beauties or window dressing. Fully developed females tended to be evil hags instead of heroes. So, I wrote my own fantasy.
In 2014, I attended a master class at Hedgebrook. The friendships I made there coalesced into the Roving Writers, my writing group. We meet regularly to support each other and our writing. Together we’ve workshopped with authors Gail Tsukiyama, Erica Bauermeister and Kathy Fish.
I’ve had the pleasure of attending the Iceland Writers Retreat in Reykjavik, Iceland for four years pre-COVID. There I took workshops with a variety of international authors, connected with other writers, explored the strange and beautiful landscape of that country, and soaked in thermal pools.
Not surprisingly, my writing has expanded beyond fantasy. My flash story, It Used to be Called Trenton, won third prize in Writer Advice. The Care and Propagation of Azaleas won second prize in the Ageless Authors competition. My work has been short-listed in Women On Writing and long-listed in Bumble Bee.
Website:
https://catherineraphael.com/
My life is an unfolding adventure, with lessons to learn and opportunities to take — finding humor along the way.
I grew up in a suburb of Pittsburgh, PA and graduated from Syracuse University with a major in metalsmithing. I worked as a jeweler for sixteen years, first in Philadelphia and then back in Pittsburgh. I also travelled to Arizona several times to do construction work on Arcosanti, Paolo Soleri’s ‘city of the future’.
Then, a couple things happened.
In 1984, I gave birth to my son. Six month later, my mother was diagnosed with cancer. Those events shifted my focus for quite a while. When I came up for breath, I felt the impetus to find new creative activities.
I got active in working for women’s rights and equal justice. I am one of the founding mothers of the Women and Girls Foundation of Southwest Pennsylvania. I served on the boards of the Ms. Foundation for Women and the Women Donors Network and volunteered with other progressive organizations.
For fun, I attended a series of playshops for grown-ups (non-competitive play, art, and storytelling). I loved it, and eventually led my own playshops. In 1999 I wrote and published a workbook for hosting playshops, It’s Our Turn to Play!!!
Playshops led to storytelling, led to working with an improv troupe, led to acting rolls in a couple films, and…led to writing fiction.
I’ve loved fantasy since I was a kid, but found few protagonists I could identify with. For the most part women were idealized beauties or window dressing. Fully developed females tended to be evil hags instead of heroes. So, I wrote my own fantasy.
In 2014, I attended a master class at Hedgebrook. The friendships I made there coalesced into the Roving Writers, my writing group. We meet regularly to support each other and our writing. Together we’ve workshopped with authors Gail Tsukiyama, Erica Bauermeister and Kathy Fish.
I’ve had the pleasure of attending the Iceland Writers Retreat in Reykjavik, Iceland for four years pre-COVID. There I took workshops with a variety of international authors, connected with other writers, explored the strange and beautiful landscape of that country, and soaked in thermal pools.
Not surprisingly, my writing has expanded beyond fantasy. My flash story, It Used to be Called Trenton, won third prize in Writer Advice. The Care and Propagation of Azaleas won second prize in the Ageless Authors competition. My work has been short-listed in Women On Writing and long-listed in Bumble Bee.
Website:
https://catherineraphael.com/