A FABLE OF WOOD & STRING by L.T. Getty ~ Guest Post, Excerpt & Giveaway

A Fable of Wood & String
by: L.T. Getty
Genre: YA High Fantasy
Release Date: August 7, 2024
Publisher: Black Unicorn Books

Would it hurt you to just do as you're told?

The O'Connell siblings live in the shadow of their parent's past, held back by obligation to keep the people of Stagmil safe when their father has to lead the non-hunters of their village to drive off a wyvern.

Lily doesn't trust the stranger who calls herself Madeline when she staggers into the pastoral lands. The puppeteer seems to take an interest in Lily's talent with the family mandoline, and she teaches Lily new music. Lily's had songs stuck in her head before, but nothing like this.

Twins Seth and Tiffany however can't wait for their father to return so they can get on with the shearing. Seth should at least be helping hunt the wyvern, and Tiffany wants to take her best friend Molly and head to the nearest city and see the world.

The twins and several other villagers are lured by song into the woods and transformed into marionettes: Seth breaking free before he can be strung, and Lily tainted in a way she doesn't understand. They have the skills to track the woman down, but to restore Seth to his body, and rescue Tiffany and the others?

Tracking the woman takes them far from the familiar woodlands they know, across the sea to an enchanted castle, where in an effort to rescue their sister they'll learn something much more sinister than turning folk into puppets is going on. They'll get help, of course, but not from who they expected.

After all, last Seth checked, foxes are only supposed to have the one tail.

A Fable of Wood and String centers around the O’Connell siblings and one of the themes of the story is about family – biological and found. I can’t possibly get to everyone in this tale, so I’ll introduce you to the O’Connell family: they ranch sheep, have several dogs, chickens and a beloved horse named Stella.

The parents are Elias and Sylvia O’Connell. They are described as former speciality game hunters, it’s mentioned early on that they caught a unicorn some time before any of the kids were born and upset one of their clients, hence living out quietly in the back country. That was also implied to be a rare hunt and put an end to a career of taking down other dangerous game, for reasons unspecified but later implied to be obtaining various venoms and certain plants as well as cataloguing a beastiary.

Elias is the one everyone assumed was the big hunter. Sylvia on the other hand was the lore master, more telling the larger party habits and potential weaknesses based on information gathered from earlier hunts.

No longer willing to hunt questionable game for any price, Elias and Sylvia initially settled in Sylvia’s hometown of Rosehill, but when the family was still young moved to the quiet shire of Stagmil, where they currently have more sheep in their barns than there are locals in the nearby village. Some say they picked the location because of the woods and Elias still likes to roam, others say when the price of fleece is down Sylvia makes balms and ointments and helps nurse their neighbor’s sick animals. They’re fond of a local fox, who brings her kits to visit, which some of the locals find more than a bit odd.

The Name “O’Connell” means Strong as a Wolf. They are shepherds stronger than the things that go bump in the night. They sometimes go by Sylvia’s maiden name, “Brathwell” implied to be because of bad blood but, that bad hunt was a long time ago. Surely everyone’s forgotten, right?

“Elias” means “The Lord is my God”, “The Strong Lord” or “Jehova is God”. (Hebrew)

“Syliva” means “Spirit of the woods” or “woods” or “forest”. (Latin) 

Lily is the oldest of the O’Connell teenagers and the focal character. Determined and dutiful, Lily is a shepherd who feels held back and like she’s not reaching her full potential. Lily’s critical wound was she was passed over for apprentice when she was eleven, in spite of training under Zin, the local swordmaster and recluse though no one takes that seriously so Lily doesn’t either.

In my drafting phase I was going to name her Fern but one of my nieces didn’t like it and suggested Lily. Her full name is Lily Nell O’Connell: Lilies are associated with purity and resurrection, the name Nell means “Horn”, the reference to the ‘pure horn’ ties into her parents being unicorn hunters and Lily bring present, albeit in utero, at that last fateful hunt. There’s more to the name meaning: Liles are poisonous afterall, but I’m doing my best to not completely spoil the book.

Seth and Tiffany are twins, and Seth is the other co-protagonist. A shepherd and more of a hunter than Lily, when coming up with Seth I envisioned an average video game protagonist and made him someone’s brother so, if anyone’s doing something to annoy you look no further. Seth doesn’t have the same existential dread Lily does his issue is more one of impulse control. Blunt but creative, Seth is the most adventurous and capable of getting out of trouble, because he has so much experience getting into it.

Seth was named because my niece called another character “Sean” as “Seth” and I have a warped sense of humor. The name Seth means “Chosen one” or “Annointed”, which makes sense about midway through the book. (Hebrew)

Tiffany, the youngest, is very opinionated and not as worldly as she likes to pretend. Tiffany is also a very creative, very loyal girl who is a good friend and cares about her family; she and Lily are sometimes rivals but generally speaking get along to put an end to whatever nonsense Seth is up to. Initially she comes across as girlier than Lily, but the facade quickly fades when people start doing what she doesn’t like, especially if they’re being mean or bullying someone. 

Tiffany is a medieval name and short for Theophania – a name traditionally given to girls who were born on Epiphany, or January 6. It means, “Revelation of God” or “Manifestation of God”. (Greek)

Together, they have been living south of the Greenbrier Mountains in a tiny village not far from a large bustling city, but unless they’re selling fleece, they don’t go there much; they’re more likely to go visit friends in relations in other villages. They share a pasture with their neighbours and the teens still get to steal away and see their friends – well, Tiffany gets to see her best friend Molly; most of the others were picked for apprentice several years back. They’re a loving family who help their neighbours when they can, and all three of the siblings can play Elias’ mandolin; a lute-like instrument though Tiffany prefers the flute and Seth makes up his own lyrics as he pleases.

Like what? So glad you asked. Here’s a Song I had to Cut for Length:

The Chickadee Song (Traditional)

A song for small children, also useful for teaching chords. Children often play this song while jumping rope or playing clapping games. Wholesome, unassuming, no one could ruin it, right? ...right?

Hello my friend!

My little Chicka-Dee-Dee-Dee-Dee!

Let’s sing together

Just you and me-me-me-me!

The best of friends

I just love to sing and dance 

With my sweet precious little

Chicka-Dee-Dee-Dee-Dee!

(Repeat Ad nauseum; there may be a line about laughing and rainbows, but you’re not here for that)

The Seth Version

A song made up by infamous lyricist, though he is not the only offender who created this abomination. Traditionally sung in the fields, where their mothers cannot hear them, however small children can hear them and repeat everything. Do not let any hoodlums responsible know that, in other places, Chickadees are also referred to as ‘tits’.

Silence you jerk!

Annoying Chickadee dee dee dee!

I need some sleep!

You sound worse than a banshee-shee-shee shee!

More terrible than my bunion

You make me cry more than an onion

One day I’ll catch and pluck that wretched

Chickadee-dee-dee-dee!

Who brought you here?

I blame Tiffany nee-nee-nee!

Prancing and singing

Behaving so despicably-lee-lee-lee!

You both make such a racket

I’ll have to get a hatchet

And force you to move

Away from my bedroom tree tree tree tree!

Times are hard

There’s nothing left in the Pantry tree tree tree!

I’d kill for a parsnip

The crimes I’d commit for

Biscuits and cream for my tea tea tea tea

What’s that I hear?

Strike up the fire and get the pot

I’m gonna catch and eat myself

A precious little chickadee-dee-dee-dee!

Where are you going friend?

Don’t fly away from me me me me!

You loved to serenade before

The crack of dawn with far too much glee!

I’ve some garlic and some butter

Another song you’ll never utter

I’ll fry you up and you’ll be so tasty-eee-eee-eee

Alas! Forlorn!

Oh woe is me me me me!

My neighbour’s stupid cat caught and ate

My precious chickadee-dee-dee-dee!

As I sit here glum and starving

It occurs I could be a ‘carving

Cats are bigger anyway

I’ll get you and then we’ll fricassee-see-see-see!

The figure in black started to play something else, and the other’s eyes widened. Tiffany shouted something, and they all reached for the soft wax of the candle but didn’t know what they were doing. In the haste of grabbing the candle, it was knocked to the ground.

Seth ignored his companions and nocked his bow. “Stop what you’re doing or I’ll shoot!”

The figure seemed undeterred. Seth knew he was about to commit murder, but he didn’t care and he wouldn’t leave Louis or any of them to whatever that doppelganger was, and this thing was obviously part of this plot. He loosed the arrow, and the figure only stopped playing to bat it away with the sword hidden under the cloak. Impossible, Seth thought, nocking another with a second between his fingers for quick redraw. He might not be the finest archer—but at this range he didn’t have to be, and no one could deflect arrows in succession for long.

Someone screamed. It looked like Rebecca was caught in a web when she tried to bolt from the glen between two trees. Seth unsheathed his long knife and went to help her, but the figure of Not-Lily appeared, taking off her face and standing near Rebecca. The face was completely blank underneath; Seth let out a surprised gasp before she replaced that face with something with six red eyes, two in the normal place with another four running up her forehead.

Then he saw it—her—grow. The lower half of her body swelled and became massive, bulbous, like the back half of a centaur; her body remained about the same size, but rather than fur and four legs, shimmering black hair and eight legs protruded from the torso, longer at the bend than Dale was tall. She towered over Rebecca. A giant spider . . . woman? There was something eerily feminine about it, a sort of terrible beauty that froze him when his instincts told him to move. She stepped over Rebecca, barrelling down on Seth. He loosed another arrow at her head, but she dodged and shot out webbing from her hands that knocked him backwards, pinning him to the grass. More spider silk flew and pinned his arm to the grass.

Seth tried to wriggle free the monster chased after Dale, and to Seth’s horror, caught him with long strands at his wrists, and wrangled him like a marionette. Dale wriggled against the webbing and she dragged him back, and it seemed that he was transforming in the shadow, shrinking and becoming . . . something else. Seth unbuttoned his over shirt to try to free himself.

Dale was reduced to the size of a doll, and the spider had shifted him to a web in the canopy before going after Tiffany. Brigid flailed between two trees, seemingly stuck in a giant web.

Louis cut Seth free and thrust the bow into Seth’s hand. He shouted something and Seth realized that if he got her attention, there wouldn’t be another time. Louis released his sling in the dark. Seth couldn’t see the rock’s trajectory but the spider reeled, leaving Tiffany and moved with intent on the pair of them. They darted in opposite directions, and by luck the creature honed in on Louis, giving Seth enough time to fire. The arrow bounced off the creature’s bulbous body.

Out of the corner of his eye, Seth thought he saw a fox or coyote dart from the bush and bound through the grass. It ran behind the mandolin-playing creature and bit it in the butt. Suddenly there were two people, but Seth couldn’t watch them.

Seth let loose another arrow, narrowly missing the torso, and shouted at the others to run—he wasn’t sure who it had now, was it Rebecca or Molly? The light was too poor for him to be certain, but whoever the spider held she was shrinking fast.

The creature turned, six red and black eyes focused on Seth, and came down on him with full force. Seth found his limbs caught by two bands of silk and forced above his head, and he was hoisted into the air. He locked eyes with Louis who was looking not only smaller, but . . . wooden. Against his control, Seth raised his hands to his ears and removed the wax, and sound same rushing back.

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L.T. Getty is a Manitoba Paramedic. She received her degree in English in 2006 from the University of Winnipeg, and has gone on to write several novels. Her latest title, Titan’s Ascent, is a sword and sorcery forthcoming from Champagne Books for 2025.

Places to find L.T. Getty:

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