Faery Tale, by Signe Pike

I recently read this book, in the interest of discovering what people are saying about fairies out in the world. It's a fun read, but a serious read as well. Ms. Pike embarked on a journey (literally) to find the fairies, or faeries. Her travels took her to Mexico, England, Scotland and Ireland, where she visited and questioned as many authorities as possible, but also the everyday folk, the innkeepers and farmers. Her question: "Do you believe in faeries?" Their answers were many and varied, some exciting and some disappointing.

Ms. Pike shares her experiences with wit and insight. She encountered many fascinating persons, some real, some imaginary and some ... well, mystical. At many ancient sites she experienced things most people only dream about, or only joke about. Mixed with those stories are her marvelous anecdotes about the people she met, including a group of middle-aged English bikers on the Isle of Man.

Faery Tale is a beautifully written book, weaving a fascinating tale of adventure and mysticism with the author's own heartbreak and loss as she adjusts to the death of her father.

Chester Jones, the Villain

Every story needs a troublemaker. In writing, the term is antagonist. The bad guy, the criminal, the cowboy with the black hat, the bully, the no-good boss, the ugly stepmother, the enemy dictator. The wizard gone bad. Generally, the antagonist is the real reason for the story. Something he does or is threatening to do causes the hero or heroine to act.

Chester Jones is the antagonist in An Ordinary Fairy. He's the town bully, but he's a businessman, a loner, who uses financial power to get his way and control people. His family owned the estate Willow lives on for a hundred years before Willow's parent's bought it in 1976, thirty years before the novel begins. They disappeared a year later, and now Chester, the only remaining Jones heir, wants the property back. He's harassing Willow to get her to sell. Hence, the story.

Physically, he looks the bully type. He's 6' 4", and large, though not overweight. He's in his late fifties, with a dominating, arrogant manner and a permanent sneer. He's always dressed in a suit, unless he's killing something - he's an avid hunter. Worst, he has a nasty habit of leering at women, and especially at Willow Brown.

Gosh, I hate this guy! And I haven't told you the worst things about him!

Chester was intentionally imagined so tall and large to emphasize the difference with tiny Willow - he's 19 inches taller than her, and outweighs her by 150 pounds. One of the fun things is that he doesn't often appear in the story - he only has three scenes of significant length. But he's always a dark presence, shadowing everything Willow and Noah do, from the very first pages.