Jayel Gibson
Official Biography (2009)
By her grandmother’s side, Jayel Gibson listened with eager anticipation as her grandmother wove traditional Celtic folklore and fairy tales into stories. These tales fascinated and captivated her imagination, greatly influencing the direction of her own writing and storytelling. This love for mythology drove Gibson to eventually craft the “Ancient Mirrors Tales,” a series of fantasy novels that delve into an ancient, magical world where humans live alongside dragons and wizards.
Gibson holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Multicultural Studies. In 1989, she became an elementary school teacher in Escondido, Calif., where she taught the fourth and fifth grades. During her time in Escondido, she was a two-time “Teacher of the Year” recipient for the Escondido Union School District. In 2003, Gibson retired from teaching to wholly pursue her passion for writing. Using the seedlings of her grandmother’s Celtic tales and alternate worlds, Gibson formed the “Ancient Mirrors Tales,” which include Dragon Queen, The Wrekening, Damselflies, and Quondam.
The final chapter of the four-part, epic-adventure series, “Ancient Mirrors," features strong female characters who do not hesitate to stand up for themselves. Quondam (Synergy Books, May 2008, ISBN 1-933538-83-X), follows Cwen of Aaradan who has fallen into a mysterious world, called Quondam, where she must face tragedy and heartbreak that leads her into the middle of devastating war. Fighting to unseat the wood nymph queen, she finally restores order and magic to Quondam.
Quondam was awarded the 2008 National Indie Excellence Award and a USA Book News 'Best Books 2008' Finalist Award in the fantasy and sci-fi category. Gibson received a 2007 Writer’s Digest International Book Award Honorable Mention for her previous novel, Damselflies, and the "Ancient Mirrors" series received two USA Book News '2007 Best Books' finalist awards.
Gibson’s interest in history and folklore is woven throughout her tales to create an otherworldly, yet authentic experience. Through her research into Celtic and Anglo-Saxon cultures, Gibson’s “Ancient Mirrors” enchants readers in a world and time unlike their own. Quondam and the other tales are also grounded in elements gleaned from the world of role-playing games.
In addition to a full-time writing career, Gibson serves as an adjunct professor at Southwestern Oregon Community College, where she teaches writing for publication. Gibson currently resides in Port Orford, Ore., where she and her husband share their home with a number of furred and feathered companions. She is a popular conference speaker at events like OryCon, Wordstock and the South Coast Writers Conference, and is the online book moderator for Realms of Fantasy magazine.
She has been a contributor for Louisiana Parents Magazine, Dallas Child Magazine, Tweens & Teens Magazine, Education.com and Thefatherlife.com. For more information, visit www.jayelgibson.com .
To schedule an interview, or book signing event with Jayel Gibson or to request a review copy of Quondam please contact Shelby Sledge at (512) 478-2028 ext. 227 or ssledge@phenixpublicity.com.
The Ancient Mirrors fantasy series:
Gibson holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Multicultural Studies. In 1989, she became an elementary school teacher in Escondido, Calif., where she taught the fourth and fifth grades. During her time in Escondido, she was a two-time “Teacher of the Year” recipient for the Escondido Union School District. In 2003, Gibson retired from teaching to wholly pursue her passion for writing. Using the seedlings of her grandmother’s Celtic tales and alternate worlds, Gibson formed the “Ancient Mirrors Tales,” which include Dragon Queen, The Wrekening, Damselflies, and Quondam.
The final chapter of the four-part, epic-adventure series, “Ancient Mirrors," features strong female characters who do not hesitate to stand up for themselves. Quondam (Synergy Books, May 2008, ISBN 1-933538-83-X), follows Cwen of Aaradan who has fallen into a mysterious world, called Quondam, where she must face tragedy and heartbreak that leads her into the middle of devastating war. Fighting to unseat the wood nymph queen, she finally restores order and magic to Quondam.
Quondam was awarded the 2008 National Indie Excellence Award and a USA Book News 'Best Books 2008' Finalist Award in the fantasy and sci-fi category. Gibson received a 2007 Writer’s Digest International Book Award Honorable Mention for her previous novel, Damselflies, and the "Ancient Mirrors" series received two USA Book News '2007 Best Books' finalist awards.
Gibson’s interest in history and folklore is woven throughout her tales to create an otherworldly, yet authentic experience. Through her research into Celtic and Anglo-Saxon cultures, Gibson’s “Ancient Mirrors” enchants readers in a world and time unlike their own. Quondam and the other tales are also grounded in elements gleaned from the world of role-playing games.
In addition to a full-time writing career, Gibson serves as an adjunct professor at Southwestern Oregon Community College, where she teaches writing for publication. Gibson currently resides in Port Orford, Ore., where she and her husband share their home with a number of furred and feathered companions. She is a popular conference speaker at events like OryCon, Wordstock and the South Coast Writers Conference, and is the online book moderator for Realms of Fantasy magazine.
She has been a contributor for Louisiana Parents Magazine, Dallas Child Magazine, Tweens & Teens Magazine, Education.com and Thefatherlife.com. For more information, visit www.jayelgibson.com .
To schedule an interview, or book signing event with Jayel Gibson or to request a review copy of Quondam please contact Shelby Sledge at (512) 478-2028 ext. 227 or ssledge@phenixpublicity.com.
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Posted on September 24, 2009 at 2:00pm —
Meet Camille Walker
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Born in Barstow, Florida, teen artist Camille Walker spent her early childhood in the southern heat. Around the time she turned eight, she moved across the United States to Port Orford, Oregon with her mother and sister and has lived there since. As she g… Continue
Posted on April 13, 2009 at 7:23pm —
Video Games: Friend or Foe?
Video games. While they may seem like the bane of every parent's existence, they don't have to be—many of them offer unique learning features. And with increased requirements in schools placing unprecedented demands on children, parents and even grandparents, it may be time to start thinking about video games as teaching tools. The learning component of gaming can be optimized with parent involvement. That means understanding what makes a game both fun and educational.
What makes a game fun?
•… Continue
What makes a game fun?
•… Continue
Posted on November 4, 2008 at 10:46am —
EONS BOOK GALLERY's Interactive Author Chat
Next weekend, October 4th and 5th, EONS BOOK GALLERY will be hosting 30+ EONS authors for a day of interaction with interested readers. Planned by the book club administrator, Daffodil56, and backed by the crew at EONS, this promises to be a spectacular EONS weekend event.
Between now and the actual event, interested readers can drop by EONS BOOK GALLERY and read fre… Continue
Between now and the actual event, interested readers can drop by EONS BOOK GALLERY and read fre… Continue
Posted on September 29, 2008 at 12:00pm —
Free Stuff
THE TUDOR SHOPPE
PORT ORFORD DEVELOPMENT LLC
PORT ORFORD LIBRARY
SCWC
COOS BAY WALMART
© 2009 Created by Jayel
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I'll find the links to the artist and send them to you. Remember let your imagination be your guide.
Thank you, I can't remember where I got the Lady in Red & Guardian Angel from, but the one with my name on it was made for me by a friend about 6 years ago. Her name is Karen and she belonged to a group I was in. I wish I could find her again so I could get more made. haha I have several beautiful pictures I use for my dest top. I'll post more if you'd like. Keep on writing those wonderful stories, you have a way of making them seem so real. I just love them.It looks like a wonderful site and I am sure I will enjoy myself here. Its nice to be around other people who like to read fantasy .
Tim W
I will check out the Seger book and get back to ya on that. Hopefully, my Creative Non-fiction class will help me out on my troubles. Thanks for the info.
Thanks, Andie