Ashley Beach-Author and Storyteller

My heart behind the stories. 

I have always loved watching behind the scenes stuff in movies or theater stuff and it totally fascinates the theater geek in me when I get a peek behind the curtain. In the Solstice Chronicles, my books have all been based on different fairy tales I love, but there is a deeper story woven into the threads of these stories that I hope points to the ultimate Author and Storyteller of our lives. So, for those who are new to these stories, or just curious to take a look behind the curtain, here’s a little peek into the heart behind my stories. 

God started laying these stories on my heart five or so years ago and I am so blessed to be able to write them and share them with you. When I started writing these stories, I wanted to incorporate a biblical element into them and create a platform for people to see God and Christ in these stories who may not necessarily believe or attend church or not have any other exposure to these things. I also wanted to share stories with believers to encourage them in their walks with Christ and hopefully show them some hope in these stories of difficulty and overcoming trials. Being set in a fairy tale world, I didn’t want to create images or ideas of God or Christ that could be conceived as blasphemous or inconsistent with God’s character, so I tried to be careful in my references to them, but the realm of fairy tales also gave me the freedom to show God and Christ and Biblical messages in a different way. The idea of beauty lost, both in our world and in the fairy tale world I created, and the journey to restore that beauty is the seed that has blossomed into these four stories, and I hope by writing these stories, I can bring back some of the beauty lost in the world and remind people of the beauty our world was designed to reflect.

(Check out my video on the Great Mage on my YouTube channel)

One thing I knew from the beginning of crafting this world: I wanted to incorporate a Christ character into my stories, much like Aslan in Chronicles of Narnia(yes, I stole the chronicles idea from C.S. Lewis 😊). I wanted to be able to showcase Christ in such a way that it would give a visual picture of who Christ is and his constant working and interaction in our world, even when we can’t see it. If you’ve read any of the Solstice Chronicles, you quickly realize each of the realms has become broken or fallen and full of their own battles and struggles. They have all drifted away from the presence and influence of The Great Mage–myGod character– and many of the young royals have either never met the Mage’s Son or have never heard of him. In each of my books, the young royals have a special encounter with the Mage’s Son towards the end of the book. These moments are very special to me as they are my Jesus encounter moments. He sees them and knows what they have been through. He knows every part of them and sees who they truly are. He calls them by their true names and shows them who they truly are. He heals them and sets them free. Much like the real Jesus did when he lived on this earth and continues to do in our lives today. 

(Check out my video on The Mage’s Son on my YouTube channel)

Creating a Jesus character in the Mage’s Son, whom we later learn is called Melchizidai(a nod to the reference of Melchizadek in the Old Testament), lent to creating a satan character. Luscian(which is a form of a name that means light), the Lord of Darkness has long been an enemy of the Great Mage and his Son and seeks only to destroy the beauty and light the Mage created in the world. Book 1 has a moment in the very beginning where Luscian had to go to the Mage to request permission to give a gift to the Snow Queen. This was a nod to Job when Satan came before God to ask permission to inflict certain things on Job, showing that ultimately God is still in control of everything and Satan still needs to go through Him before he does anything. Like his real world counterpart, Luscian(also reminiscent of Lucifer which mean brilliant one or light) was one if the most beautiful beings in the realms, but fell because of his pride and desire to be greater than the Mage, and has had a vengeance against the beauty in the world that painfully reminds him of his own beauty lost that he will never have again. Luscian is a large part of book two in the battle between dark and light, and he makes appearances in the other books, coming back full force in book 4. Like the Mage’s Son who is always working in the background to restore the beauty lost in the world, Luscian and his minions are always working behind the scenes to destroy that beauty and banish it to the darkness. 

God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit and Satan are all real in our world, whether you want to admit it or not. Our world was created by the personal hand of the God-head three in one. You are a beautiful masterpiece created with a great purpose. Satan knows our weaknesses and preys on them, but he also knows the great beauty and strength that resides within each of us which is why he fights so hard to keep us from realizing or reaching that full power. My hope in writing these stories is to show a realistic picture of who they are and give a visual look into what their characters are and maybe a different way for people to see and relate to them in their own lives. If you see even an ounce of God in these stories, that is more than enough to make it worth it to me to write them. 

One surprising thing that has come out of these stories is that several people have told me how either their children/grandchildren are reading them and loving them or they are reading them to their children and having discussions with them on what different elements and themes mean. I set out to write fairy tales for adults and wound up having stories that are being used for teaching moments for young children. That has been an unexpected blessing and reminder that I am not the one writing these stories, God is, and He’s using them in ways I would have never imagined. 

I pray as you read these stories, you will find beauty in your own life and see the power of love that can change even the darkest hearts. As always, may your own beauty be restored, redeemed, reborn, and revealed.