Scarlet Oak: A Novel

Product Description

Autumn whispered to the wind, “I fall but always rise again.”
For a long time, tree sprite Scarlet Oak has watched autumn fall and rise in the same way amidst her forested society of sprites. Wingless and bound to live and die with her birth oak, Horace, she longs for a deeper existence. Then, in 1977, her world is shaken when an autistic boy wanders into her woodland and they share a soulful moment before he takes his life on her tree. Smis, a Grim Reaper, arrives to usher the boy’s spirit to the Dark, but Scarlet insists that the boy did not intend to die. In a rare show of mercy, Smis gives her one year to find proof that the boy’s spirit belongs to the Light.
Scarlet leaves behind all that she has ever known. Passing as a teenage girl, she branches into the grieving hearts of the boy’s parents on a Maryland farm. But as secrets, fantasies, lies, and beautiful truths shadow her quest, the stage is set for an unimaginable fate to fall . . . when autumn rises again.
Narrated by three memorable characters—Scarlet, Horace, and Smis—Scarlet Oak is a mystery, a love story, and a tribute to resilience and the unique gifts that every soul has to offer.

Review

“Weiland-Crosby weaves a moving tapestry of grief, family, and the enduring power of nature . . . Audiences will be swept away by Scarlet’s human life as Willow Brook, who learns that fifty years of tree-sprite living have ill-prepared her for love, jealousy, and heartbreak. Weiland-Crosby’s narrative features multiple perspectives . . . offering a multifaceted view of characters and scenes. The lyrical style is touched with poetry, providing insight into the world between fairy and human. . . . [T]his rich fusion of connection and resilience will remind readers of their own magic.” –BookLife Reviews

“Through the eyes of tree sprite Scarlet Oak, we enter a realm of wonder, magic, and profound insights. It is a fairy tale for the real world–for everyone. Weiland-Crosby also gently lifts the veil of cultural illiteracy on autism, revealing a beautiful, different perspective. Each of her graceful sentences holds wisdom, presenting a compelling story that is a work of art.” –Patti DiMiceli, author of
Embrace the Angel

“A mesmerizing and beautiful debut novel . . .
Scarlet Oak will enchant you with its soulful prose. The novel is a magical ode to nature, and a story of grief, hope, and love, from a unique new talent.” –J. Sexton, poet, founder/editor-in-chief @poeticreveries

About the Author

Angie Weiland-Crosby is an American writer who was raised in Southern Maryland, where the forest realm felt like her second home. She worked as a Hollywood story analyst and as a teacher, and has developed an international following for her inspiring quotes that soothe the soul. She is never far from nature and always close to the little things in life.