‘Tales from the Enchanted Forest’ is magical

"Tales From the Enchanted Forest"

Book review

Book: “Tales from the Enchanted Forest”

Author: Deborah Khora

Illustrator: Karen Hunziker

Publisher: Self published 2012, softcover, 105 pages

Available: Placerville News Company, Amazon.com, $22.

“Tales from the Enchanted Forest” is the combination of author Deborah Khora’s imaginative stories about wishing wells, shepherd girls, noisy owls and magical situations and the imagination of Pollock Pines artist Karen Hunziker’s illustrations.

The book is Khora’s first full length book and the fulfillment of a long-held dream.

Since second grade, Khora wanted to write a book of fairy tales, but it wasn’t until seven years ago that she began writing her own stories loosely based on her own experiences and the stories she’d loved.

Her experience with classical children’s literature as she pursued a degree in arts and humanities and in behavioral and social sciences at Folsom Lake College was an inspiration, as was the briefly held Placerville Renaissance Fair.

Khora’s stories have titles like “Angels Always Dip their Ink Pens in Honey,” and “The Everlasting Garden,” and often have a moral lesson included in them, just as classic fairy tales do.

“I tried to emulate classical children’s literature in my stories,” said Khora.

“We had a lot of fun working together on the book, “said Khora of her collaboration with Hunziker whose watercolor paintings illustrate the stories.

“We used to ride the bus together from Pollock Pines to Placerville. She was writing a book and needed an illustrator. I’d never illustrated a book before, so I thought it would be a great adventure for both of us,” Hunziker, an artist with the Gold Country Artists Gallery in Placerville, said.

Khora, 50, hasn’t started working on a second book. She is busy entertaining children with her stories at Renaissance fairs around the state, starting with the Big Bear Renaissance Faire.

“Tales From the Enchanted Forest” is available at Amazon.com and will be carried locally at the Placerville News Company at 409 Main St. in Placerville.

Khora also has a blog at deborahkhora.blogsot.com in which she offers advice and how-to information about self publishing.

Wendy Schultz

Wendy Schultz has been a columnist for the Mountain Democrat since 2002 and a staff writer since 2005. She covers Placerville city events and City Council meetings, writes feature stories and reports on things of interest in El Dorado County.

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