MARLA HIMEDA
Award-Winning Author
The Song of Destiny Calls
Embark on a musical odyssey with Kaelin as he rides the brightness of his gift while a darker counterpoint seeks to overtake him. Will his music conquer the darkness
or be consumed by it?
NEW RELEASE!
Cry of the Kestrel
Book 2 of The Bardic Isles Series
The Bardic Isles, Book 2
Magical Realism | Historical Fantasy
Cry of the Kestrel
Book Two of The Bardic Isles Series
By Marla Himeda
Gifted with the power of the Bards of ancient Eire that not even he yet understands, Kaelin is sent out alone to learn from the other four Masters of the Bardic Isles. He’ll spend three months with each of them: the Instrument Master, the Master Flutist, the Voice Master, and the Master Harpist. What should have been a unique, wonderful experience becomes a living nightmare, one which follows him throughout his journey and threatens to take away everything … his instruments, his robe, and his Master. Can he escape the judgment of the Council? And regardless, will he be able to withstand the escalating pull of Bardic Mountain?
Magical Realism | Historical Fantasy
Master of Music
Book One of The Bardic Isles Series
By Marla Himeda
In the enchanting debut of The Bardic Isles series, Marla Himeda weaves a tapestry of magic, melody, and myth unlike any other. Master of Music invites readers into a world where music carries the power to shape destinies. Amidst the mystical echoes of ancient Eire, young Kaelin discovers his extraordinary gift for music, a legacy of the long-ago Bards that only he possesses. As he grapples with the weight of his gift, a chance encounter with a Master Bard sets him on a path fraught with danger and wonder. Himeda crafts a narrative rich in emotion and character, where the strum of a string or the flow of air through a flute are as potent as any magic. For fans of character-driven fantasy, Master of Music sings a song of courage, growth, and the unbreakable bonds of found family.
“The story is incredible, the characters simply remarkable.” — Reader Views
“Music is magic in this charming, richly written apprenticeship fantasy.” — BookLife Prize
I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember, driven by memories of a little girl who wrote stories in a tree to escape a tempestuous home life. These tales of overcoming insurmountable odds and surviving all challenges transposed their themes into my books. I write so these stories can outlive me and help others face their own dark times and discover their true selves … just as they did for that little girl.
About Marla
“
MARLA HIMEDA is a lifelong musician who has taught piano and clarinet for eighteen years at Punahou Schools and for over half a century in her own studio. She teaches her own theory and composition courses, coaches ensemble groups, and is a prolific arranger of chamber music for winds. She has performed in the Seattle Opera House, the Seattle Art Museum, and many concert venues in Hawaii, where she has lived for the past fifty years near Mount Olomana, whose twin peaks sparked the birth of Bardic Mountain. She is a member of the National Music Teachers Association and Opus 5 Winds, and is principal clarinetist for the Honolulu Wind Ensemble. The author will happily lose herself in good stories of any genre, but she has a special love for fantasy. Her books feature the harp, flute, and pipes as the primary Bardic instruments, for, as she regretfully admits, neither the clarinet nor the piano had yet been invented. The Bardic Isles Series is a merging of her two passions—music and writing—and portrays a world that she unabashedly admits loving to escape to. The author believes that we should all have a Master Bergid in our lives, and she was very lucky to have three of them: Michiko Miyamoto and Professor Randolph Hokanson, both amazing piano teachers, and Frances Walton, an inspiring Youth Symphony director.