Mae govannen! 1 Well met! The world is wild and windy. Come in, and fill your mind with beautiful things.
I am Miriam — a bookworm, author, poet, occasional artist, and daughter of the King. A homeschool graduate, I count my Charlotte Mason education among my greatest blessings. Since I was little, my parents encouraged me to pursue my interests and hone my gifts, while surrounding me with classic literature. I dreamed of crafting stories like the ones I read, of touching readers as I had been touched.
So when I was five years old, I made my first “book,” which I proudly titled Brother Bear and Sister Bear. I couldn’t write yet, but I can remember drawing the illustrations with crayon and stapling the pages together. Though now faded and fragile, it is still a favorite with my younger siblings. 🙂
Over the years I’ve become more interested in elves and fairies and “the unexpected luck of widow’s sons”2 than anthropomorphic animals. I’ve had a handful of poems and short stories published, and even contributed to the Rabbit Room’s new book, The Lost Tales of Sir Galahad! But my main source for pride and joy (not to mention sweat and tears) is my fantasy novel-in-progress. It is still in the first draft stage, but slow progress is better than no progress, right?
I have also developed a deep connection with the work of J. R. R. Tolkien. Like him, I believe storytelling is an honor and a part of being made in God’s Image. Through storytelling, we can pull back the veil that fell over the world at the Fall, and glimpse its true beauty beyond. We can echo His glory and herald the great Happily Ever After. That is what I hope to do here.
Anyway, that’s me. Now I’d like to get to know you! Feel free to tell me about yourself in the comments. 🙂
About This Site
This is where I share my writing. I ramble about myths and fairy tales, review the books I’m reading, talk about Tolkien, and share anything else that makes me happy. Sometimes I even post poetry and short stories of my own!
Why “The Glass Hill”? At the time that I set up this blog, I was reading Andrew Lang’s fairy books. In several tales, a hero must struggle up of a slippery hill of glass to reach the beautiful princess at the top. He must climb upwards in spite of fear and suffering if he is to succeed in his quest. Without the aid of a little magic he could not succeed at all. I couldn’t help thinking of our own quest for Truth. The way is steep and daunting, but His grace will see us through.
Higher Up and Further In!
~ Miriam Novotny ~
Notes:
- Sindarin for “Well met!” Thus Glorfindel greets Aragorn in “The Flight to the Ford,” chapter 12 of The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien.
- Bilbo Baggins in chapter one of The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien: “Gandalf, Gandalf! Good gracious me! . . . Not the fellow who used to tell such wonderful tales at parties, about dragons and goblins and giants and the rescue of princesses and the unexpected luck of widows’ sons?”
The Glass Hill 