Customer Reviews:

• "“Extraordinary” is the word with which I would sum up “Faery Folk and Fireflies,” a book of excellent quality poetry co-authored by mother Emily Romano and daughter Jan Turner. This poetry book is enhanced by remarkably original artwork, beginning with its fascinating and haunting cover, a lovely piece of art created by both Emily and Jan! It was Jan who created the faery illustrations adorning the pages of her portion of the book.

This is not “merely” a book of poetry -- it’s a subtle and smooth blend of poetry and art!

Jan, author of the first part, writes primarily, though not exclusively, about faeries (Celtic and Gaelic themes dominate). Emily’s poems are on the dual themes of faeries and fireflies. Mother and daughter share a rare literary talent. Both also clearly share a keen sense of humor; it’s not surprising that there is much light-heartedness here, many whimsical poems. However, you’ll also find among these pages other poems, written with great skill and sensitivity, on more spiritual and darker topics. I appreciate the ability of both Emily and Jan to write in flowing and exquisite rhyme.

But neither sticks to the traditional -- both write innovatively!

Jan has chosen to include various rhyming poetry forms, including some she herself created, such as the Trijan Refrain and the Inverted Refrain, styles since adopted by other poets. Included in her portion are two elegant tributes to the firefly, “Firefly Fantasia” and “Summer Evening Strolls (Ottava Rima).”

Emily’s half of the book includes both faery poems and firefly poems. The exquisite fairy poems are for the most part in traditional rhyming style. In Emily’s brief introduction to the all-too-short fireflies portion of her book, she states that they were written over a rather long span of time. While some are traditional rhyming poems, others are written in lu-shih, tanka, and haiku!

One reading of this enchanting book won’t be enough for me. I know that to recapture the beauty and mystery I’ve enjoyed at first, I’ll come knocking on its door again and again." - Rita Janice Traub

• "This book is a delight to read, whether you are young or just young at heart, a believer, or keeping an open mind. Faery Folk and Fireflies is a wonderful collaboration by Jan Turner and Emily Romano filled with magical verse. The art work accompanying the poems is lovely, and sets the scene for the reader to experience the wonderful and magical world of the Faery folk. This book is a must for anyone who believes that perhaps there are the wee folk after all? An altogether "Faery Fine Book"." - Yvonne Sparkes

• "Artistic details make the beautiful chapbook, "Faery Folk & Fireflies," a whimsical and creative experience. Mother and daughter combine their art skills and writing talents to treat anyone interested in the magic of reading. It is easy to see why it was chosen as the recent Shadow Poetry Chapbook Competition winner." - Karen O'Leary

• "Faery Folk & Fireflies is delightful, musical, and childlike in spirit. Mother and daughter, each with her own voice, meld beautifully in this volumn of poems. I have a greater appreciation of faeries and fireflies." - Carolyn Thomas

• "You will be enchanted by the imaginative poems and the seven delightful pen and ink drawings inside the shiny covers of Faery Folk & Fireflies. Through sheer blueberry inserts you will glimpse Jan Turner’s appealing art inside both the front and back covers. These beguiling illustrations will tempt you to stop whatever you may be doing to spend some time with these elusive and captivating creatures.

You will enjoy the transformation of Emily Romano’s Wee Faery Dancer:

        En Pointe, she whirls upon her toes
        Till she becomes a thing of light,
        A living, glowing firefly
        To brighten up a bit of night.

Pause to reflect on new perspectives in Emily’s haiku:

        fireflies show me
        grandmother’s roses
        in a new light

And your voice will resonate with Jan’s as you read aloud her lyrical poems, as illustrated in this excerpt from her poem Faeries & Fireflies (Trijan Refrain):

        The faeries and the fireflies
        Are what I love to see;
        They flash so fast before my eyes
        As quickly as they flee!
        In wonderment I hold them dear;
        Within my heart I keep them near…
                        In wonderment
                        In wonderment
        These creatures small are always here.

These accomplished poets have filled the pages of this winning chapbook with rhyming stories and encounters that will linger as long as there are faeries and fireflies. There’s magic to discover on every page of Faery Folk & Fireflies." - Margaret R. Smith

• "What a charming delight is FAERY FOLK & FIREFLIES. Co-authored by the talented duo, Jan Turner and Emily Romano, this chapbook reflects the enthusiastic dedication which daughter and mother both have for creating poetry in a variety of interesting forms. Part 1 of the book contains beautiful illustrations and poetry by Ms. Turner. In this section are showcased two of her invented forms, the Inverted Refrain, used in the poem "Finding Faeries" and the form Trijan Refrain used in one of my most favorite poems titled, "Faery & Fireflies." Here are some sample lines from that poem to show the sweet rhyme and rhythm of the Trijan Refrain:

        To music only they can sound. . .
        In carefree dance
        In carefree dance
        They frolicked there upon the ground.

Other poems from part 1 of the chapbook include several humorous poems such as "Nary a Faery" and "Finley's Faery Fortitude" (which happens to be faery food!), and "A Gnome Near Loche Lomond." Jan has a great imagination, and I was very impressed by one clever little poem "In Grandma's House," in which six faeries visit a lass in bed at night. Sliding down a velvet drape, they have brought the poet what many poets might dream of, a quill:

        They drop it gently near my hand,
        Then flit away on one's command;
        They dance in circles one last time,
        Then dust me with the gift of rhyme.

Jan has a real knack with meter and creating nice refrains for her poetry, and one very special poem describes a beautiful garden which comes alive at night. Here are the last three lines from that Ottava Rima entitled "Summer Evening's Strolls":

        The fireflies will gather by and by.
        For ev'ry firefly that softly glows
        A sleeping flower smiles in its repose.

Of course, where there is a Part 1, there is also a Part 2, and Part 2 of this imaginative little book belongs to Emily Romano. Ms. Romano begins where Ms. Turner leaves off, with more sweet faery poems such as these, my four favorites: "The Faery Ring," "Faery Tale, "When Faeries Dance," and the cute little poem "When Daylight Fades," which I quote in full:

        When the daylight fades away
        Faery folk come out to play. . .
        Velvet moss holds not a trace
        Of their foofalls; spiders lace
        Makes a curtain for their stage
        Where they dance, from age to age.

Ms. Romano finishes her Part 2 with a section devoted to the lightening bug, a bug which she explains is second only to the scarab on the list of admired (or even venerated) beetles. I especially love the lu-shih and her several haiku that portray this mysterious insect at the finish of the chapbook. Here is my favorite haiku of Emily’s about the firefly:

        lawn sprinkler revolves
        fireflies
        spangle the spray

So for those in the mood to peruse a book of fancy (and particularly for fans of the wee folk!), settle back for the evening (perhaps with a warm cup of tea or cocoa) and see if some faeries do not take form, at the very least, in your imagination!" - Review by Andrea Dietrich, author of Challenging the Muse, Dreaming the Unicorn, The Seasonal-Go-Round, and co-author of Friendship Garden.