VOLUME I

Shiån Serei

The Bee Keeper’s

Daughter

O F F I C I A L P R E S S K I T 2 0 1 6

O F F I C I A L P R E S S K I T 2 0 1 6

PREFACE

T h e B e e Ke e p e r ’ s D a u g h t e r i s t h e f i r s t o f f i v e b o o k s i n t h e K i n g d o m o f M e r i d i a n S e r i e s . T h e s t o r y b e g i n s w i t h M a r i a , a y o u n g w o m a n s t r u g g l i n g t o s u r v i v e i n m e d i e v a l R u s s i a . T h r o u g h a s e r i e s o f t r a g i c e v e n t s , s h e m u s t t r a v e l a c r o s s N o r t h w e s t e r n R u s s i a t o f i n d s a f e t y w i t h r e l a t i v e s i n a d i s t a n t c i t y . A lo n g t h e w a y s h e i s e x p o s e d t o a w o r l d t h a t i s v e r y d i f f e r e n t f r o m t h e c o n s e r v a t i v e v i l l a g e s h e h a d a l w a y s k n o w n . H e r e x p e r i e n c e b e c o m e s a p e r s o n a l j o u r n e y i n t r u s t , a d v e n t u r e , l o v e a n d d e s t i n y .

R e a d e r s w i l l b e t a k e n o n a n e xc i t i n g j o u r n e y f i l l e d w i t h f o l k lo r e , R u s s i a n h i s t o r y a n d r o m a n t i c e n c o u n t e r s . T h e p a c e i s f a s t a s M a r i a t r a v e l s N o r t h o n t h e Vo l g a R i v e r t r y i n g t o e v a d e Ta t a r s o l d i e r s s e e k i n g t o r e t u r n h e r t o R o s t o v. A r m e d o n ly w i t h a h a n d f u l o f i t e m s a n d t h e k n o w l e d g e h e r p a r e n t s g a v e h e r ; s h e m u s t t r u s t h e r l i f e t o c o m p l e t e s t r a n g e r s w h i l e l e a r n i n g t o s u r v i v e i n a w o r ld w h e r e n o t h i n g i s a s i t s e e m s . H e r s t o r y u n f o l d s w i t h c h a o t i c t w i s t s t h a t d r i v e h e r t o a d e s t i n y f a r g r e a t e r t h a n s h e e v e r i m a g i n e d .

O F F I C I A L P R E S S K I T 2 0 1 5

One Night In Rostov Passage To Yaroslavl

Oxana’s Tavern

I’ll Meet You In Neva

Kupala

Are You Sleeping?

Port Mologo

Fireflies On The Volga

The Power Of Words

A Storm At Midnight

Weft Threads

The Unexpected Barber

Cheropovets

Dark And Forbidden

A Pie For The Captain

Masha, Run!

My Name Is Vladimir

The Giant Of Lake Beloya

Scars, Damage, Control

The Merchant

The Girl From Thessaloniki

The Witch Of Besov

A Kiss Under The Northern Lights

Down The Svir River

Mermaids In Lake Ladoga

Farewell Kupala

The Mirror From Kiev

Two Churches In Neva

Finding Nina Kamarova

Quot Annorum Es?

Konstantin’s Apprentice

A Ship With Three Masts

Exodus From Neva

Life Aboard The Ukko

Reval

A Familiar Face

Breakfast

Night In Port

Pomeralia

Trouble In The Baltic

Trial At Sea

The Magic Tea

Farewell At Kopenhaven

The Man From Mamluk

Confined To The Galley

The Port Of Poole

CHAPTERS

IO F F I C I A L P R E S S K I T 2 0 1 6

In principio creavit Deus caelum et terram terra autem erat inanis et vacua et tenebrae super faciem abyssi et spiritus Dei ferebatur

super aquas dixitque Deus fiat lux et facta est lux et vidit Deus lucem quod esset bona et divisit lucem ac tenebras appellavitque lucem diem et tenebras noctem factumque est vespere et mane dies unus dixit quoque Deus fiat firma�mentum in medio aquarum et dividat aquas ab aquis et fecit Deus firmamentum divisitque aquas quae erant sub firmamento ab his quae erant super firmamentum et factum est ita 8 vocavitque Deus firmamentum caelum et factum

est vespere et mane dies secundus

O F F I C I A L P R E S S K I T 2 0 1 6

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OFFICIAL TRAILER

O F F I C I A L P R E S S K I T 2 0 1 6

RUSSIAN CULTURE

A w o r d a b o u t R u s s i a n c u l t u r e , y o u ’ l l n o t i c e t h e n a m e s s h i f t i n g a b i t d u r i n g t h e d i a l o g u e b e t w e e n c h a r a c t e r s . T h i s i s i n t e n t i o n a l a n d i s a ke y e l e m e n t i n h ow c o n v e r s a t i o n s t a ke p l a c e , b e g i n n i n g w i t h f u l l f o r m a l n a m e s a n d t h e n a s t h e f a m i l i a r i t y g r ow s t h e n a m e s ‘ s o f t e n ’ . F o r e x a m p l e : M a r i a b e c o m e s M a s h a o r M a n y a , M i k h a i l b e c o m e s M i s h a , S v e t l a n a b e c o m e s S v e t a a n d N a t a l y a b e c o -m e s N a t a s h a o r N a t a l i e . T h i s c o n t i n u e s t h r o u g h o u t t h e b o o k a n d r e v e a l s w h e n t h e c h a r a c t e r s a r e f o r m a l , f r i e n d l y , s e r i o u s o r p l a y f u l .

I t w a s m y w i s h t o m a ke t h i s a h i s t o r i c a l l y a n d g e o g r a p h i c a l l y a c c u r a t e t a l e , b u t t h e r e w e r e s o m e p o i n t s w h e r e f a c t h a d t o b e s a c r i f i c e d f o r t h e g r e a t e r g o o d o f t h e s t o r y. I h o p e y o u c a n e m b r a c e t h e f i c t i o n a l d e t o u r s a s a m e a n s t o f u r t h e r e n j oy t h e b o o k .

- S h i a n S e r e i

O F F I C I A L P R E S S K I T 2 0 1 6

At that moment, a warm breeze with the scent of wildf lowers and honey blew through her hair. It smelled exactly like the breeze that came across the fields in Rostov. She felt her fears soothe for a moment but it left her with such a yearning to be reunited with her family. The once simple life in a small farmhouse had become a faraway heaven, fading quickly in the passing wind.

The red roofed towers and heavy walls of Reval grew larger as the ship made its way toward the first stop in port. The sounds of cargo being shuffled onto deck and men shouting, echoed down the stairs into the kitchen. The deck hands threw ropes to the dock, easing the ship into port with a light thud as it brushed against the pier.

O F F I C I A L P R E S S K I T 2 0 1 6

O F F I C I A L P R E S S K I T 2 0 1 6

LANGUAGES

P R I M A R Y : E N G L I S H

1 0 0 + A n g l i c i z e d w o r d s a n d p h r a s e s w i t h c r o s s r e f e r n e c e t a b l e

R u s s i a n | F i n n i s h | H i n d i | P o l i s h | F r e n c h | L a t i n

O F F I C I A L P R E S S K I T 2 0 1 6

He walked towards her and lifted up his hand, she knew she was caught. She could not run, she could not move, she was frozen in the same bondage of fear that had imprisoned her when she saw her father killed.

She simply closed her eyes, knowing her life was about to change forever. The soldier’s hand pushed her shoulder firmly to one side...

O F F I C I A L P R E S S K I T 2 0 1 6

BOOK STATS506 Pages - Paperback Chapters: 47

Words: 117,559

Langauges referenced: 7

Cultures Researched: Russian, Estonian, Polish, Ukrainian, Belarussian, Kazakh, Moldovan, Brittish & American

Series Time Period: Russia 1290 - Great Brittain 1380 AD

Platforms: Digital - Amazon Kindle // Print - CreateSpace

ISBN: 978-0-9971291-0-6 // 978-0-9971291-1-3

O F F I C I A L P R E S S K I T 2 0 1 6

The span that covered in a few inches on the map meant months of time and distance, all taking Maria farther away than she ever imagined possible.

“It’s the other side of the world.” She said in a guarded voice.

O F F I C I A L P R E S S K I T 2 0 1 6

O F F I C I A L P R E S S K I T 2 0 1 6

ABOUT THE AUTHORS H I Å N S E R E I

S h i a n S e r e i , p r o n o u n c e d ‘ S h o n S e e - r e e ’ g r e w u p i n a f a m i ly o f t r a d i t i o n a l f a r m e r s i n Ya t e ly, E n g l a n d . H i s f a m i ly r e lo c a t e d t o t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s w h e r e h e a t t e n d e d t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f N e w Yo r k a n d l a t e r w o r k e d a s a g h o s t a n d s c r i p t w r i t e r b e f o r e t u r n i n g h i s t a le n t t o w a r d r o m a n t i c f i c t i o n .

S h i a n a d m i t s t o b e i n g a t r a v e l a d d i c t a n d u s e s h i s t r a n s i t e x p e r i e n c e s w h e n d e v e lo p i n g c h a r a c t e r a n d s t o r y l i n e s . H e a l s o e x p lo r e s lo c a l h i s t o r y a n d f o l k lo r e t o f i n d u n i q u e e le m e n t s t o s e r v e a s b a c k d r o p s f o r s c e n e s .

H i s r e s e a r c h f o r t h e 5 P a r t s e r i e s : T h e K i n g d o m o f M e r i d i a n , w a s b a s e d o n h i s e a r ly y e a r s l i v i n g i n Ya t e ly. T h e f i r s t v o l u m e i n t h e s e r i e s ; T h e B e e k e e p e r s D a u g h t e r, r e q u i r e d m u lt i p le t r i p s t o t h e R u s s i a n F e d e r a t i o n t o r e s e a r c h t h e h i s t o r y a n d c h a r a c t e r s . H e a l s o c o n d u c t e d i n t e r v i e w s w i t h h u n d r e d s o f E a s t E u r o p e a n s f r o m R u s s i a , U k r a i n e , E s t o n i a , B e l a r u s a n d M o ld o v a t o g a i n i n s i g h t i n t o t h e s u b t le t i e s o f t h e i r c u lt u r e a n d h a b i t s .

S h i a n S e r e i i s a v a i l a b l e e xc l u s i v e ly t h r o u g h A u r o u s P u b l i s h i n g Co r p , c o n t a c t t h e i r o f f i c e s i n L a s Ve g a s , N V f o r i n t e r v i e w s

a n d m e d i a i n f o r m a t i o n .

O F F I C I A L P R E S S K I T 2 0 1 6

“Time is such a curse in this world, we would sell our future away to change the past, while ignoring the moments in our hands. Yet looking back we see the wisdom in every turn of events, blessings and curses.”

-Captain Tanner

S H I Å N S E R E I - FA Q

O F F I C I A L P R E S S K I T 2 0 1 6

How long did it take to write volume I?About 3 months of actual writing, but I worked on it off and on over a 3 year period.

What was the hardest part about writing it?Finding time between other projects.

Are the characters based on real people? The lead was inspired by a real person but all characters are based on a mix of personality traits, physical features and experiences. When will Volume II be out?The King’s Bodyguard is scheduled for Christmas 2016.

Will the series be adapted for film? There has been some discussion on a movie deal for Volume I, so it seems likely.

What are your favorite kinds of books?The blank kind.

Maria turned and gasped as she saw the fantastic array of lights dancing in the starlit sky.

“What is it?!” She said in amazement.

“Vladimir told me there would be something but I didn’t imagine this!”

O F F I C I A L P R E S S K I T 2 0 1 6

O F F I C I A L P R E S S K I T 2 0 1 6

O F F I C I A L P R E S S K I T 2 0 1 6

CONTACTSA u r o u s P u b l i s h i n gi n f o @ a u r o u s . u s

f a c e b o o kf a c e b o o k . c o m / k i n g d o m o f m e r i d i a n

w e bk i n g d o m o f m e r i d i a n . c o m

A m a z o na u r o u s . u s / b kd

t w i t t e r@ S h i a n S e r e i

Platform Release Date Link

Amazon Kindle May 30, 2016 Aurous.us/bkd

Apple - iBook August 28, 2016 Aurous.us/ibook

Barnes & Noble -Nook August 28, 2016 Aurous.us/nook

Kobo August 28, 2016 Aurous.us/kobo

Google Play September 2016 Aurous.us/play

Print on Demand May 30, 2016 Create Space/Ingram

MILESTONES

K I N G D O M O F M E R I D I A N . C O M