Sia A. Seti
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In the Beginning is the first in the Children of the Diadems series of books for a wide range of readers.
It sets the scene for seven powerful friends, one a feline, to experience some amazing, miraculous, magical, and sometimes scary, adventures in search of Hephzibah, the keeper of the diadems. If they are successful in their quest, evil will be banished from the earth and peace will reign supreme.
Who or what is the strange being Eleanor encounters during her evening walk, and why does it seem to be following her?
Many readers will identify with Tom’s feelings of anxiety and joy when his pet cat, Hildegard, has her kittens. Why is Clovis, the weak sixth kitten, so special, and will he survive to grow strong and healthy?
This gripping story cleverly intertwines with family and school life, adding just enough to fire the imagination and entice the young reader to want to read more…
For readers of eight and over; also for anyone who loves our feline friends.
Jill Todd: Editor
Sia A Seti resides in the United Kingdom. She has been writing creatively from the age of eleven. She recalls two pieces she wrote while in her teenage years; a short story called, ‘A Prayer for Mr McKenzie’ and, after her grandmother passed away she dedicated a poem to her, which she titled, ‘The Journey’.
Sia’s zeal for creative writing was rekindled when she returned to study on a joint BA Honours Degree course at university in the mid 1990s. She has, in the past, worked with children of various ages; in nurseries, schools, also in a residential care setting, with children who presented challenging behaviour. As a professionally trained and qualified counsellor and assessor, Sia worked voluntarily unpaid for some years at a young people’s counselling service, where she counselled young people up to the age of twenty-five years. Before she commenced writing her first book for publication, she had been writing extensively since 1995, but has never been published.
Ms Seti appreciates the opportunity to be able to visit and spend quality time with her grandchildren, when she will put her imaginative thinking cap on, and invent stories, also doing creative and therapeutic activities including dancing with them. She loves tucking her granddaughters into bed and reading them their bedtime stories. One of the children’s favourites, which is also one of Sia’s current favourites, is Kate, The Cat and The Moon by David Almond.
While she has no particular favourite author, Sia also likes the works of the children’s author, Elizabeth Arnold, but enjoys reading any magical adventure stories, when she is not working on her own pieces. She has recently re-read The Worst Witch series of books, also The Secret Garden by the late Frances Hodgson Burnett.
She also looks forward to her visits to the countryside, and likes cycling, horse riding and taking long walks; she particularly enjoys her leisurely strolls in Dartington gardens whenever she is in South Devon.
Sia likes to relax by a stream, a river or by the seaside. While in her own moments of solitude, at home, she relaxes to classical and other meditative-type music, but appreciates other kinds of music too, and would never turn a deaf ear to any of Whitney Huston, Alicia Keys, or the late Bob Marley, to name but a few.
The kittens had not been born yet, but Carl’s anxiety began to grow. He feared that his prayers would not be answered and he would not get the pet cat he had dreamed he saw in his back garden months before - only it had not been a dream.
It had been a nice dry and sunny day, and Eleanor had organised a garden party for Carl and his friends. Whilst enjoying a treasure hunt, which Gula had arranged, Carl had seen something glowing at the bottom of the garden, behind a tree. He had rushed towards it, believing that he had found the largest and most important hidden present wrapped in gold, but as he got closer, he saw how large it was. He had stopped suddenly, seeing that it was not a large wrapped parcel, but instead a glowing bush.
“My goodness,” he whispered, “the bush is on fire!”
Carl, not believing what he saw, had reached out towards it, but quickly pulled his hand back. The bush blazed, but with no heat, and in the middle of it sat a tabby cat, looking up at him. Around the cat’s head, was a golden diadem adorned with priceless gems of different colours. Carl tried to turn away, but could not, so he opened his mouth to call the others, but his tongue felt heavy - he could not speak.
“Step inside the bush, Carl,” said a voice from the burning bush. Carl’s tongue suddenly became loose.
“I don’t know who you are, but you must be crazy,” he had replied. “Is this your cat?”
“No, the feline does not belong to me, but to a higher order. Boy, step inside the bush,” the voice had commanded.
“I will not step inside that fire; it is not time for me to die,” said Carl.
He had tried to step backwards, away from the fiery, but not burning, bush, but his legs felt too heavy to move.
“You must overcome your fear, Carl, and step inside this bush. There will come a time when your fear will become your weakness and a mission set for you will fail, unless you conquer it now. Yes, this bush burns, but there is no fire. Reach out, Carl, reach out now and touch it.”
Carl obeyed. He reached out slowly and pushed his hand into the burning bush, smiling because it did not burn him. He looked at his hand and it was golden. He walked into the bush. He could not believe what transpired then; he was golden, even the clothes he wore that day looked golden.
“You will not understand now what you have seen and heard, but in the fullness of time it will all be made clear to you. Carl, the day will come when you will be forced to remember important things from the past, who you were and what you were called; you will need to remember these things for a good reason. The creature standing beside you is about to be born to the cat, Lady Hildegard. He is noble, amongst other things, which will be revealed in time.”
Carl turned and looked around, but he could not see the garden with his sister and friends. He opened his mouth to speak once more. “Carl,” came the voice before him, “you will name the kitten, Clovis. Keep up the prayers and your mother, Eleanor, will overcome her fear of cats. You and your sister will have the pet you are asking for, but he is to be your pet, Carl. Remember also that in the future there will be times when you will need my assistance. No matter where you are, find a place where there is greenery outside, call the name Bastet, not Bast, and the burning bush will appear. The bush will only answer to your voice, no other.”
Carl had then closed his eyes and rubbed them with both hands. When he opened them again, the golden cat had disappeared, the bush had ceased glowing and he and his clothes were no longer golden, but in his hand was an unusually large golden egg. He quickly walked away towards his friends, but turned to look behind him before he ran shouting and holding up the golden egg.
“I have it!” he exclaimed. “I have won the best prize,” he said, smiling at his friends.
“Where did you get that gigantic egg, Carl,” asked Nikhil. “It’s amazing,” he added, looking at Gula.
“I found it down the back, by that clump of green bushes,” replied Carl, pointing to the bush behind the large tree in his back garden.
“I didn’t put that there, perhaps Mum did, go and ask her,” said Gula, staring at the very large golden egg in surprise, which Carl held in his hands, as if he needed to cherish it.
“It’s mine, I found it so I’m keeping it,” said Carl, rather defensively, walking away.
Carl had not told anyone of his brief encounter that day, but it was certainly a day he would never forget.
