Ceylon: Book Two of the Treeborn Trilogy - Softcover

Ryan J. Southworth

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1960166050 ISBN 13: 9781960166050

Publisher: Encourage Publishing, 2024

Synopsis

Ceylon was a child, very much like yourself.

Well, perhaps not so very much. Unless you are orphaned and homeless and often alone; unless you’ve wandered from jungle to forest and joined up with a traveling merchant caravan; unless you stand no taller than my kneecap and have skin that smells like the bark of a cinnamon tree, you are not so very much like Ceylon.

He was a treeborn, and if you saw him you would think, My, isn’t he a gangly little fellow! All arms and legs like branches on a tree. But oh! He does smell lovely, doesn’t he? Like Christmas.

BOOK TWO OF THE TREEBORN TRILOGY

Embark on an extraordinary journey with the Treeborn Trilogy, where a tapestry of adventure, captivating characters, and wondrous new creatures awaits you and your family! A masterful blending of the strange and familiar, this is a story that will spark your imagination and keep you wondering and wanting more!

• Book One: Mapaline (April 2024)

• Book Two: Ceylon (December 2024)

• Book Three: The Last Tower (April 2025)

Written for readers of all ages, the Treeborn Trilogy masterfully blends whimsy and depth in a narrative both delightful and profound. Perfect for a cozy winter day or as a lyrical read-aloud for the whole family, everyone will be left wanting "just one more page!" If you found joy in the magical realms of Narnia or Middle Earth, If your kids loved The Green Ember or The Wingfeather Saga, their next obsession is sure to be The Treeborn Trilogy.

About this title

About the Author

Ryan Southworth lives in Cincinnati with his wife, Kyna, and their two children. In addition to his writing schedule and parenting, Ryan teaches History, Literature, and Latin through a large homeschool co-op.

Ryan’s other works include Mapaline, Book One of The Treeborn Trilogy,(April 2024), The Last Tower, Book Three of The Treeborn Trilogy (April 2025), and Descending (2019), a dystopian science-fiction novel perfect for young adults. Reviewers touted Descending as “intriguing, thrilling, gripping, unpredictable, and artfully written.” In addition, Ryan has had numerous short stories published online.

Ryan earned two bachelor’s degrees from Baptist Bible College in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in both Bible and secondary education with an emphasis in social studies. Additionally, he earned a master’s degree in English with an emphasis in creative writing from Northern Kentucky University, in Highland Heights, Kentucky.

When not teaching, he considers a morning spent at a coffee shop writing to be just about the best way a morning can be spent.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Chapter 1: A Brief Loneliness

Ceylon was a child, very much like yourself.
Well, perhaps not so very much. Unless you are homeless and orphaned and often alone; unless you’ve wandered from jungle to forest and joined up with a traveling merchant caravan; unless you stand no taller than my kneecap and have skin that smells like the bark of a cinnamon tree, you are not so very much like Ceylon. He was a treeborn, and if you saw him you would think, My, isn’t he a gangly little fellow. All arms and legs like branches on a tree. But…Oh! He does smell lovely, doesn’t he? Like Christmas.

I do hope that anyone meeting you for the first time would not immediately notice your smell.
But if you are full of hope, even on dark days, and find a smile on your face far more often than a frown; if you love to be outdoors with the sounds of the wind and birds and distant thunder echoing in your ears; if you long for a truly dear friend, then you and Ceylon may be more similar than anyone might guess.
And here’s something else you may have in common: Have you ever woken in the middle of the night and found that, no matter what you did, you simply couldn’t get back to sleep again? Maybe you tried counting sheep or to think of something peaceful. Maybe you tried to think of nothing at all, and when that didn’t work you went downstairs and drank a glass of warm milk and then fluffed your pillow and pulled your blankets up to your chin and shut your eyes extra tight and…it was no good. You were wide-awake with a long time until morning.
On this starry night, it was much like that for Ceylon. He had tried all those things—though both his counting and his milk involved goats—and he was now lying on his back on top of the fourth bunk staring at the ceiling. Below him slept his friend Coco, and below that was her mother and then, nearly on the floor, was her father. At the far end of their cramped and crowded merchant wagon was another treeborn family, all five of them breathing peacefully and enjoying their dreams. The wagon itself—about the size of your parents’ bed—was strung up by two strong ropes in the boughs of a big oak tree so that it swung gently in the breeze.
You can imagine the sounds, I think. The merchants were in the northern part of the Great Wilderness in the fullness of autumn, and so to the creaking of the ropes were added crickets and rustling leaves and the tinkling of a nearby stream. As you know, these are perfect “going-to-sleep” sounds. In addition, those in the wagon were bundled up beneath warm blankets against the chilly breeze that blew in through the drafty room. The combination of these sounds and the cool night air generally serve as the most powerful lullaby you can imagine.
But not for Ceylon. He was wide-awake.

Edition details

• Publisher: Encourage Publishing
• Publication date: 2024
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1960166050
• ISBN 13: 9781960166050
• Binding: Paperback
• Illustrator: Adam Watkins
• Number of pages: 234