Merlin: Possibly the greatest wizard who ever lived on Earth, responsible for the education of King Arthur.
Mermaids: Young female merpeople, uniting fish tails and human torsos. Mermaids are the least hostile of all mermish to humans. See also Melisande.
Meteor: An amethyst, wall-eyed member of the reindeer cadre of Forever.
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus: Austrian composer of the eighteenth century. Composed over six hundred works. Mozart died at the age of thirty-five, impecunious.
Mraka: A goblin employed in toy manufacture and distribution in the Land of the Immortals.
Muses: The nine Muses are the goddesses of the arts.
Mylius, Johann Daniel: Alchemist and author of Opus medicochymkum.
Naiads: Water goddesses dedicated to specific bodies of water.
Nemekele: A fairy, third of the Boucane sisters.
Nicholls, Mrs. Arthur Bell: The married name of Charlotte Brontë, who wrote one of the most successful novels of the nineteenth century, Jane Eyre.
Nymphs: A general term for spirits that occupy natural forms. Water nymphs, more elegant cousins of water sprites, live in rivers and oceans; tree nymphs live in large, old trees, especially oaks; and the rarest form of nymph resides within mountains and large standing stones.
Pan: The king of the fauns and satyrs and god of the countryside.
Parian Field: The wide meadow, named for its marble smoothness, where immortal pelote is played.
Parian Pond: A small body of water on the Casde of Forever’s grounds, named for the marblelike luster of the water it contains.
Pegasus: A winged horse of pure white, released by Perseus from its imprisonment within Medusa’s body, whereupon it flew to Greece and was tended by the Muses.
Persephone: Daughter of Demeter and maiden of the spring. She spends six months each year in the underworld, where she is queen. Her return to Earth marks the arrival of spring.
Phoenix: A great and beautiful flame-colored bird who flies to the magical land of Heliopolis at the end of his five-hundred-year life span. There he is immolated and reborn of his own ashes. As he eats only dew and brings harm to no living thing, the phoenix is said to be free of sin. Some say that there is only one phoenix that is reborn continually; others believe that four separate phoenixes exist.
Pixies: A huge family of Earth-dwelling and immortal creatures who generally exercise their limited magical powers for the benefit of humankind, though they are sometimes tempted to mischief and trickery.
Prometheus: The fabricator of the human race who brought fire to humankind, for which he was punished by the gods.
Reszke, Jean de: Singer famed for his glowing voice and charisma; the leading tenor at the Metropolitan Opera in the 1890s.
Robin Hood: English outlaw and forest dweller. Popular for his generosity to the poor and daring plots against the rich, Robin Hood is the hero of a number of medieval poems and plays.
Roc: A gigantic bird, native of Arabia, who relished elephants during his life on Earth.
Romulus: A faun, expert on the flora of Forever.
Rusalki: Slavic water spirits, said to embody the spirits of young girls who have died. Northern rusalki are a demonic race, while those of the south are benevolent.
Samander: Leader of the Valkonyd gnomes.
Satyrs: Like their cousins the fauns, satyrs are half human, half goat. Satyrs are a bit larger than fauns and are uninterested in diplomacy and devoted to festivities. They are expert charm casters.
Savoy, Duke of: See Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy.
Selting, Mother: A witch noted for protecting those accused of witchcraft and assisting them in eluding the authorities. Finally captured herself, Mother Selting was burned at the stake in 1733 but has since appeared on Earth to offer her services to witches in need.
Sendivogius, Michael: Polish nobleman and liberator of the great alchemist Alexander Seton from the dungeons of Saxony. Also heir to the Red Stone, he died brokenhearted when the philosopher’s stone was destroyed by the thief Mullenfels.
Sileni: A species of woodland faun with horse ears and a jovial, fun-loving nature.
Silenux: A faun.
Sofya: Wise and ancient patroness of Russia. Born in Ukraine, Sofya was discovered to have magical powers at an early age. Though her mortal life came to an end in the fifth century, she continued to reside in Russia, offering her protection and wisdom to the Russian people for centuries.
Sphinx: An ancient Earth-dwelling creature of immense power and mystery. She combines the head of a woman with the body of a cat and is known for both the riddles she poses to challengers and for the swift retribution she takes upon those who fail to divine the correct answer.
Square of the Sybils: The large square in the center of the village of Forever. At its east end stands the sapphire Cathedral of the Wise.
Strigigormese: The ancient language of owls, used in modern times primarily for incantations.
Terra Immortalium: “Land of the Immortals” in the Latin language.
Thelejima: A lavender gylfyn.
Thucydides: Athenian general and founder of the discipline of history during his mortal life, which ended in 400 B.C.
Tintoretto: Italian painter, known as Il Furioso for his rapid method of working.
Trojan heroes: The leaders and champions who fought on both sides of the Trojan War and reside in the Land of the Immortals in perfect harmony.
Trolls: Earth-dwelling creatures with minor, primarily malevolent magical powers and a propensity for stealing. Only six trolls have attained entrance to the Land of the Immortals.
Tundra: A wolf who serves as Lord High Chamberlain of the King’s Household and unofficial guardian of Holly Claus. Old and trusted friend of both Nicholas and Holly Claus.
Unicorns: Magical horned horses, the most innocent of all creatures.
Valkonyd gnomes: A tribe of gnomes renowned for their taciturnity and metalwork. They are reputed to possess the largest store of silver in the world. See also Samander.
Verdi, Giuseppe: The most famous Italian composer of the nineteenth century; creator of such operatic masterpieces as Rigoletto, La Traviata, and Aida.
Veridian River: The large river that winds through the Land of the Immortals, named for its brilliant green water.
Vobis: The fastest of the magical horses in the stable of the Castle of Forever.
Warlocks: Extremely powerful wizards. Usually, though not exclusively, practitioners of dark magic.
Water sprites: Water-dwelling creatures of fairy extraction, less august and more playful than naiads, but quick to take offense and prone to punishing trespassers with drenchings.
Will-o’-the-wisps: The smallest of all fairies, virtually invisible to adult humans, who often confuse them with dust motes. Despite their reserved nature, will-o’-the-wisps are fond of babies, who can see and delight in them.
Wizards: Male practitioners of witchcraft.
Zenwyler: A centaur renowned for his strength and speed.
GRATITUDE
HOLLY CLAUS HAS FOREVER been in my heart, from the earliest days when my Grandmother Gaga told me stories of lands far away. Holly’s legend became a book because of the support of many special people. My heart will Forever be grateful to Annie Barrows and Paddy Calistro, who guided me through this process. My thanks and love go to Laurel Long, whose artistry is as magical as Forever. I will Forever be grateful to Julie Andrews and Blake Edwards and the wise and wonderful Dr. John Hertz for their amazing belief in Holly and me. No words can express my thanks to Dusty Deyoe for her network of love and her incredible heart. And thanks to Chaplain Johnny Probst for his loving prayers.
The Legend of Holly Claus has inspired many people. Each of them believed in my dream and I will remember them Forever: Barbara Marcus and all the talented people at Open Road Integrated Media, Norbert Chung, Frank Taboada, Bob Parrillo, Roger Goddu, David Pritchard, Collin Mutton, Marguerite Kibel, Denis Haysbert, Emma Walton Hamilton, Mar
k Lansky, and Richard Tyler. I especially would like to thank Idelle Davidson for her collaboration on an earlier version of this book. My heartfelt thanks go to our friends at Highline Entertainment—Bruce Wisner, Brad Spitzer, and Steven Aaronoff.
I am grateful to my mother, Sally Ryan Ashley, and my son, Ryan, for their love and belief in me.
And most of all I thank God for the gift of this story. And the little Angel who whispered in my ear.
—B.R.
Brittney Ryan on the Power of Dreaming
I have always been a dreamer. Even as a small child, my imagination ran wild. My dear mother would always encourage me to share my dreams—no matter how big or small—because, as she put it, “dreaming is what children do best.” She wasn’t just talking about what happened when I closed my eyes and went to sleep; she was talking about my visions for the future. It could be something as small as learning how to swim or writing a letter to Santa Claus, or something as big as becoming a teacher, writing music that other people would listen to, or even becoming an author, just like the writers I loved as a child.
While I was growing up, everything fed my imagination—whether it was what I learned in school, what I saw on the news, or even the colors in my newest box of Crayolas. When I went to a dance class at the YWCA, I daydreamed about dancing with the Joffrey Ballet. When I heard about Elizabeth Blackwell, I wondered if maybe I could become a doctor like her. I pictured myself saving lives.
When I was young, the books I read greatly inspired me: the characters, the settings, the feelings jumping off the pages, and the lessons I learned. I remember the binding on my book of Hans Christian Andersen fairytales, its edges gilded with gold leaf. I imagined my name on the cover of a book like that. When I read The Wizard of Oz and imagined Dorothy walking along the yellow brick road with Toto, she didn’t look like Judy Garland; she looked like me, and Toto looked like my puppy, Raisin. These books, and countless others, inspired me to use my imagination and tell my own stories.
I have always been mesmerized by the magic of Christmastime, also—not just because of the gifts, the twinkling lights, and the star on the top of the tree, but because my family and I would go to church and pray for the less fortunate. I would imagine sharing my gifts with children who didn’t have as many toys as I did, and my mother took me to a Salvation Army mission so I could do exactly that. As we shared with our new friends, I realized that the simplest gifts are the very best. When I gave a child my toy, or shared my dessert with a young girl who had already finished hers, I would see a little face light up with joy. That became another dream of mine: to bring joy into the lives of the children around me.
At Christmastime many years later, my dream and my destiny were revealed to me in the most magical way. I have always loved to sing and dance, and music has always been an important part of my life. As a young adult, I wrote a musical for a large corporation, and I toured with the production, performing before hundreds of people. Of course, the musical was about Christmas. During one of the performances, I asked all of the children in the audience to come to the stage and sit with me. One little girl made a beeline for my lap, and I held her close as we finished singing the last number. She didn’t say a word; she just kept staring at me. I was just about to ask her name, when she whispered a question into my ear that would change my life forever: “Are you Santa’s daughter?” In that moment, everything became crystal clear. I had a story to tell: the story of Holly Claus, Santa’s daughter, and how she helped the world’s children fulfill their dreams.
Like every good storyteller, I want my readers to learn something special from the tales I tell. I want children to put themselves inside my story. When they read about Holly’s parents, Nicholas and Viviana, I hope they’ll see that children can help their parents as much as their parents help them. I hope they’ll see their own schoolteacher in Holly’s godmother Sophia, and adopt Holly’s amazing ability to learn from everyone and everything around her. I want my readers to know they have that power, too.
Books and the stories within them are inspiration for every young reader. Through a character like Holly, who truly believes that she can accomplish what she sets out to achieve, young readers can learn that they have power. Imagination, the ability to dream—that’s personal power. Each child imagines his or her own future with confidence, but fulfilling dreams is not always easy. Often, when life’s challenges get in the way, children give up, grow sad or resentful, and shut out the world around them. I knew that with Holly’s story, I could inspire children to pursue their dreams. I could ignite their imaginations.
The road to a finished book wasn’t easy. I knew I had to write about Holly, and the first manuscript was more than a thousand pages long. I just wrote and wrote, letting every idea flow. And then I went back and started refining my story. And I faced years of rejection from publisher after publisher, but I persevered. And then one day, through the kindness of a dear friend, John Hertz, I was introduced to the golden-voiced Julie Andrews. She and her daughter, Emma Hamilton, read my story of Holly Claus and saw it as a story for children of every age, everywhere. They first published the book as part of the Julie Andrews Collection.
With their help, I far surpassed my dream of simply telling an enchanting magical story when The Legend of Holly Claus became a New York Times bestseller. The success of the book was overwhelming. Soon people all over the country, and then all over the world, were reading my book. The mayor of El Paso gave me the key to the city when seven thousand children came out to help me light the very first Holly Claus Dream Tree in America—right in the center of their city. Prince Andrew of England—a true prince—said how much he liked Holly’s adventures. He ranked it as his favorite book, even higher than Hamlet!
Soon, reporters wanted interviews. I was asked to tell about my life: I grew up in Portland, Oregon, and as a teen I was a swimmer in the Junior Olympics. After college I gave up my new career as a television journalist (even after interviewing President George H. W. Bush!) to move to Los Angeles and follow my real dream. But I always made sure to tell the reporters the most important thing: I wanted to write for and empower children. Before I knew it, I was receiving letters from thousands of children who wanted to share their dreams with me. These letters have inspired me to continue Holly’s adventures.
Best of all, there are children around me all the time. My own son is grown, so to be able to share stories with a new generation is an amazing opportunity. One day I even found myself in the FAO Schwarz store in New York City, dressed in a golden ballgown, looking at the faces of children who truly believed in the magic of Forever and the life of Princess Holly. I thought to myself: This is what dreaming can do.
Today, I work with people who share my vision and who want The Legend of Holly Claus to continue to grow. We imagine more adventures for Holly, and we dream of making a major motion picture. I dream of expanding Holly’s stories into a series that will go on for as long as children continue to dream. And I know, as you know, that will be Forever.
Me as a young child. I was always a dreamer. My mother encouraged me and told me “that’s what children do best!”
This illustration by Thomas Nast always inspired me when I was young. I keep it close by whenever I am creating Holly’s world.
At a Christmas musical event where I was performing. I was wearing my great-great-grandmother’s dress from the 1880s. A little girl sat on my lap and whispered in my ear, “Are you Santa’s daughter?” I looked at her and at that very moment, I realized I had an important story to tell.
This was the very first sketch of Holly Claus, years before I met Laurel Long. I posed for this sketch—what fun! I think I still have those wonderful shoes. Don’t they look like a princess would wear them?
Here is a photograph of my mother and me. To this day, she still encourages me to share my dreams.
Here I am at the New York Book Festival in Central Park, at my very first reading as a published author—all thanks go to the marve
lous Julie Andrews, who believed in my work and shared my dream of bringing Holly to the world. (Photo courtesy of Garrett Holden Photography.)
This photograph was taken at Christmastime, at the FAO Schwarz toy store in New York City. I’m dancing on the giant piano keys, which actually played as my toes touched them.
At the FAO Schwartz store, I rehearsed with young ballerinas from the Joffrey Ballet. We all made music together, right in the middle of the store, surrounded by other children.
When I was reading The Legend of Holly Claus at Barnes & Noble in Santa Monica, a ten-year-old girl said to me, “Holly shows us that love is the energy of life.” Words like this inspire me and spark my imagination. (Photo courtesy of Andy Comins.)
In his office in El Paso, Texas, Mayor John Cook presented me with a key to the city.
More than seven thousand children and their families were on hand at “Bring Me Your Dreams,” an event in El Paso, Texas, where I shared the story of Holly and we lit the very first Holly Claus Dream Tree in America. This tree represents all children’s dreams. (Photo courtesy of Micaela Bensko and Jeffrey Bedrick.)
I discussed The Legend of Holly Claus with a classroom of young children in a grammar school in Malibu. All the children had been assigned to read the book, and we talked about how an author creates a story.
This was the first sketch done by Laurel Long, in the very early days of our collaboration, when we first began sharing our dreams for Holly Claus.
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