I'm Vila SpiderHawk, author of Hidden Passages: Tales to Honor the Crones. I live in the woods of Pennsylvania with my husband, our six cats (yes, count them, ladies and gentlemen) and our many woodland friends. I am a gourmet vegan cook and an avid gardener. Visit my web site at http://www.vilaspiderhawk.com/ for lots of pictures of my cats, for gourmet recipes, for information on herbs and other plants, and much, much more.

Hidden Passages: Tales to Honor the Crones is a book of eight stories about girls and women who, when facing the challenges of life, turn to their cultural grandmothers for comfort and advice. Though the stories are set in different eras and cover different kinds of issues, each one reflects a reverence for the divine in every woman. I invite you to join my heroines in their adventures and their triumphs, and I offer an excerpt and a few reviews below. Hidden Passages: Tales to Honor the Crones is avilable from the publisher http://www.spilledcandy.com/ and from all online booksellers. Hidden Passages: Tales to Honor the Crones is a paperback book of 292 pages and sells for $17.95 (ISBN 189271857X)

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EXCERPT Page 203

Tichu considered what the women had said. The fire festered like a wound, melting the snow around its base to a sickly oozing slush. Sitting cross-legged, the women waited, still as ice, unwilling to disturb her reflection. At last Tichu drew her hand from Harugi’s, kissed the Crone on both her cheeks, and rose to speak. Her eyes flashed defiance. “When I die,” she poked her chest fiercely with her finger, “it will be in Grandmother Spider’s arms, not on the end of a spear.” Her voice, sharp as flint, chiseled between her clenched teeth.

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REVIEWS
The book, Hidden Passages: Tales to Honor the Crones by Vila Spider Hawk, offers a journey rich in symbolic language. The stories are written with the rhythm of ancient folk tales, yet any modern woman will be able to recognize the fierce and tender narrative as part of her own cycling heartbeat . . .
The author honors women of all ages, including the crones that mentor them. Reverence and remembrance of the three faces of the Goddess, are the keys she gives the reader to unlock the hidden passages in one's own life and discover the wisdom that dwells within. — (Susanne Iles)



I really enjoyed reading this book! It made me laugh, cry and think about all the many facets of becoming and being a Crone. Hidden Passages is a great book to cuddle up with to escape the world for a while. Each story stands on it's own so it's great reading for busy people. You can fit a chapter in here and there and feel like you've read a whole book. Vila's beautiful writing makes each character and place in the stories come alive with detail. She's especially good at including the secret thoughts of these women that help you understand and love them. You will remember these women forever. The inspiring messages of the stories will lift your sprit and make you glad to be a woman. — (Trudy Capazo)


Also please see reviews on www.amazon.com., http://www.vilaspiderhawk.com/, and www.myspace/vilaspiderhawk.com. And watch for upcoming reviews in Sage Woman, Beltane Papers (due in August), Rambles NetMagazine, Pathway Magazine, New Age Journal, and Phoebe Magazine. Look for my interview with Faith “Sage” Connor-Smith of Pagan Papers at http://www.paganpapers.org/.