Hannah stands at the edge of the sheer bluff, facing a terrible and deadly creature that not only threatens to destroy all that she loves but, unless stopped now, will unleash upon the world an evil it has never known. She is not alone, though. At her side stands an army of fairies, pixies, gnomes, and the mystical, well-mannered wood sprite guardian of Ponca State Park. Hannah knows that even with these loyal allies, her chances of saving her father are slim, but with a nod of her head, she gives the signal and the battle begins. Join Hannah in this thrilling, inspirational, and thoughtful tale of a young girl's struggle with juvenile-onset diabetes as she discovers that being different isn't always bad and that wisdom is sometimes found in the most unlikely of places. Blane Brummond lives in Ponca, Nebraska, with his wife and five children. Blane grew up in South Dakota across the mile-wide Missouri River from Ponca State Park, where he spent many sunny summer afternoons gazing at the bluffs on the far shore, imagining what secrets the dark and beautiful wood held. After he was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes at the age of twenty-five, Blane was faced with the choices faced by thousands of young people every year: whether to and how hard to fight the disease. As a veteran of the elite US Army Airborne Rangers, surrender was not an option. He would fight. Blane pushed forward, graduating from college and then law school. He participated in a host of physically demanding activities such as college wrestling, skydiving, mountain biking, Kung Fu, and one professional MMA cage match. He enjoys studying Christian apologetics, writing music, and hosting an annual fairy hunt that has attracted seekers from as far away as Chicago. Hannah is Blane s debut novella. The book grew out of the tales he d been telling his four girls of a beautiful wood sprite he d met who had a fondness for mushrooms and good manners. On one occasion, the wood sprite had actually given him a map of one of her mushroom farms and her permission to harvest her crop. The map was followed, the mushrooms were found, and sweet memories were sewn into the minds of all. The book was also born of the author s desire to give hope, support, and encouragement to the thousands of children diagnosed with juvenile diabetes every year 13,000 in the United States alone and understanding to those touched by the disease through friends or relatives. Tragically, the disease is usually diagnosed at an age when the child s self-image is still forming and when fitting in is more important than just about anything else. Hannah is Blane s attempt to show these children, or any other child who doesn t fit the norm, that being kind is better than being popular, that physical strength is no match for strength of character, and that a person s value has absolutely nothing to do with what classmates think of them."