Author Isabelle Hardesty is announcing the one-year anniversary of her own voices debut young adult fantasy novel, The Witch of Belle Fleur. The title is now available on Amazon.
The novel tells the story of Juliette, an Afro-Latina teen telenovela actress teetering on the edge as she unravels her family’s secret of magic, only to discover that if she becomes a lead witch, she must let both good and evil magic return to her town.
“The story is set in a world that captures all that I’ve been fascinated with since I was a child,” Hardesty says, “Both nature and the supernatural are important themes throughout.” Additional themes are romance, relationships, and ultimately, the power of love.
Hardesty, of Haitian-Dominican descent, is a Miami native who uses her creative works to share her experiences growing up in South Florida. She is committed to creating rich and strong female characters in her books. “I am Afro-Latina,” she says, “And I want young people and women of color who read my work to see themselves in the pages, and know they are a meaningful part of the world they’re in.”
“What I love about writing is that it connects readers – and in the future, viewers – to their truth, making them laugh, wonder, cry, and fully-inhabit the experience of life.”
Hardesty received her BFA from Pratt Institute and has worked in NYC as an assistant fashion designer. Her rich and textured life experiences allow her to create characters and plots that engage readers. One common thread in all of her professional experiences is that storytelling is always king.
Hardesty has always woven her love of magic and nature into her books. Her previous titles include Jade’s Awakening: Book 1, Jade’s Descent: Book 2, and Jade’s Paradox, Book 3. The sequel to The Witch of Belle Fleur is Midnight in Belle Fleur and will be available this summer.
About Isabelle Hardesty