Battle of the Books

“When Alexis Liddell Byrd was seven, the church gave her a mirror; or rather, they sold it to her. . . .”
So begins Liddell’s story. Told from the perspective of the Gods, the story challenges us to take a wider view of the problems, challenges, laughter, and joy that is everyday life. Set against the backdrop of the Iraq Invasion and the Wikileaks disclosures, the questions are posed, “What is truth? What is reality?”
Liddell’s early years are transient. Much time is spent struggling to survive. The mirror is given little thought.
As an eventual single parent of three, she has had little time for romance. However, in her forties she reconnects with an old flame and is swept off her feet. Fate appears to guide her towards a new life in Melbourne with Flash and their blended children. While establishing a new life is challenging, there is an ease and feeling of guidance that confirms the “rightness” of her decision. She gets a factory job and it seems that the past struggles may be behind them as they embrace this more carefree lifestyle.
Liddell views her life from a romantic, creative sense expressed in musings and poetry but when tragedy strikes, she sets out to unravel the reasons that led to the disaster. In the process, she begins to wonder if her musings and poetry are unravelling the World.
The old mirror takes on a new significance and the reflection she sees is often disturbing.
Set in Melbourne, Country Victoria, Australia; and New Zealand, the story crosses centuries and cultures with perspectives shifting between characters. By the last curtain call, a new question remains, are we moved by Fate or rather Free Will?

About the Author

New Zealand-born writer, Lily Cameron, wrote Battle of the Books while living in Melbourne, Australia. The book highlights her interest in mythology and magic and juxtapositions modern life against a backdrop of much older beliefs which speak to our souls. Her writing challenges the reader to see everyday events from a wider perspective and recognise the connectivity to the wider world both now and over the centuries.
This is her first novel under the pen name “Lily Cameron.” She also authored the allegorical book, Inside Out: A Pagan Tale for the Child Within, under the name “Heather Brunton.”
As a single mother, Lily returned to university late in life and studied myth and ideology. Aside from writing, she has worked many jobs from courier, sewing machinist, and administrator. In the past she has published articles for a Mental Health awareness group. For the past 17 years she has worked for an Australian phone tarot line doing Osho Zen Tarot readings for clients.