Local Ojai author Cynthia Louise Grier will visit the Ojai Library at 1pm on Saturday, January 28, 2023, to deliver a talk titled “Magic or Medicine? Grimoires and Healing Amulets in The Muse of Freedom: a Cevenoles Sagas Novel.” Grier, who writes under the nom de plume Jules Larimore, will share a bit of history and examples of these healing devices often thought to be magic.
Set in late Renaissance France, 1695-97, The Muse of Freedom: a Cevenoles Sagas Novel tells a story of a young nobleman training as an apothecary as he unravels his Huguenot family’s legacy of secrets and embarks on an odyssey in search of his spiritual identity and the meaning of love. In the Gorges du Tarn, he meets a mystic holy-woman who reveals ancient healing mysteries and inspires his quest for freedom. But persecutions by Louis XIV’s dragoons force him to make a fateful decision—recreant, rebel, or refugee.
Inspired by the true story of Jean Pierre Bondurant dit Cougoussac, the story delves into the traditional folk healing practices of Cévenoles, the people of the Cévennes mountains in south-central France. There will be a discussion of the recipe books, often referred to as grimoires, and amulets that were commonly used for healing purposes, along with a short reading from the novel of a healing session using these seemingly magical tools.
Influenced by a background in freelance travel writing, Jules Larimore writes emotive, literary-leaning historical fiction to inspire positive change for the oppressed and refugees, and to encourage an intimate relationship with the natural environment. With a Bachelor of Arts from Indiana University, Jules has studied medieval history, ancient Greek culture, anthropology, folklore, narrative composition, and architectural design, and has trained under writing geniuses Libbie Grant (Libbie Hawker/Olivia Hawker) and Roz Morris.
Jules lives primarily in Ojai, California, with time spent around the U.S. and in various countries in Europe gathering more treasures in a continued search for authenticity. For more information, visit www.juleslarimore.com.
This event is free and open to the public. For additional information, contact Ron Solórzano, Regional Librarian, at (805) 218-9146 or ron.solorzano@ventura.org.
The Ojai Library is located at 111 East Ojai Avenue in Ojai, CA. Hours of service are 10am to 8pm Monday through Thursday and 12pm to 5pm Friday through Sunday.