Q:  Thanks so much for agreeing to be interviewed for LipstickMystic.com, Mary. I understand that you're getting some fabulous reviews for your new book, Nutlidge. Would you please take a moment and give us a short description of the book so readers will know what it is about?

A:  Thanks, Jennifer. Well, the book is set in Australia and is the story of a ten year old girl named Sky, who, whilst staying with her Grandmother, is led down a creek and into the rainforest to a giant eucalyptus or gum tree. There she discovers a magical world of many and varied nature spirits, including the tree’s main colony of Nutleys. The name of the city within the tree is called Nutlidge.

The main characters of the book, Sky, Yellow Flower, Malley Gum and Elm go on a journey together to save the tree and their pristine energies from being destroyed by the negative energy around the world. They visit the Freds, flightless birds that are thousands of years old and who are keepers of the Hall of Records to find out what is making the tree shake like it is. Then they go to the Federation of Nature Spirits gathering at North Queensland, and then they go to see Merlin to pick up a potion which will enhance the Nutleys' herbal tea recipe, "Honestea," which aids them in forcing the world leaders to speak the truth at the world leaders' summit.

Meanwhile, the manifestation of this negative energy causes an ancient tree witch to arise from her muddy prison to cause havoc around the tree. Podsinia comes again with the intention of taking over their beautiful world and turning it into a desolate environment.

It is a wonderful fantasy that will touch the hearts of us all with a real ring of truth to it.

Q:  This book is designed for 'kids of all ages," isn't it? I believe adults, teens and children will enjoy it. The material reminds me of the richly resonant material of classics like Richard Bach's Jonathan Livingston Seagull and other books which have a mythic, universal story that reaches across the generations.

A:  Absolutely. The content holds a lot of spiritual guidance and synchronicity, some magic and mystery and an underlying moral that everyone should be aware of. I have heard it’s "good reading" by those who have read it, and there were also comments about how easy it was to understand.

Oddly enough, the whole time I was actually writing this book, synchronicities were richly displaying themselves around me. It was incredible! I had guidance the whole way, thanks to some "spirit" friends of mine who also chose to write in their former incarnation. But that’s another area we could talk about another time! No sooner would I add to the story than it would display itself around me in some way or be there in my face on the TV that night! It was an amazing experience.

Q:  It sounds like you were receiving help from many planes of reality to bring this book through! Isn't that great, when your muses are in alignment with your creative work? Tell us about more about your inspiration for this book. You're living in Australia now, but you're originally from England, right? I imagine you felt like you were transported to a whole new world when you arrived Down Under!

A:  Actually, I was only about two years old, and I don’t remember anything of my baby years until the day we moved to Morgan, a small town on the Murray River in South Australia. I believe I was about three and a bit and I was asleep on my mom’s lap in the car. When I awoke, I saw flashes of blue bush followed by house fences, gardens and the odd road. It is almost as if my life began at that moment!

Q:  You maintain a fascinating website that has wonderful articles about spirituality and healing. (Readers, if you haven't already, do check it out. It's Yellowflowerpublications.com.au) From your various writings there, it's obvious that you're an energy sensitive and a gifted intuitive. Have you always had a strong spiritual connection to the natural kingdom, or was this triggered when you moved to Australia?

A:  Well, I was born on the thirteenth of April, which to me is a psychic number and has been good luck for me. Aries is somewhat creative and I have always felt close to nature, even as a very young girl. I used to lose myself amongst the trees in the garden or by the river. And from a young age I was fascinated with all forms of life in my garden, insects, birds, everything. Birds in particular. I used to collect natural things such as cocoons and gum nuts. My Grandmother was extremely talented in many areas and could have even run for office in the UK, but she was otherwise committed with seven children, and in those days women weren’t encouraged to do those things. She and I have caught up with each other through meditations and through mediums. Apparently, we were twins in a past incarnation

Actually, Spirit has told me I have a unique connection with nature, which is where the clouds come in, you know, God's paintings. I have a section about this on my site. I have always loved clouds, and when I had my first camera, I began taking pictures of them.

I now have a collection of truly amazing cloud formations that I have written a book about. Most of the pictures in the God's Paintings Collection are of the Masters of Light, you know, Mary, Jesus, Isis and Osiris, Athena, Quan Yin, angels and extraterrestrials, Akhenaton and Nefertiti, Horus and other celestial beings. I have also published a poster of The Eye of Horus in cloud formation. But that’s getting off the track a little. I read clouds, rock patterns, squiggles on trees, I understand the animals and what their messages hold for me when they cross my path. So I guess I am reading nature's messages, which of course are from the Creator. And that is what we need to remember. Messages are in everything and everyone around us all the time. We just need to be aware of this and keep our minds, eyes and ears open for them.

Q:  I know I'm constantly working to build that connection between me and Mother Nature. Whenever I'm working out in my garden, I try to attune myself to the devas associated with the various plants and herbs. Is it easy for you to connect with the devic energies? Do you have any recommendations for people about how they can connect with these energies?

A:  Yes, well certainly by just "being" in amongst it as much as you can and appreciating its beauty and radiance. Notice the colors of everything around you, and listen to the sounds that are happening. If you spot anything on a tree trunk or in a cloud that looks familiar, just focus on it for a moment and see if it’s a picture of something, or a symbol. The fairies and devas will guide you along, you just need to be open-minded and relaxed about it. The more you give these possibilities energy, the more the messages and synchronicities will happen.

I’d like to recommend a couple of books that will help in this direction. One is The Magic of Findhorn which tells of a woman that connected with all the nature spirits of each plant, and because of this, they told her how to care for the plants individually. The veggies and flowers were huge! That was in the 60’s, but Findhorn is still going to this day and is classed as a world renowned ecological village. Actually, I do have their link on my links page for people to follow up on. Other books I would highly recommend are on the book reviews page, all there to guide you to useful and worthwhile reading.

The others are The Medicine Cards created by the elders of several Native American tribes and the Australian Animal Cards. They can be looked up on the Net. But most of all, the information is given throughout the text in my novel Nutlidge, and people are finding it hard to put down - which is excellent, of course! Harry Potter, move over! Nutlidge has arrived! Fun food for the suppressed soul!

Q:  I like how your book involves the reader in understanding the "natural" forms of magic that exist all around us, in miraculous abundance. No need to join a wizard's school like Hogwart and learn complicated spells! Everything you need to know about embracing nature's healing energies is right there in your book, told in the form of a delightful story. Many of your book's illustrations look like devic beings I've glimpsed at times in my own meditations. I think we're all fascinated with the beautiful world of gnomes, faeries, and the like. Nutlidge really brings these realms alive within the world of a gripping and moving story. How did the various characters come to you? What was your inspiration for the visual elements of the book?

A:  It all began with the Nut people, really. I created the first "Nutley" in the 80’s, just an old nut man with a walking stick, and he was called a Morganite at first, due to the name of the town I grew up in. I ended up making a lot of them and changing the scenes. Out came fishermen and golfers and shearers - sheep and all! I created them on and off for about twelve years, doing markets, nut parties and private orders. I actually had about 20 different items within my "nutware" range from nut earrings to key rings, bird mobiles to nut teddy bears! It kept me busy for years, including going on hunts for certain types of gum nuts of pods. Adelaide folk may remember me on my hands and knees under trees collecting nuts for use. Then I began to write stories in verse which led to the novel Nutlidge. It was actually a 20 year journey! But the setting in which it is based, around it is a giant eucalyptus tree, so high it passes through the clouds. It is only seen to be that tall however, by people who are particularly gifted, in this case, Sky, the main human character of the book. And well, it just wasn’t complete without some other nature spirits and animals involved as well! I just love all nature spirits.

One of my great inspirations was the famous Australian author and artist, May Gibb. She wrote Snugglepot and Cuddlepie, the Gumnut babies. Her stories and her artwork were fantastic. Truly she captured the essence and the beings of life in the native trees of the Australian bush. Her books went around the world in the 30’s and 40’s and are still around today. In fact, yesterday, my neighbor had it out to read to her two young girls. I was so excited to flip through those pages again and to check out her pictures. It was quoted in the Range News last week in a Nutlidge book launch review that I was, “Arguably today’s successor to May Gibbs’s much-loved characters from Snugglepot and Cuddlepie.” It was a great compliment for sure, since she was my first guiding light towards all this.

Q:  What are the themes you wanted to bring forward as you created and illustrated this special book? Were you trying to get across any specific message?

A:  Yes. It is about a beautiful world being threatened by the materialistic side of life. The build up of negative energy and how it affects all of us. Every person, every planet, dimension and reality is affected by our thoughts.

The nuts and pods that I collected all those years ago made me realize that if it wasn’t for them, there’d be no trees. It is vital that we plant more trees if we want to keep creating our precious oxygen. Children need to be more aware of these little treasures and what they are capable of. They are able to encourage their folks to plant more trees on their farms and in their gardens. Have a big collection day and collect local nuts and seed pods just before they open and you have a store of perfectly good tree seeds to grow forests with!

Also, the topic of "Honestea" (honesty) comes into it rather strongly towards the end when some of the characters spike the drinks at the world leaders' summit with a herbal potion called "Honestea." This forces the leaders to spill the truth about many things that are hidden from us.

Another topic that is brought up is hemp and how it would be the one magical plant that can save this planet from landscape desolation and people's disease. Its capacity to turn over several crops per year without pesticides or soil ruination is spectacular. Hemp seed is an "all-cure" food which provides the body with all the nutrients, oils, minerals and most vitamins that the body needs. It can make long lasting fabric so soft you won’t want to take it off and clothes and sheets that you can hand down to your grandkids! Rope, string, paper, plastics, oil, chip board, stationery, health care products and so much more can be made from hemp.

All the Presidents have grown it for profit gain and to fund their armies, and they have taken it away from us simply because it threatens "important" industries such as cotton, paper, and of course, the drug companies, which are all multinational establishments ruining the health of Mother Earth.

So hemp is desperately needed again to save this precious planet. If anyone is interested about the facts and truths on this touchy subject, I have links on my site that can inform and enlighten your readers on all areas of the subject.

And people mustn’t be put off the book by this, because even children need to know how incredible this plant is, and it states in the story that hemp can be grown without the THC content. The Nutleys actually use hemp for many reasons. They don’t use cotton at all, there is no need, and it provides them with all the extra materials and herbal remedies they require.

Nutlidge has its own eco system, and the beings do things and live life according to nature’s heartbeat. In other words, they are very advanced beings and know how to live in pure harmony without the need for any negative inputs such as racism, greed, jealousy or any other such things. They could teach us a thing or two!

Q:  I think readers of all ages will connect with Nutlidge's adventures. Are you finding that younger readers are able to grasp some of the larger themes that you present? Many people talk about a generation of "indigo kids" or spiritually advanced youngsters who are on the planet now, and this book would be a great book for them.

A:  Mmmm, yes! They are our future healers, teachers, scientists and worldly representatives, and we need to teach them better ways to help people on this planet, not to mention the poor old planet itself! It is struggling at present and needs all the help it can get. So if our children read and learn the right stuff, then there is a chance they can create a more peaceful and loving Earth.

I believe children will love this story for what is it, and that is a recognition of all the incredible gifts that we have been given and a confirmation that what you are feeling deep down is there to be questioned. No one has the right, in God's eyes, to tell anyone what to do or how to think. But this is what is happening to our world, and it is the materialistically powerful " leaders" (??!) who are doing this and it is not for our benefit.

We need to somehow come together as a civilization on this planet and use this energy to create beauty and peace rather than hate and wars. Perhaps it is time to remove the leaders from their cozy positions and to vote young fresh minds and hearts into these positions, but only chosen out of the wisest ones, not the richest ones.

Q:  I think that would be wonderful. We should require all of our elected representatives to demonstrate that they have a functioning heart chakra, for instance! That one, I feel, is pretty important! If you can't love, you can't experience empathy for others, and all of your decisions will be made from the intellect instead of the emotional body - an unfortunate trend with today's leaders. But tell us more about your hopes for the book, who you would like to reach, and any plans for movies and other tie-ins.

A: I would like to reach anyone and everyone with this book because it is for all of us, no matter what age or nationality or skin colour. Certainly, there will be a second book. I have left it open for this to be possible and I have started writing it. There will be some readers and picture books to follow. I am very interested in pursuing the movie area. I’d love to have the book turned into an animated movie. I think it would be fabulous! Children, teens and adults would all enjoy it as it is a "family" story. I would also like to see videos and television series come from this. It has the potential to be huge.

Q:  I think the story would be perfect for animated film. Imagine - a movie like that with heart and substance, not just special effects! Are there other products or services that you offer that you think would be of interest to readers here?

A:  Sure. There are now some postcards available, which are directly related to Nutlidge. I chose some of the illustrations from the novel, which are only in grayscale and I've done them in color for everyone to enjoy. There are six of them at this stage, and these are the beginning of a long line of cards and stationery. They are nice enough to frame and are suitable to many occasions, apart from being a nice postie to pop on the fridge!

Also, I have a cute little oracle for sale that I hand make myself. It is called "Yellow Flower’s Tiny Little Oracle" and it’s tiny enough to keep in your purse. It is very popular indeed, and each one has its own individual rainbow flower. There are posters of cloud formations as I mentioned earlier, and there are other items I make myself such as Australian penny key rings and some original jewelry. I have some prints of a few of my paintings lined up also to go on there. That is exciting too! I have my own painting technique and it is very colorful!

I am still building the shopping page up and I am about to organize things now so as credit cards can be used to purchase goods. I also do psychic readings for those who are interested and I am happy to answer any queries my customers might have. If they just need some direction perhaps I can help them. I can also give people the opportunity to have their favorite photos of their children transformed into fairy pictures. If you have ever wondered what you would look like as a fairy or a type of nature spirit, I can help you out. All original work by yours truly, and a great gift idea. So, go check out the site. It is a little different and full of surprises, with lots of very interesting articles and links to follow.

If anyone has an article they would like to submit, I am happy to post it for them, provided it fits in with the themes on the website. I would also like to encourage kids to write in on topics they feel strongly about and I will post them. They can send pictures also, their artwork and favorite links.

Q:  Thanks so much for giving us a glimpse into the marvelous world of Nutlidge and for sharing some of your insights about energy and spirituality, Mary. I know people will want to check out your book. Can you tell us the best way to order it?

A:  Certainly! The quickest way to get a copy is to jump online and go to http://www.zeus-publications.com and purchase it from there. They will send it straight out to you, and it's actually a dollar cheaper online. Otherwise you can phone them on 61 07 557 55 141 in Australia. If you have a bookshop, or your bookshop hasn’t stocked it yet, they can get copies from Zeus Publications. So ask at your local bookshop to look them up and get it into your store for your local kids. It will make a lovely gift to someone special.

Q:  Just a reminder to readers that Mary also regularly updates her website with fascinating links and articles. So people can check that out.

Well, Mary, I know I'm setting the intention in my visualizations and prayers that your book and its healing message reach lots of readers. I invite LipstickMystic.com's readers to join with me in setting this intention, because I believe your book deserves the widest readership possible. Best of luck to you, Mary, and thanks again for talking with us today!

A:  Thank you so much, Jennifer. It has been a pleasure. And I look forward to any letters from readers, if they enjoy the book, please let me know! They can go to the site and see some pictures that are in the book and the first chapter is there to read. Take care of yourselves and your trees! Bye for now!

Book Review of Nutlidge by Ruth Parnell, Editor of Nexus Magazine

A Launch into an Enchanted World

Kondalilla-based author Mary Jane Bayliss fell in love with the flora of South Australia when she migrated there from England with her family in 1965 at the age of two.  So she began collecting all the seedpods and gumnuts she could find and before long had created characters for a unique fantasy world.  The result of her lifetime passion is arguably today’s successor to May Gibbs’s much-loved characters from Snugglepot and Cuddlepie. 

Bayliss’s enchanting creations, many of whom are known as Nutleys, are the star attractions of her first novel, Nutlidge, aimed at children of all ages.  Her illustrations are truly charming.  But her book is far from just a fantastic adventure because it contains many scenes that have their complements not just at the top of the tallest eucalypt but in present-day world conflicts.  The chief characters, a girl called Sky along with a selection of fairies and nature spirits, have a plan to save their tree and the rest of the world by forcing the leaders to speak the truth.  Parents should be cautioned that this, like all good fairy stories, is a powerful morality tale - but it has a special ring of truth for townsfolk in Maleny and Montville who are fighting to keep their environments intact and protected from development. 

Mary Bayliss launched her novel at St Mary’s Hall at Montville Village Green on Sunday 22 May.  Copies of Nutlidge are available at Rosetta Books, Maleny, from the publisher at www.zeus-publications.com or via www.yellowflowerpublications.com.au.

-- By Ruth Parnell

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