Category: Herbs

Jael of Rogan, Lady of the Haven

On By Betty OwensIn Deliverers, Facebook, Herbs, Jael, The Lady of the Haven, Twitter

Jael of Rogan grew up an only child. After her mother’s abduction and brutal murder, her grandmother and great-grandmother stepped in to raise her. Her father, Jon Rogan and grandfather Justus were called Deliverers and revered as heroes. Both were often away for long periods of time.

She was named by her grandmother Deborah, in honor of an ancient heroine. Together they dwelt in a remote river haven at the base of the Grand Touri Mountains, near the Falls of Verani. Sailmakers by trade and healers by calling, Deborah knew every indigenous herb by sight and cultivated many of them in her kitchen garden. She trained Jael to follow in her footsteps.

When she was sixteen, Jael’s father was killed by an evil magistrate. Her grandmother wasted away and finally died of a broken heart. Jael was left on her own in the mystical haven.

Thus begins the story of a young woman’s harrowing journey. She seeks protection from her enemy, Torin Dugold–the evil magistrate who killed her mother and father. What she finds is a life she’d never dared to imagine.

The Lady of the Haven is soon to be released as an ebook. Link to this page for updates, or join me on Facebook and Twitter.

The Lady of the Haven

On By Betty OwensIn flowers, Herbs2 Comments

Re: Deborah

Okay, I promised to tell you about Jael’s grandmother. Not only did she give Jael her name, she trained her granddaughter in the healing ways and passed along a deep reverence for God. In character, she was somewhat like the biblical judge for whom she was named.


She was rather plain, with an olive complexion, dark hair and eyes, more like the Rogans than Jael. She was a direct descendant of Jebuel’s kin, and married Justus Drudan of Rogan at a very young age.


After Jael’s mother was killed, Deborah kept the child with her, for the Rogan men were often absent from the Haven. Jael learned to discern mugwort from drumwort, (mugwort was fatal if ingested). Drumwort stopped excessive bleeding and cleansed the blood. These two herbs were very much alike in appearance, so needed a discerning eye to harvest.


As a healer, no one came near to Deborah’s expertise, but she did not possess other traits common to the Haven family. When she recognized these abilities in her only grandchild, she encouraged them.


Note: I am not an herbalist. I have studied herbs, but remember, this is fantasy. Though loosely based in reality (sounds like my life) they are purely fictional. I made these things up, and had lots of fun doing it. So if you should find plants like those in my book, please don’t eat them based on my say-so!