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Monday, March 30, 2015

Book Spotlight - Midnight Captive

And I am back, yet again, for a blog tour. Next month, I shall try to have some more interesting things to post - such as stuff about Rizkaland. I really need to post more about Rizkaland. You guys just aren't excited enough yet!

Anyways, the blog tour post thingie. I'm spotlighting a book most of you probably haven't heard of yet - but you need to, because this is the next new thing in Fairy Tale retellings, a brilliant blend of Sleeping Beauty, the Twelve Dancing Princesses, and the Pied Piper. After putting off reading it for a month (partially because of my computer troubles, partially because I've had some bad experiences with Sleeping Beauty retellings) but once I picked it up, I read it in three sittings - and I only put it down because I had to go to bed/get ready to go.

Hurry over to Amazon as FAST as you can and buy it - it's only $2.99


Phaedra is cursed to sleep until true love wakes her. Hermione has a dark secret. 

When Prince Sheridan discovers the two princesses wandering the woods outside the castle at night, he begins to wonder if there is more to Phaedra's curse than is readily apparent. 

With the help of a minstrel out to prove a point, they must discover the secret before the princesses are trapped forever in the night.

5-Star Review Excerpt:
"Truly a spellbinding tale. I cannot recommend it more, and look forward to any future books that E.D. Phillips may write." - By SilverRose on Amazon

Supposedly, the rest of the stops on the blog tour will be listed here, thought link wasn't live last night when I checked.

But, honestly, while this wasn't the BEST retelling I've ever read, it has earned first for Sleeping Beauty retellings. (Mostly because, as I mentioned already, I've had bad experience with Sleeping Beauty retellings.) I'll be posting my review later today, some time after I get home from work.

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Interview with Claire Banschbach

Some of you may or may not be wondering what happened to me, since I kinda dropped off of the blogosphere the last few weeks. Well, long story short, I went back to work. I'm again a redshirt at McDonalds (which means I'm going to die - 'tis a pity). I've also been up to my neck editing part 2 of Water Princess, Fire Prince, and writing book two. I've been doing quite a bit of reading, trying to stay caught up with my goal of 100 books for the year (though, currently, I'm two books behind ... which should rectified soon, since I have three books in various states of done)

Anyways, I'm here with an interview with one of my new author friends, Claire Banschbach. During the release party of My Kingdom for a Quest, she revealed the cover for her latest book, Wildcats of Braeton, and now it is (supposedly)* released.

I've revealed the prequel to this story here. However, while I was supposed to review this story as well, I haven't even read it yet, partly because of above schedule overload, and partly because the review copy I possess is PDF, and I like to read those in one sitting if possible. (And I haven't carved out a suitable one sitting yet.)

I thoroughly enjoyed the first book however, and it kept me up quite a bit past my bedtime - both from reading it, and from mulling it over once I was finished. I would describe it best as how The Horse and his Boy would have been written if G. A. Henty had been the author. It made for some boggy reading at points, but it was a good book nonetheless.

* More on this a bit later. Keep reading


About the book:
If you’re fighting our battle, we’d best make you look like a champion,” Tam said to Aiden. Tam and Blair began to apply the war paint the Clans had worn into battle since before they arrived in Braeton.
You ready?” Tam asked when they finished.
As I’ll ever be,” Aiden replied. “Tam, if everything goes wrong, you take charge after me.”
I’m praying nothing goes wrong,” Tam said. “Just remember what Diarmad said when he built this place: ‘In times of trouble, a Champion shall rise up and Scodra shall not fall.’”

His term of service to Lord Rishdah now complete, Aiden returns to his home in Braeton. As he travels he hears rumors that trouble plagues Braeton. Clan Canich is being attacked from within. He arrives, determined to save his father, his brothers, and his Clan from the treachery of one man.
A year has passed since the Calorins were driven from Aredor and Corin is struggling to rebuild his country. Despite the peace, a fear haunts him that the Calorins aren’t far away. The Hawk Flight takes to the forest again to defend the borders against a possible attack from the neighboring country of Durna and its Calorin ally.
As Aiden and Corin struggle to adapt to their new lives they know one thing for certain - war is coming to the North!

About the Author:

Claire Banschbach was born and raised in Midland, TX, the fourth of eight children. She was homeschooled through high school and is now a proud member of the Texas A&M University class of 2014. An avid reader of Lord of the Rings, Narnia, and many other adventure novels, Claire was prompted to begin writing her own fantasy novel at seventeen after several years of daydreaming. She continues to write in her spare time (and often when she doesn’t have spare time). When not scratching out stories and homework with pen and pencil, Claire partakes in the joys of watching the Boston Red Sox, Aggie football, playing volleyball, and horseback riding. She hopes her faith and strong foundation in God will continue to help guide her writing. She is currently working on her Doctorate of Physical Therapy at the Texas Tech University Health Science Center. 

Le Interview:


1. Hi! Welcome to Knitted by God's Plan. Would you mind telling us a
bit about yourself?
Thanks for having me! I grew up in west Texas with seven other siblings. I was homeschooled through high school and then went on to obtain a Kinesiology degree from Texas A&M. I’m currently working on my Doctorate of Physical Therapy through Texas Tech Health Science Center. I love to write and have two books now published! I love horses, volleyball, the Boston Red Sox, football, and eating hamburgers.

2. Where did you get the inspiration for Wildcat of Braeton and its prequel?
The main inspiration for the prequel The Rise of Aredor came from my love of Narnia. I’m still trying to find the magical door there. I started making up stories in Narnia and Middle Earth and then eventually decided to take one and make it my own. The Wildcat of Braeton came about because I realized that the Calorin Sultaan wouldn’t be happy with the way things ended in RoA and would do anything to achieve the outcome he desired. There is also a character in RoA named Aiden who I thought deserved his own story because he seemed to have a pretty good one. And my younger sister loves him. So she might have actually inspired WoB! ;)

3. Pick a random character and introduce him to us!
I’ll pick William because he’s kind of awesome. William is Aiden’s older brother and second son of Laird Gordon of Clan Canich. Will shares some of Aiden’s fiery temperament but learned how to temper it with some common sense much earlier than Aiden did. He’d do anything for his little brother and was devastated when Aiden ran away without telling him. When a foreigner begins to undermine the Clan, Will stands up to him and get banished for his pains. He decides to go find Aiden, who by now has been gone for six years. His plan? Find Aiden, bring him back, and save the Clan.
I really enjoyed writing him and seeing him and Aiden together.

4. What is your favorite thing about writing?
I really love it when characters decide to share things about themselves. Or when I’m struggling with a scene or the next plot point and suddenly it all falls together perfectly. Which is usually after a character drops a hint or two.

5. Can you tell us about any upcoming titles?
I do have a Christian fantasy series in the works. The first one is finished and undergoing some needed edits. I do want to get at least one more written before I start thinking about publication. My short sci-fi is most likely up next on the publication list. But it also requires editing. Here’s a brief synopsis of Worldjumpers!-
David Standish thinks he's in for another ordinary summer on his grandfather's west Texas farm. But that illusion is quickly shattered when Captain Zoey Blackheart crash lands in their backyard. One repair job later, David is signed on as a crewmember on the Saltador, a ship that can travel between planets through portals accessed by long forgotten technology. Captain Blackheart's past is racing closer with every job they complete and she, David, and her crew must stay one step ahead of her enemies. David is in for the ride of his life, making new friends and enemies and uncovering a plot that could destroy an entire planet!


6. What is your goal as an author?
My goal as an author is to write clean, faith based fiction that I can safely give to all ages. While I don’t think all of my stories need to be published, I hope I can share the ones that are the strongest. And if one of my stories touches the life of only one person, I think that’s pretty awesome and I couldn’t ask for more than that.

7. And, just for fun, what is your favorite flower?

Living in the great state of Texas, I’d have to say the yellow rose. But I do love seeing fields of Bluebonnets and Indian Paintbrush blooming the spring and early summer. 



Connect with the author:
Twitter: @TheRiseofAredor



Giveaway!
Opens at midnight March 23 and closes at midnight on March 28. Giveaway includes 2 signed copies of The Wildcat of Braeton and accompanying sets of four notecard sized illustrations from the series!

Release date info-
Due to circumstances beyond my control, the release date has been moved to (most likely) May. However, if you feel that you cannot live without this book, you can buy it here- https://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=978-1-68097-981-7 Warning- it costs about a hundred-million dollars (or I’m a poor college student and anything over $20 is expensive), so I would wait until its official release date and you can shop more cheaply! Stay tuned on my Facebook page or blog for more info on the release date!

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Fairer-Than-A-Fairy

It's been FOREVER since I last did one of these, and so I'm going to share a Fairy Tale that was important to the plotting process of The Ankulen.

I had a vague outline in my head when I sat down to write The Ankulen, mostly in the form of a few Key Events, the opening, two middle events that I wasn't sure which should happen first, and the big finale. 

So Jen and I wandered around, meeting person after person until I decided I was ready to pull out one of those Key Events. Thing was, I still wasn't sure WHERE this event should take place, since I knew that it couldn't be a normal location in her imagination.

So ... me being Fairy Tale obsessed me, I skimmed through my mental collection of favorites, and came upon this one. Well, specifically a certain element. Readers of the book will know what I'm talking about.

To read the fairy tale without my commentary, go here.

Once there lived a King who had no children for many years after his marriage. At length heaven granted him a daughter of such remarkable beauty that he could think of no name so appropriate for her as 'Fairer-than-a-Fairy.'

Typical start. King wants a child, doesn't have one. (Maybe the queen has something to do with that, since it isn't stated that SHE wanted a child) Then he gets one and ... well, I'm getting ahead of myself, aren't I?

Heads up, it's not a good idea to insinuate that your child is more beautiful than the fairies.

It never occurred to the good-natured monarch that such a name was certain to call down the hatred and jealousy of the fairies in a body on the child, but this was what happened. No sooner had they heard of this presumptuous name than they resolved to gain possession of her who bore it, and either to torment her cruelly, or at least to conceal her from the eyes of all men.

These aren't exactly the nicest fairies you'll ever meet. I honesty doubt that Cinderella's Fairy Godmother was of their clan ... but the eighth fairy Godmother of Sleeping Beauty's might have been...

The eldest of their tribe was entrusted to carry out their revenge. This Fairy was named Lagree; she was so old that she only had one eye and one tooth left, and even these poor remains she had to keep all night in a strengthening liquid. She was also so spiteful that she gladly devoted all her time to carrying out all the mean or ill-natured tricks of the whole body of fairies.

A little-known fact about fairies - If they age gracefully, they become motherly and kind. If they don't, well, they become rather spiteful.

With her large experience, added to her native spite, she found but little difficulty in carrying off Fairer-than-a-Fairy. The poor child, who was only seven years old, nearly died of fear on finding herself in the power of this hideous creature. However, when after an hour's journey underground she found herself in a splendid palace with lovely gardens, she felt a little reassured, and was further cheered when she discovered that her pet cat and dog had followed her.

And the dog and cat, though entirely comforting, will never be mentioned again, I can assure you. Such is the nature of such details in Fairy Tales.

The old Fairy led her to a pretty room which she said should be hers, at the same time giving her the strictest orders never to let out the fire which was burning brightly in the grate. She then gave two glass bottles into the Princess's charge, desiring her to take the greatest care of them, and having enforced her orders with the most awful threats in case of disobedience, she vanished, leaving the little girl at liberty to explore the palace and grounds and a good deal relieved at having only two apparently easy tasks set her.

Because she has heard of all those wicked fairies who make their victims do all sorts of hard work and how it always backfires, so she wants to repeat that mistake.

Several years passed, during which time the Princess grew accustomed to her lonely life, obeyed the Fairy's orders, and by degrees forgot all about the court of the King her father.

Because, after all, this isn't that bad of a life. She does't have to do anything but keep a fire going and make sure that some bottles don't break. She doesn't have anyone telling her what she needs to do, or force her to behave like a proper princess. She's actually got it pretty good, except for the fact that she doesn't have any friends except for the cat and dog that followed her and were promptly forgotten about.

One day, whilst passing near a fountain in the garden, she noticed that the sun's rays fell on the water in such a manner as to produce a brilliant rainbow. She stood still to admire it, when, to her great surprise, she heard a voice addressing her which seemed to come from the centre of its rays. The voice was that of a young man, and its sweetness of tone and the agreeable things it uttered, led one to infer that its owner must be equally charming; but this had to be a mere matter of fancy, for no one was visible.

And here we have a side effect of her lonely existence. She hears voices.

The beautiful Rainbow informed Fairer-than-a-Fairy that he was young, the son of a powerful king, and that the Fairy, Lagree, who owed his parents a grudge, had revenged herself by depriving him of his natural shape for some years; that she had imprisoned him in the palace, where he had found his confinement hard to bear for some time, but now, he owned, he no longer sighed for freedom since he had seen and learned to love Fairer-than-a-Fairy.

And naturally, the voice she hears is a prince, and and he is in love with her. Isn't that every girl's fantasy? Know what? I was passing by a strange black box the other day and the exact same thing happened. Turns out, it was a radio.

He added many other tender speeches to this declaration, and the Princess, to whom such remarks were a new experience, could not help feeling pleased and touched by his attentions.

What girl wouldn't? - especially since she's been living alone since she was seven. It's a wonder her pets haven't started talking by now. Although, you never know, they could be dead by now.

The Prince could only appear or speak under the form of a Rainbow, and it was therefore necessary that the sun should shine on water so as to enable the rays to form themselves.

Classic definition of a Rainbow.

Fairer-than-a-Fairy lost no moment in which she could meet her lover, and they enjoyed many long and interesting interviews. One day, however, their conversation became so absorbing and time passed so quickly that the Princess forgot to attend to the fire, and it went out.

Um ... not so good here.

Lagree, on her return, soon found out the neglect, and seemed only too pleased to have the opportunity of showing her spite to her lovely prisoner. She ordered Fairer-than-a-Fairy to start next day at dawn to ask Locrinos for fire with which to relight the one she had allowed to go out.

Locrinos? Who is Locrinos? Someone nasty, I'm guessing.

Now this Locrinos was a cruel monster who devoured everyone he came across, and especially enjoyed a chance of catching and eating any young girls. Our heroine obeyed with great sweetness, and without having been able to take leave of her lover she set off to go to Locrinos as to certain death.

And I still know little about him. Ah, well, he's nasty, we'll leave it at that. I can't watch!

As she was crossing a wood a bird sang to her to pick up a shining pebble which she would find in a fountain close by, and to use it when needed. She took the bird's advice, and in due time arrived at the house of Locrinos. Luckily she only found his wife at home, who was much struck by the Princess's youth and beauty and sweet gentle manners, and still further impressed by the present of the shining pebble.

I'm ... I'm not sure what to say here. Locrinos eats EVERYONE he comes across, but he has a wife, and he apparently hasn't eaten her yet. And she's ... nice. Well. I wonder how that happened. *brushes away sudden, weird desire to write backstory for this pair*

She readily let Fairer-than-a-Fairy have the fire, and in return for the stone she gave her another, which, she said, might prove useful some day. Then she sent her away without doing her any harm.

Crisis avoided. Phew! It would have been terrible if she had been eaten without having first been able to say good-bye to her dear Rainbow!

Lagree was as much surprised as displeased at the happy result of this expedition, and Fairer-than-a Fairy waited anxiously for an opportunity of meeting Prince Rainbow and telling him her adventures. She found, however, that he had already been told all about them by a Fairy who protected him, and to whom he was related.

He is protected by and related to a fairy, but still trapped in the form of a rainbow. Also - who names a PRINCE Rainbow? Moving on.

The dread of fresh dangers to his beloved Princess made him devise some more convenient way of meeting than by the garden fountain, and Fairer-than-a-Fairy carried out his plan daily with entire success. Every morning she placed a large basin full of water on her window-sill, and as soon as the sun's rays fell on the water the Rainbow appeared as clearly as it had ever done in the fountain. By this means they were able to meet without losing sight of the fire or of the two bottles in which the old Fairy kept her eye and her tooth at night, and for some time the lovers enjoyed every hour of sunshine together.

And this is NOT how rainbows work. For a rainbow to work, there must be water droplets in the AIR, not in a bowl ... well ... if it works for them, I say let it. 

And I'm going to comment this here, since this is the last point where I can ... but they do have one of the stronger relationships in Fairyland. Sure, he fell in love with her based on her looks, but they've spent HOW long getting to know each other? They're up there with Rapunzel and Beauty and the Beast for good relationship foundations.

One day Prince Rainbow appeared in the depths of woe. He had just heard that he was to be banished from this lovely spot, but he had no idea where he was to go. The poor young couple were in despair, and only parted with the last ray of sunshine, and in hopes of meeting next morning. Alas! next day was dark and gloomy, and it was only late in the afternoon that the sun broke through the clouds for a few minutes.

I'm going to guess that Lagree has finally realized that the two have fallen in love, and she can't have THAT happen, now can she? 

Fairer-than-a-Fairy eagerly ran to the window, but in her haste she upset the basin, and spilt all the water with which she had carefully filled it overnight.

Wow. What a moment for that to happen. What are we going to do?

No other water was at hand except that in the two bottles. It was the only chance of seeing her lover before they were separated, and she did not hesitate to break the bottle and pour their contents into the basin, when the Rainbow appeared at once.

Um, uh oh! You're supposed to keep those safe, not break them! What's Lagree going to say when she gets home? She can't send you to Locrinos for this - and his wife can't get you out of this. Girly, girly!

Their farewells were full of tenderness; the Prince made the most ardent and sincere protestations, and promised to neglect nothing which might help to deliver his dear Fairer-than-a-Fairy from her captivity, and implored her to consent to their marriage as soon as they should both be free. The Princess, on her side, vowed to have no other husband, and declared herself willing to brave death itself in order to rejoin him.

Well, you haven't met any other fellows before in your life, but since you've taken the time to get to know each other and still want to marry each other, I'll give you my blessing. Only, I think, thanks to those broken bottles, you may be a bit closer to death than you'd like to be, FAR. (It takes to long to write out Fairer-than-a-Fairy, so I'm shortening it. I'm not sure what I'm going to do when I get to her book in actual Bookania.)

They were not allowed much time for their adieus; the Rainbow vanished, and the Princess, resolved to run all risks, started off at once, taking nothing with her but her dog, her cat, a sprig of myrtle, and the stone which the wife of Locrinos gave her.

I mean, not even this story cares to write out her name EVERY time. 

And ... girl, I think you probably should have taken some food with you as well. But I love the specifics of your list. I can understand your pets - and amused that they've come back into the story again, by usual fairy tale logic, their first mention should have been the last - and the stone, since you were told specifically that it might come in handy someday, but why in Bookania did you choose a sprig of MYRTLE?

When Lagree became aware of her prisoner's flight she was furious, and set off at full speed in pursuit. She overtook her just as the poor girl, overcome by fatigue, had lain down to rest in a cave which the stone had formed itself into to shelter her. The little dog who was watching her mistress promptly flew at Lagree and bit her so severely that she stumbled against a corner of the cave and broke off her only tooth.

And twelve more points for this fairy tale! The dog is actually USEFUL! 

Before she had recovered from the pain and rage this caused her, the Princess had time to escape, and was some way on her road. Fear gave her strength for some time, but at last she could go no further, and sank down to rest. As she did so, the sprig of myrtle she carried touched the ground, and immediately a green and shady bower sprang up round her, in which she hoped to sleep in peace.

I ... will confess that I forgot about this. So this was what the myrtle was for. But I'm still asking WHY did you take it, and HOW did it do this? There wasn't a Wood Child on hand, now is there? (And no, this is not the bit that inspired a scene in the Ankulen. I completely forgot this was in here. Keep reading, you won't miss it.)

But Lagree had not given up her pursuit, and arrived just as Fairer-than-a-Fairy had fallen fast asleep. This time she made sure of catching her victim, but the cat spied her out, and, springing from one of the boughs of the arbour she flew at Lagree's face and tore out her only eye, thus delivering the Princess for ever from her persecutor.

Twelve more points for a useful cat, and no points for Lagree. She blindly wandered off a cliff later that afternoon and put the world out of her misery - the fairy tale just fails to mention this.

One might have thought that all would now be well, but no sooner had Lagree been put to fight than our heroine was overwhelmed with hunger and thirst. 

Um ... wow. Return of the fairy tale logic here. She was going along great, and then suddenly - bam! - starving. This, FAR, this is why you should have brought food. Shade was great, but you can usually find that anywhere (Just ask Jonah where to find the nearest gourd), food's a bit more tricky.

She felt as though she should certainly expire, and it was with some difficulty that she dragged herself as far as a pretty little green and white house, which stood at no great distance. Here she was received by a beautiful lady dressed in green and white to match the house, which apparently belonged to her, and of which she seemed the only inhabitant.

Strange and convenient, but this a Fairy Tale, so I'll accept it.

She greeted the fainting Princess most kindly, gave her an excellent supper, and after a long night's rest in a delightful bed told her that after many troubles she should finally attain her desire.

Because women who like to dress to match their house always KNOW things like that. Fairy tale rule. 

As the green and white lady took leave of the Princess she gave her a nut, desiring her only to open it in the most urgent need.

It's a walnut, by the way.

After a long and tiring journey Fairer-than-a-Fairy was once more received in a house, and by a lady exactly like the one she had quitted. Here again she received a present with the same injunctions, but instead of a nut this lady gave her a golden pomegranate.

A second one of these ladies? Watch, there'll be a third.

The mournful Princess had to continue her weary way, and after many troubles and hardships she again found rest and shelter in a third house exactly similar to the two others.

How did I know?

And I really like this phrasing here - exactly similar. Does this mean it was identical, except a different size? Sorry, math nerd runs strong in my family.

These houses belonged to three sisters, all endowed with fairy gifts, and all so alike in mind and person that they wished their houses and garments to be equally alike. Their occupation consisted in helping those in misfortune, and they were as gentle and benevolent as Lagree had been cruel and spiteful.

And - backstory! I likey! I would have appreciated a bit more - such as WHO ARE THESE WOMEN??? - but I'll take it. (Aaactualllly ... I have a theory, but it's Bookania related, and pertains to some information you guys don't have yet, so can't tell you.)

The third Fairy comforted the poor traveller, begged her not to lose heart, and assured her that her troubles should be rewarded.

Don't give up, dear princess! You'll find your Rainbow. 

Somewhere over the rainbow, dreams come true ... wait, wrong story here. Moving on.

She accompanied her advice by the gift of a crystal smelling-bottle, with strict orders only to open it in case of urgent need. Fairer-than- a-Fairy thanked her warmly, and resumed her way cheered by pleasant thoughts.

Not food this time? Well, they do have to have their differences, I guess.

After a time her road led through a wood, full of soft airs and sweet odours, and before she had gone a hundred yards she saw a wonderful silver Castle suspended by strong silver chains to four of the largest trees. It was so perfectly hung that a gentle breeze rocked it sufficiently to send you pleasantly to sleep.

Just the normal, everyday occurrence here in fairy tales. Floating castles, flying castles, and now swinging castles. 

Fairer-than-a-Fairy felt a strong desire to enter this Castle, but besides being hung a little above the ground there seemed to be neither doors nor windows. She had no doubt (though really I cannot think why) that the moment had come in which to use the nut which had been given her.

I really cannot think why, either, other than the fact that I've read this fairy tale a hundred times and happen to know that this castle IS Rainbow's enchantment.

She opened it, and out came a diminutive hall porter at whose belt hung a tiny chain, at the end of which was a golden key half as long as the smallest pin you ever saw.

A hall porter ... you mean a PERSON was inside that walnut? This tale is now venturing into the weird department.

The Princess climbed up one of the silver chains, holding in her hand the little porter who, in spite of his minute size, opened a secret door with his golden key and let her in.

Hang on ... aren't the chains hanging from the trees and attached to the castle? Mental image not computing here ... but ah, well, moving on.

She entered a magnificent room which appeared to occupy the entire Castle, and which was lighted by gold and jewelled stars in the ceiling. In the midst of this room stood a couch, draped with curtains of all the colours of the rainbow, and suspended by golden cords so that it swayed with the Castle in a manner which rocked its occupant delightfully to sleep.
Via Pinterest

And RAINBOW ROSES. Sorry, don't mind me. 

On this elegant couch lay Prince Rainbow, looking more beautiful than ever, and sunk in profound slumber, in which he had been held ever since his disappearance.

I'm not sure how she knows this is Prince Rainbow, because she's only ever heard his voice, and he's not talking right now. Must be the roses - I mean curtains. 

Fairy-than-a-Fairy, who now saw him for the first time in his real shape, hardly dared to gaze at him, fearing lest his appearance might not be in keeping with the voice and language which had won her heart. At the same time she could not help feeling rather hurt at the apparent indifference with which she was received.

Well, it's an enchanted sleep, so of course he's not going to pay attention to you. You have to kiss him. True love's first kiss and all that.

She related all the dangers and difficulties she had gone through, and though she repeated the story twenty times in a loud clear voice, the Prince slept on and took no heed. She then had recourse to the golden pomegranate, and on opening it found that all the seeds were as many little violins which flew up in the vaulted roof and at once began playing melodiously.

Or maybe not true love's first kiss. 

The Prince was not completely roused, but he opened his eyes a little and looked all the handsomer.

Now's the time to kiss him.

Impatient at not being recognised, Fairer-than-a-Fairy now drew out her third present, and on opening the crystal scent-bottle a little syren flew out, who silenced the violins and then sang close to the Prince's ear the story of all his lady love had suffered in her search for him. She added some gentle reproaches to her tale, but before she had got far he was wide awake, and transported with joy threw himself at the Princess's feet.

You just have to love the logic of these gifts in this fairy tale.

At the same moment the walls of the room expanded and opened out, revealing a golden throne covered with jewels. A magnificent Court now began to assemble, and at the same time several elegant carriages filled with ladies in magnificent dresses drove up. In the first and most splendid of these carriages sat Prince Rainbow's mother. She fondly embraced her son, after which she informed him that his father had been dead for some years, that the anger of the Fairies was at length appeased, and that he might return in peace to reign over his people, who were longing for his presence.

And he can be a Reignbow. 

Sorry.

The Court received the new King with joyful acclamations which would have delighted him at any other time, but all his thoughts were full of Fairer-than-a-Fairy. He was just about to present her to his mother and the Court, feeling sure that her charms would win all hearts, when the three green and white sisters appeared.

Cue dramatic music.

They declared the secret of Fairy-than-a-Fairy's royal birth, and the Queen taking the two lovers in her carriage set off with them for the capital of the kingdom.

Now are they going to declare their own identities? Wait, the fairy tale's almost over. Guess not.

Here they were received with tumultuous joy. The wedding was celebrated without delay, and succeeding years diminished neither the virtues, beauty, nor the mutual affection of King Rainbow and his Queen, Fairer-than-a-Fairy.

And they had, at last, their true love's first kiss.

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

About Clara

To kick off the promotion process for Water Princess, Fire Prince, I'm going to talk about the lead lady, the Water Princess herself. Clara. I've talked about her before, her relationship with Andrew, Encountered her, and had a Sleepover. Some of this information isn't in the books, but is part of the list of "twenty things you know about your character that most people will probably never find out.

Via Pinterest

While I won't go as far as to say that she inspired the book, it was the idea of her. The idea of a girl who, while swimming, suddenly found herself under a waterfall, the prophesied Waterfall Princess, the hero who would save the people from ... I actually wasn't sure of this yet. Initially, she was me.

It wasn't until I decided to add this story to my Rizkaland universe that her character began to click into place, or that I even decided on a name for her.

I chose the name Clara because of my love for the Nutcracker. I didn't have any other characters by that name yet (I've since acquired a second, but she's a topic for another day), and it just really fit the idea of Water Princess. Her middle name, which actually isn't revealed in the book, is Lynn. Put together, her names mean "Clear Waterfall" which I thought especially fitting.

Clara is a complicated person, and not exactly the first thing you'd think of when you hear the word "Water Princess." She's an only child, however, she spends so much time with her two best friends and their siblings (one has an older brother, the other, two younger ones), they're practically siblings. Their parents co-own a fitness center of sorts, where the six hang out pretty much all day. They're homeschooled, almost unschooled, with each of the parents contributing what they can to the kids' education, both physical and mental. Some subjects, such as math and science, are done online. Clara's mother teaches fencing at the center, her dad, tae quon do.

Basically, Clara as a kid:
(And also my first-evah gif.)
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Her dad describes her as a kinetic genius. She's highly flexible, has quick reflexes, and is much stronger than she looks. She has an athletic build, but she's also rather small, a half-inch shy of five foot, slender, and mostly muscle. Even at sixteen, it is possible to mistake her for a boy. She has blond hair she keeps chin-length for swim, and almond-shaped blue eyes due to the fact that she's one-quarter Chinese (from her dad's side.)

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She hates to be idle, and if she isn't moving, she's probably reading. She's a huge fan of the classics (hence the fact that I gave her her own blog where she can review them, though I don't post there as often as I should like), not so much of modern books. She loves throwing quotes into everyday conversations, especially when she's very annoyed and not in the mood to give straight answers.

And she's a cat person. She owns a gray tabby named Cheshire.

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Like all good characters, Clara's not perfect. If you cut down to the core of her character, she's terribly afraid of failing those she loves, which is why she pushes herself to be the best. She's also very careful with who she trusts. Upon first arriving in Klarand, and learning that she's the Water Princess and that she's supposed to fight a dragon, she denies her ability to fight, not because she's scared, but because she doesn't trust this world she's been thrust into. Its not until she comes to love the people of Klarand that she fears the Dragon, because now she doesn't want to let the people down.

Like water, she adapts well to various situations, though she will protest things that don't fit with her preconceived notion of her life (such as romance at sixteen - she had planned to wait until after she competed at the Olympics for that). However, I think a storm would describe her best. She has a lot of energy, a lot of drive, and woe to those who try to get in her way.

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So that's Clara. And, for the record, she doesn't like me. I'm not sure why, but it may have something to do with Andrew. More on that later.

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Monday, March 2, 2015

Character Encounters - March 2015

Okay, Character Encounter time again.

First of all, before we move onto our regular programming, I am looking for Beta readers for part one of Water Princess, Fire Prince, details and sign-up form here. So far, only three people have signed up (and one of them's my sister, and I'm not sure she counts), and I'd like to have more people read at least this section. I'm almost done with my personal edits, and hope it out later today or tomorrow.

Now, onto your Character Encounter location. This one's really fun, and I can't wait to see what all of you do with it. (Provided you guys join in. I've been feeling rather lonely of late)


Your choice!

That's right, folks. Since I'm rather brain-dead from editing, writing, and book-releasing, I'm just going to turn you loose with a free range. You can choose from any location from a past CE link-up, and encounter your character there. Here's a list!

For a bonus level, try encountering a character you've encountered before, but in a new location! And, if you feel the urge to do multiple encounters while you have the power of choice, have fun. I won't stop you. Just deposit all of your links below!