LET'S GET THE PARTY STARTED!!!

I can't believe that this day has finally come.

If you had told my eleven-year-old self that my new baby of an idea would never actually be performed as a play, I probably would have been devastated. Learning that instead, I would completely rework the idea so that it was almost unrecognizable and publish it as a 500-page epic ... probably would have felt like a mere consolation prize.

But that was ten years ago, and right now, I'm pretty happy with the idea. I'd still love to see it produced as a movie, but I'm quite happy with my consolation prize.

Ah, the journey that this story has been!

From that first notebook where I thought it'd be fun to not use Character tags and just color code everyone instead. The notebook where Ashna ran out of nowhere declaring that she believed Petra. The draft I later threw away because I was stupid.

The hesitant notebooks where I experimented with new ideas - including one where Petra and Lulu went to Arcaland (what we called Rizkaland back then) together. Notebooks that must have also been thrown away, because I have no idea where they are.

The story games that my sister and I did, including the one where we threw all our stuffed animals in laundry baskets and flew to the ... I don't remember what we'd named the place at the time, but it was the equivalent of the stone table. I don't know if we'd graduated to the Iron Nouse by that point or not.

The oldest draft that I still own, the one that made it half-way through the second act (it was a three-act play), before my mother told me that I needed to distance the story from Narnia, and I went on a Narnia AND Arcaland for nearly six months where a read a slew of other great fantasy novels. Can't remember what they were, though, outside of the Secrets of Droon series.

The first draft that I finally finished, the draft where winter became summer, and the witch became a dragon. The last draft with the iron nouse before I decided THAT was too close to Narnia.

The last draft with the all-girl cast, the draft where Amber finally received a name. I think this was the draft where Susie's name changed to Summer, and Lulu to Louise. Might have been the previous draft, though.

The draft where I added the love interests, who were little more than hunks of cardboard. The draft where Ashna and Petra went from best friends to ... not. The draft where I realized that I'd made the story far too complicated and it had gravitated so far from the original concept that turning the story back into a book would probably be my best option.

That first story draft. Which started out as a straight-up adaptation of the script, but then plot twists started happening and by the time I was done, it was a huge mess and I knew that the only I had for it was a rewrite.

The computer draft that made it about half-way before I randomly deleted it.

The other computer attempts that never made it out of the first chapter.

The roleplay where I let Amber win.

The notebook draft where I finally began the story in earnest after five years of semi-hiatus. I didn't finish this draft, but I did learn some things about certain characters that made writing the final draft so much easier.

And finally, that final draft. It had its ups, its downs, and I even pulled an allnighter trying to get through part 2. I laughed, I nearly cried. I brought together a group of beta readers who were just so encouraging.

And now we've come to the release. And ... I still can't believe that the day has come.

Excuse me while I go scream.

Kindle
Paperback - Yes, it's out. And get it now while it's $14.99, because after the tour is over, it'll go up to $19.99 because it's a big book and I can't put it in the Expanded distribution otherwise.

Check out my stops on the tour:

Interviews:

Thoughts of Anna S. Brie - Me

Elvish Pens, Fantastic Writings - Summer

Reviews:

Sutori no Hana

Other:

Ketura's Korner - Review and Author Interview

Oh, and Water Princess, Fire Prince is currently free on kindle and will be so until Sunday. So grab your copy and tell your friends to grab theirs. And if you'd like to leave a review when you're done, I'd be much obliged.

I'm doing a giveaway, as per normal for a tour. Prize is an autographed copy of LDTD, a 2.5 oz bottle of Citrus Bliss Lotion - my favorite lotion that smells like citrus and vanilla - and a Serenity Bath Bar - which smells like lavender and vanilla and is awesome for relaxing before bed. Giveaway is US ONLY, however. Sorry about that, but ... shipping.

I'm also doing a comment giveaway. The person who leaves the most comments on the blog tour posts - including the interviews, reviews, and guest posts - and my back posts with the Lady Dragon Tela Du or Rizkaland Legend lables will get a sneak peak at either book three or Worth of a King. Possibly both. I'm generous. This giveaway is international, because there is no shipping. (Well, there may be shipping, on your end, once you get the book, but I don't have to pay for it.)

So start commenting!

a Rafflecopter giveaway