Clara pulled out a chair and sat down across from her fellow character. "Well, Petra, the day has come at last."
"It was Wednesday, actually," said Petra, glancing up from her book. "But yes, I suppose it has."
"They say that your book is better than mine," Clara continued.
"Kendra did take a few more years to develop my story," Petra pointed out. "She poured her heart and soul into it, while yours was merely a prequel to introduce people to the world." She shut the book. "So what do you need of me, Water Princess?"
Clara shrugged. "Frankly? Nothing. Kendra shoved me into the room and told me that I have to talk to you."
"Ah," said Petra. "Yes, it's hard to believe that after all these years of change in Kendra's head, it's good to finally be released into the hands of readers."
Clara scowled. "What make you say that? We're now where everyone can judge us. Have you seen some of the nasty reviews that my book have received? They say that I'm rude and unappreciative of the people around me!"
"You can have a very abrasive personality," answered Petra. "I can see how people could get that impression."
"I'd been thrust into another world against my will, people there seemed to expect things of me, and I hadn't any idea if I could trust anyone or not!" Clara exclaimed. "And then the Andrew incident..."
"Mm, I suppose I acted little better," Petra admitted. "But I had Reuben with me, and you were on your own."
"And you already knew Reuben," said Clara. "Andrew and I were strangers." She shrugged. "I'm sure readers will find stuff to nitpick on your story, too. Just you wait and see."
"Of course," said Petra, giving a small smile. "I've found some nitpicks of my own that Kendra ignores me on. Still, it's nice to have the story done and complete. Kendra won't bother it anymore. She'll move on to the next project."
"The next project being the next book in the series which is about both of us," said Clara. "I hear tell that it's based on the plot of the old book 5. Do you remember that story?"
Petra drew back. "Unfortunately, yes," she admitted. "Still, I think that after our years in Rizkaland, we can handle anything, yes?"
"I wish I had that confidence. But we could have a worse author. At least Kendra isn't sadistic and insistent on killing characters off every other chapter."
"That is a wise way of looking at things," said Petra. She stood and offered her hand to Clara. "I look forward to facing the plot of the next story together with you."
Clara stood and accepted the offered hand. "The same to you. You seem like a good ally."
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:
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.) Comments on AA posts with the Lady Dragon Tela Du tag also count. (The AA is my extra blog where I post snippets and in-between bits about my characters that have spoilers. It's member only, but if you'll email me telling me that you've read the three Bookanias or at least Water Princess, Fire Prince, I'll add you to the access list.) And I decided yesterday that I'll also count any and all speculations about future Rizkaland and the connecting stories posted on this thread on Goodreads during the the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Those two together - wow. Maybe Clara would have reacted differently had she known she'd be in a book and have readers. ;)
ReplyDeleteAnd, then again, maybe not ... given her choice words for the thought in part 3.
DeleteTrue.
DeleteI'm looking forward to seeing Petra and Clara together . . . but what I'm looking forward to more is seeing how Clara and Andrew and co. react to the results of LDTD. That's going to be verrrrrry interesting.
ReplyDeleteEspecially when Andrew gets to ask a question that has been bothering him. Now that was a fun scene to write.
DeleteOh, good point! The Lady Dragon... :)
DeleteAnd Mom ... who has enjoyed daily (hourly) glimpses into her daughter's unique insanity and has a clue or two about the "next dozen projects" ... can't wait for the rest of the world to see where this plot leads. :)
ReplyDeleteI like this. Really like it. I had never thought of offending Clara by praising LDTD. But only WPFP's review starts with, "This is my new favourite book."
ReplyDeleteBut they still get on fairly well it seems. And they must get through book 3. They will. And it will end happily. I'm holding you to that promise.
Eh, she ain't offended. She's too annoyed with the fact that there IS a book about her to be concerned with people's opinions on it.
DeleteBesides I was never one of the people who complained about Clara.
DeleteAlso maybe it's safer to not let our character know that they are in books. Then they can't complain.
I love how you do these interviews between your characters. They're so much fun to read. :)
ReplyDeleteClara dear, I think what people fail to realize (yours truly included, sadly) is that yours is only the *first* book in a series. The first part of anything is always a little precarious. It's the setup for the whole rest of the story--the first step in the journey.
ReplyDeleteI remember my family's reaction to Episode 1 of the Star Wars Prequels. It seemed flat, shallow, and didn't seem to fit with the Classic Trilogy we grew up with (not that your story was shallow in any way--quite the contrary). But once we saw the other two episodes, the first one gained the depth it had lacked at first because we could see how things in Episode 1 led up to events later in the series.
I've a feeling it'll be the same with your story (and others')--right now, we readers don't know what will happen next--there are still questions and mysteries. But as we read more about you-all and about Rizkaland, we'll begin to see how it all fits together...and I'm sure we'll see you and your friends grow and mature as Characters. And I for one look forward to it. :-)
(And if it makes you feel any better, I found you much easier to relate to than I initially thought. It'll be interesting to see how you grow, and how you and Petra work together....)
(And I don't know why I addressed this to Clara, but I just felt like I needed to. ;-))
~R~