Amber's Castle Q&A - Part 2

Last one of these! I just want to say that I am now opening the floor back up on the Goodreads Group for you guys to ask the characters whatever you'd like. The characters of LDTD, that is, though I would be willing to answer questions for Clara, Andrew, The Leaf Princess, The Wind Prince, and their parents. But none of the Klaranders of book 1. Sorry.

If you're not on Goodreads, you can email me the questions. I haven't decided yet on your deadline, and while there will be a random giveaway, I haven't decided what the prize should be yet.

"Amber," I say, shuffling through my cards again. "Anna would like to know what you do to keep yourself from getting bored."

"I incline myself to study," she answers. "If one is learning, one can never be bored, and there is never an end to learning. Even after six thousand years, there is always something new for me to learn - something is always surprising me. When I'm not learning, I'm recording what I've learned into the books in my library."

"I suppose that's ... productive of you," I admit, deciding to not comment on some of her methods of study. "Laura, Alyssa would like to know, outside of never settling down, what is the hardest part of being the Doorkeeper?"

Laura tilted her head to the side. "Never settling down is far from the worst part of my job - because if I want to settle, I can, then move on again when I'm ready. No, the hardest part is the expectation. I have so much resting on me because of my powers. There's so much resting on me. I must not abuse it ... even though it is so tempting some days. And then there's the knowing things. Knowing how things are going to happen, but not being allowed to tell anyone. Not being allowed to change anything."

"Sarah Taleweaver would like to know if you've ever tried to change an event by changing the events that lead up to it," I ask.

She ducks her head, quiet for a long moment. "That is a question, isn't it," she whispers. She shakes her head. "It's not a power I possess. Not on my own. Though I have oft desired it, I have never done it."

"I see," I shuffle through my notes. "Amber, Alyssa would like to know, on a scale of one to ten, how much it bothers you that Granite doesn't support your actions 101%."

Amber narrows her eyes at her husband. He leans forward, holding her gaze unflinching, and for that, I have the deepest respect for him.

She finally breaks away and turns to me with a lift of her chin. "Marriage does not mean the exclusion of disagreement. I'd be more worried if he never questioned my actions."

Granite leans back, folding his arms over his chest with a disappointed shake of his head.

"Good point," I say, even though I, too, am discouraged by her self-delusion. "Laura, Amanda would like to know which is your favorite world."

"I think I've answered this one a couple times already, but I suppose I can answer it again," Laura tilts her head to the side. "I fall in love with almost every world I step foot in, but my journey began on Earth, and thus it has a special place in my heart."

"Sarah Taleweaver would like to know your least favorite world."

Laura shakes her head. "I don't think I have one. Every world has its own charm, own beauty, and every world has its own dangers and ... things that I'd rather change. There is no world that I could possible label my least favorite."

"You certainly didn't visit Lintooalintae as often," Amber pointed out.

"Not for any lack of love, though," Laura shook her head. "There aren't as many doors that lead there."

"Amber, Mnm would like to know if you hate Laura or not." I tilt my head to the side.

Amber's eyes narrow again. "Hate is a very strong word."

"You definitely harbor resentment, though," I point out.

Amber glances towards Laura. "She flits in and out, never facing problems or difficulties. She teases us with her knowledge of the future, she knows what is to come, but never does anything about it. Never tries to fix problems before they happen."

"I see the problems, yes, but I also see their solution," Laura inserts. "But changing things, I would only create new problems, problems that I cannot possibly know how to resolve."

"And there she goes, making excuses."

I decide that we're not going to get any straighter answer than that from Amber. "Laura, Abby would like to know if you would choose to stop being the Doorkeeper, if you could."

Laura shakes her head. "Even with the pain it brings me, I wouldn't trade who I am for anything. I get to see the worlds in ways that no one else can. There's a rush to it that I can't give up."

She receives another narrow look from Amber.

"Granite, Mnm would like to know if you like Laura," I ask.

He raises an eyebrow. "She's the closest thing I had to a mother. Apart from Amber, she's the only one who I know will be here for all my life. I'd be massively ungrateful, and a fool, if I didn't like her."

He gives Amber a pointed look.

"Laura, Morgan would like to know if you ever desire a traveling companion."

"Frequently," she admits. She tilts her head to the side. "There ... is a person who could have traveled with me, had she wished it. She can change time - she can see the possiblities in ways that I cannot, but she chose ignominy. She chose a normal life. She says it's better this way, but ... I suppose she's right. She usually is. I can visit her, sometimes she'll go somewhere with me. I visit lots of people, people who keep me grounded. Keep me mortal. These two are among them." She nods towards Amber and Granite.

"She'd also like to know if you've ever seen Doctor Who and have noted the parallels between it and you."

"I have traveled with the Doctor a few times. He's an interesting fellow no matter his face." She tilts her head to the side. "Has a bit of a big head, he does, but not as big as the TARDIS has. She's jealous of me, I will admit. Parallels? Well, time travel, doing things out of order. I suppose that's a thing."

"Amanda would like to know who is the most interesting person you've ever met."

A grin spreads across Laura's face. "There's only one Person who can claim that title. I've met Him in many worlds and shall meet Him again in many more, and He shall never cease to amaze me. I've known Him by many names, names for many languages and peoples. God's Son, made flesh, sent to save the created by shedding His own blood. Ah, but that's a terrible moment, terrible and beautiful. No, there cannot be anyone more interesting than Him."

"No, there cannot be," I agree, for though my experience has been far more finite than hers, I know she speaks the truth. "Final question, for Amber, and then I shall go. Morgan would like to know if you ever regret the bad things that you've done."

Amber glances away. "Of course I do. I've lived six thousand years. I have gathered many regrets. But when you've lived six thousand years, you learn that you have to move forward and focus on making the future better, rather than fretting over the mistakes of the past."

If she only she wasn't so self-deluded.

"Thank you for your time, your majesties," I say, standing. "Perhaps I shall see you again, given time."

Amber's Castle Q&A - Part 1

Next to last of these! Would you guys like me to open up the floor for questions for the LDTD crew, once I finish? Or save that for later?

Oh, and please consider signing up for the blog tour for our Three Sleeping Beauty Retellings, and supporting our Thunderclap for it.

I admit it, I'm a bit apprehensive as Laura leads me through the twisting halls of Amber's castle. Sure, Laura has promised that Amber won't do anything to me, but niggling doubt still clings. I clutch my stack of questions tightly, hoping desperately that none are bad enough to make her want to add me to her collection of melted ice statues.

We end up in the dining hall, where Granite is waiting at the table. A feast has already been summoned, and I suspect that it was of Laura's doing, based on the spread.

"You can go ahead and sit down, perhaps ask Granite a few of the more sensitive questions while I fetch Amber," Laura tells me, and then she slips out the door.

I sigh and sit down across from the Dragon's husband. "Sarah Taleweaver would like to know if you realized it when Amber started turning towards evil or if you didn't notice until it was too late."

"You're starting with the difficult ones," Granite observed.

I shrug a bit but nod. "Best to get them out of the way, before Amber joins us."

He nods, the corners of his mouth turning up grimly. "I knew even as she first took up the scale that it would lead her to nothing but trouble. I had hoped that she'd be strong enough to resist, but even that first moment was too late." He gives a frustrated sigh. "I slew that terrible dragon myself, and had thought that I'd ussured in a time of peace and prosperity for Rizkaland - but I just exchanged a thorn in my side for a thorn in my heart."

I glance down, shuffling through my stack of cards. "Morgan would like to know if is hard to stay faithful to her when she's so evil."

He doesn't answer immediately, but the muscles in his jaw tightened. Finally, he shook his head. "She is my wife. I am bound to her. It doesn't make things easy, but I really have nowhere else to go. Nowhere else that I'd rather be. I just wish that she'd listen to me."

"Don't we all." I pull out another card, then frown and decide to combine it with another to save time, as I'm sure it won't take Laura too much longer to show up. "Amanda wants to know if you're okay being tied to Amber's immortality. If you think that the Tela Du will win the Final War, are you okay with dying, too? Alyssa would like to know what you think of the Tela Du."

"I think that she's a young lady with her work cut out for her," Granite answers, heavily. He shakes his head. "I can't imagine life without Amber. Corrupted though she may be, she is my wife, and I love her. It's not my death that I fear, it's hers, but they must come together."

Before I can press him with further questions, the door opens and Laura races in and takes her seat next to Granite. Amber sweeps in a moment later, eyes narrowing as they land on me.

"My eyes are blue, not brown, I'm not the Tela Du," I inform her. "I'm a historian here to ask a few questions."

Her eyebrow flickers, and her narrow gaze turns towards Laura. "I see."

"I know you aren't the fondest of historians," I insert, "but that is why I'm coming directly to you. To ask questions so that I may have your story. These questions are provided by the readers of one of my books, about the Water Princess and Fire Prince."

"Very well." With practiced flair, Amber takes her seat at the head of the table. "Ask away."

I take a deep breath and shuffle through my cards. "Amanda would like to know how old you were when you first became queen."

"I was sixteen when I slew my mother and took her throne," Amber answered. "As evidenced by the fact that my age is now frozen at sixteen."

I nod. "On that note, she also wants to know when was the last time you saw your birth mother."

"When I plunged my knife into her heart and took on her immortality," Amber answered. "Jade was a wicked woman, though, and it was time for her life to end."

"Mm," I say, for I happen to know a few things about the situation that Amber doesn't. "Ooh, question for Laura. Sarah Taleweaver wants to know what would happen if two of you were in a room together. She thinks time would collapse. And she asks, if it's safe, if you ever have?"

Laura tilted her head to the side. "I think she's already had this question answered for her in Lady Dragon, Tela Du."

"She has, but at the time of her asking ... I hadn't finished writing that. I've been ... slow with getting these posts written."

"I was late with getting you here," Laura counters. "But, to the question. It's perfectly safe, I've done it thousands of times, and the world is still intact. She's watched too much Doctor Who. To be honest, it's the TARDIS energy that makes interacting with yourself dangerous, not the actual interaction."

"I see. On that note, Abby would like to know if you prefer being the child or mentor to yourself."

Laura tilted her head to the side. "Mentor," she admits, "since we're talking about when I'm interacting with myself. I always prefer the second time through - I feel less pressure, even though I admit that there is usually far more on me that second time. But, on the second time, I know how everything will turn out. I don't have to worry about messing things up."

"Amber, one for you - Alyssa would like to know where you consider your home?"

"This castle," Amber answers automatically. "It has traveled with me through every world I have lived in - I am bound to it. It is my home."

"Granite, how about a more cheerful one for you? Sarah Taleweaver would like to know how you and Amber met."

Granite tilts his head to the side as he stared at his wife. "I can't remember a time when I didn't know her. My parents chose me at her birth for her future husband, and I was raised alongside her."

"Who were your parents?" I decide to ask a question of my own.

Granite shakes his head. "I was never told. My past was never important, only my future."

"I see. Amanda would like to know what made you fall in love with Amber, while Mnm would like to know if she fell in love first, or vice versa."

"She used a love potion on me," he answered. "Though she claims it wore off, I'm not convinced."

Amber rolled her eyes a bit. "It wasn't actually a real love potion, though that is how Laura described it when she gave it to me for my sixteenth birthday. It only acted on already-existing feelings."

"Yeah, but you didn't know that when you gave it to him," said Laura, tilting her head to the side.

"No thanks to you. You merely told me that the people of Milia used it as a love potion, but that it didn't always work. I gave it to Granite to test it since I already knew that I would marry him. I ... hardly expected the reaction I got out of him."

"I ... really acted the fool," Granite admits.

"Honestly, no worse than I've ever seen you since," Amber counters. "I will admit that it terrified me a bit, until Laura told me the truth about the potion. And you were thoroughly embarrassed when it did finally wear off. I won't say that that was how we fell in love, though, merely how we realized it."

"Oh, it totally was," Granite argues. "You pushed me off the cliff and I dragged you down with me."

She gives him a small smile, and I see, for a moment, the old Granite and Amber, before she was corrupted by the scale. But then her eyes harden and she turns back to me.

"So, any other questions?"

To be continued...

Q&A In the Kastle - Part 2

Hello, folks! I am back on the writing scene! 

As you may know, my computer died last Tuesday, while I was away doing Christmas shopping. I've been expecting it to do something of the sort for some time now, since it's been limping along for about two years. In fact, I've been amazed that it's lasted me this long.

However, I was a bit upset by its death, as it was not great timing for me. Then I nearly lost my Garmin Watch (it's a miracle that I found it again, though I'm frankly not sure how it got off of my wrist in the first place, because it's never done that before. I blame my long sleeves.)

So my aunt told me that if I could get a Best Buy card, I could buy a new computer through them, and have eighteen months interest-free to pay it off. She's bought computers that way for all of her kids and loves doing business with them. She sent me to the website to look around and get an idea of what I wanted.

The first computer I saw was a 2-in-1 laptop that folds into a tablet, normally $800 but on sale for $600. Looking around at the specs, it further confirmed itself as the computer I always wanted (I'm not joking, I've been wanting a 2-in-1 since I found out about them), as it also had a terabyte harddrive and ran on a i5 processor. Sending it to my computer-savvy uncle, he said that I was unlikely to get a better computer for a better price.

Unfortunately, my credit was not approved, but the did allow my aunt to use my income to extend her credit and we bought it that way. So now I have a REALLY nice computer.

Her name is Angelica.

And I owe my aunt a lot of money, so if you guys could pretty please buy my books?????

Onto the Q&A. Beware spoilers for WPFP.

"All right! Time for more questions!" I announce. "Jasmine, we'll start with you. Mnm would like to know if you've gotten to know your hero any better. She doesn't specify who the hero is, beyond *AhemyouknowwhoImean,* so I shall assume that she's referring to Karlos."

Jasmine wrinkles her nose. "Oh, right, because I called him my hero when he knocked me off of the cliff and then joined me down there to keep my company." She gives a heavy a sigh. "Unfortunately, they sent him back to the Lower Kastle once the Hills were working again and I have to stay with the Water Princess, and I've thus barely seen him since."

"And, Karlos, Mnm would like to know what you think of being her hero?"

Karlos glances her direction. "Since it made her feel safer after I knocked her off of the cliff, and I'm really sorry about that one, I guess it's okay. I don't deserve to be her hero, though, since it's my fault that she fell off of the cliff and all. The Fire Prince was the one who rescued her, you know."

"And Jill Anna, Mnm would like to know what you think of your sister's hero?"

Jill Anna glances towards Karlos. "He's a bright, clever young man. She could have worse friends. And ... should this develop into a crush ... well, it's not as hopeless as me and Jakob, since as maid to the Water Princess, Jasmine's rank is higher than mine, and as Karlos is not a Lor'Son. Still, I wouldn't encourage her. She's highly romantic and gets way too many silly ideas as it is."

I laugh. "And while we're on the subject of siblings approving potential love interests, Essua, Anna would like to know if you've met her and if so, what you think of her."

Essua leans back and stares at the former Bugslayer for the longest moment. "I've had the honor of meeting her, yes. Had her sew a bit for me, back in the day. I'm Jakob's sister, you know, and as such, it wasn't hard for me to figure out who he liked. I had a fair idea that she liked him back, and told him as much, but he's a stubborn idiot. I'm just glad to see that the Water Princess finished the job I started. They're sickeningly cute together."

"You are aware that I may use this against you someday when you finally find someone," Jakob points out.

"Who would put up with me?" asks Essua, eyes sparkling. "The Water Princess already took the Fire Prince."

"I'm sure there's someone out there."

"Moving on," I say. "Abraham, Mnm would like to know if Karlos is your only son."

"He is," Abraham admits. "Although I also have a daughter, Iska, who shall be turning six in a month or so. She is my heir, though, since Karlos's mother died before I became the Lord."

I nod. "And, on that note, Alyssa would like to know what is the hardest part of being the Lord of Lower Klarand and if there are any perks."

Abraham sighs, glancing away. "The hardest part? I can name a number of things - the people looking to me to keep them safe and to give them guidance. Having to do it all alone for the first ten years since Amber's presence had divided our land - no one is meant to rule alone here in Rizkaland. Having to take a second wife so soon after I lost Hannah because Lower Klarand needed a Lady. But there are perks, too, I'll admit. I get to live in a castle, after all, and I'm not required to do any cleaning."

I laugh a bit. "Yeah, you have servants for that. You merely need to clean up the bigger problems. Now, Jakob, Mnm would like to know what you thought of the Fire Prince when you met him."

Jakob leaned back with a chuckle. "My initial thought? He managed to intimidate the Water Princess ... but looked as helpless as a baby Rikki when it came to dealing with her. I figured he'd come around and figure it out sooner or later, though. Which he has. And I think he still intimidates her, sometimes."

"Jill Anna, Tom Wildrose would like to know if you've ever turned your hand to embroidery or if your skill is strictly for construction."

"I have done embroidery work," she admits, "but since embroidery is considered acceptible work for ladies of rank, most of them do their own, so my skill is mostly geared towards constructing the garments quickly and sturdily."

"And Mnm would like to know how old you are," I add.

"I'm seventeen," she answers. "Just turned, though. I was sixteen during the events of the book."

"And, she has the same question for Kiona and Stephan," I continue. "How old are the both of you?"

"I'm eighteen and Stephan is twenty," Kiona answers. "Or, at least, we think he's twenty. He has no memory of his life before my father rescued him. It's a bit frustrating for him, but I rarely hear him complain. That may have more to do with the fact that I rarely hear him say much of anything, though."

"That is likely the case," I admit, with a raised brow. "And on that note, Alyssa would like to know what's the hardest part of being a couple when only one of you can talk and if there are any perks."

She leaned back, frowning. "Stephan and I have developed a bit of a sign language, and we've known each other so long, I can usually read him anyway. And he can talk, he just doesn't like to. I guess the hardest part is guilt when I make him use it because I'm not paying attention to him." She glanced his way. "But as for perks, it means that I can do all the talking for both of us. People say I do a very good job of that."

"I suppose you do," I admit. "Now, one final question and it's for Karlos - Anna would like to know if you have many friends back at the Kastle."

"Well, I have a few, but I'm not sure if they're really friends," he admits. "I'm in a really weird position - the son of the Lord, but not a Lor'Son. I don't really have a rank, so people don't know what to do with me." He shrugged. "I'm used to it, though."

"Well, hopefully, you won't be friendless forever," I say, glancing towards Jasmine. "Now, that's all of the questions, so I'm off to Amber's castle to ask her some. Wish me luck!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yep. One more stop to ask questions of Laura, Granite, and Amber. It'll actually be set during Part 1 of LDTD, so, yes, exciting!

Also, I'm trying to decide what Christmas story to write for my Newsletter (which, if you aren't subscribed to yet, the sign-up box on the side of my page. The one that asks for your name, mind you, the other is to get this blog emailed to you). I have a couple ideas, but have decided to put it to a vote. Please comment below with your favorite(s) of the following:

1. Bookania story featuring Robin and Eric as children.
2. Ankulen story featuring Jen's childhood and Christmas in her imagination.
3. Ankulen story featuring Derek and Megan's first Christmas with Jen.
4. Rizkaland story featuring Clara and Andrew's backstory.
5. Rizkaland story featuring Reutra backstory.
6. Rizkaland story featuring Clarand's first "Christmas/New Year" in Rizkaland. Well, technically second, but they didn't really celebrate the first one. It's also their first anniversary, though.
7. HaV Academy story featuring Roxanne, Riley, and William as children.

Thanks in advance for your vote!

WPFP Q&A - At the Fitness Center Part 3

Please note that the following contains spoilers if you haven't read Water Princess, Fire Prince.

"I thought we were done with questions," said Clara, as she and her friends took their seats.

"I thought we were too," I agree. "But then I discovered some questions that I neglected to ask, and I'm sure the readers are eager to know."

She folds her arms over her chest and leans back. "Really."

"And it's mostly for Rich, I left out most of his questions," I point out.

She sighs and leans forward. "Fine."

"Would you like me to ask your difficult question first to get it out of the way?"

"Fine."

"Alyssa asks, if you can choose, which child was the most difficult to leave behind in Rizkaland?"

"Timothea," she answers, immediately. "She fought the hardest to keep me from going ... and I came so close to letting her come with me. The only thing that held me back was the fact that I didn't know for certain that my parents would understand. Now I know that they do ... I'm sure we could have worked something out - I hear that Queen Jane and King Ralph adopted a Bookdaughter from Rizkaland. Surely Mom and Dad could have done the same for Tima."

"What's done is done," I whisper. "I wish I could tell you what will come of that, but it's not my place. Rich, since we're really here for your sake, Mnm would like to know what was your reaction when you first came to Rizkaland."

"'I'm dead,'" he answers with a shrug. "It was weeks before I was convinced otherwise. In my defense, I did arrive in a hang glider crash, so it was a logical conclusion."

"I told you a coma was far more likely," said Kath. "But then it'd be weird that we were both having the same dream."

"And Mnm would also like to know how you reacted to Rizkaland."

"Thought I was dead or dying, but I was given nice dresses and an awesome bow, so hey, that was cool."

"Yeah, the bows were a nice touch," Rich adds. "Could have gone without the circlets, though. More a headache than anything else."

"All right." I flip through the cards. "Clara, Mnm would like to know what's your favorite book?"

She narrows her eyes. "It's been a few years. Let me reread some and jog my memory. David Copperfield, maybe. That's the only one I had for twenty-five years."

"Kath, Alyssa would like to know if you prefer newer books or classics."

"Newer books, not as dense," she answers. "But I'm personally more of a TV person. Especially now that I'm back from Rizkaland. I had a lot of catching up to do this last year after spending thirty years there."

Clara turns to face her. "You were only gone for a few seconds."

"I was also in a coma."

"Only for a few days."

"Moving on, next question miss?" Kath blinks her eyes, all innocence.

"Andrew," I continue, raising an eyebrow, "Mnm would like to know how you intend to keep in touch with Clara now that you've returned to Earth."

"Over the phone," he answers. "Her parents gave her a cell phone for her birthday, and I've had one for a few years now, so I can call for help if I need it with my brothers. Both have a good long-distance plan."

"Kath, Mnm wants to know if you'll still tease Clara about redheads?"

She leans back, tilting her head to the side as she stares at Clara and Andrew. "Well," she says, "only about one."

I raise an eyebrow.

"They're so cute together," she continues. "How can I not."

Andrew has to physically restrain Clara from leaping out of her seat - not an easy feat, I imagine.

I decide to distract her with a question. "Mnm would like to know your favorite names, Clara."

"I've knocked 'Kathleen' and 'Richard' off the list," she growls.

"Oh?" says Kath, pressing a hand to her heart. "You wound me, friend."

Clara rolls her eyes. "As for favorite names, pretty much any name you can find in old, classical novels - our two center children - Edward and Elizabeth, were named after Jane Austen characters."

"Ah." I nod. "Now, Rich, here's the biggie question - Mnm asks, since you're to marry someone in our world, who is it to be?"

Rich leans back. "I imagine that you know the answer better than I do."

"Perhaps," I admit.

"And that the limited answers I do have, I am not at liberty to share."

"She says, and I quote - 'Yes, I want spoilers.'"

"I'm afraid that, while Tnika did speak a prophecy for Kath and I concerning the identities of our future spouses, we are not at liberty to share the information we were given until the proper time," Rich answers. "However, based on the information, I have every assurance that she'll be a wonderful, beautiful woman."

"Kath, while I honestly think the answer's obvious, Alyssa would like to know what you think of Clara and Andrew as a couple."

"That they're absolutely adorable," Kath answers. "And I just bet that they had the cutest children!"

"KATH!"

"What? I like kids. I spent fifteen years without any around..."

"Andrew, Mnm would like to know your favorite foods?"

"Ice cream, actually," he answers. "Not that I let myself indulge, but it's soft and sweet, and a good dessert. And they didn't have it in Rizkaland which was a shame. They did have mistletoe muffins, though, and they were good too."

Clara kicks him.

"Rich, Mnm would like to know if you like Andrew?"

Rich stares at Andrew a long moment before he shrugs. "He's a good sort. Clara likes him. He made a good king in Klarand. That's good enough for me."

"All right, and last question - this one's for Kath. Soliel would like to know what it was like meeting - well, she says the Wind Princess, but I think she means 'Water Princess' - thirty years since you'd last seen her."

Kath closes her eyes. "It was very strange. It was at once the most amazing thing in the world and ... so strange. A piece of my old life, a life I had almost forgotten had existed, came back, but wasn't happy about it. There are things I'd like to change about our reunion, but ... oh well. She and Andrew are adorable."

"They are." I grin as I gather together my notes. "Now that concludes our Q&A session. Perhaps we'll hold another next year."

"Please, no."

WPFP Q&A: At the Sports Center Part 2

So now it's time for the rest of the questions you asked of the Earth-dwelling Rizkaland characters.

(Wrong party but, shhhhh, just enjoy it.)

"All right, that was a good break. Who's ready for more questions?" I ask as everyone takes their seats again. "Nobody? Well, why don't we start with some of the more difficult questions so we can get them over with?"

Clara narrows her eyes, but answers, "Fine."

"To start, I have a question for Clara from Alyssa. She asks, 'Other than your children, what do you miss the most about Rizkaland?"

Clara frowns. "Difficult questions is right. It's the people that I miss the most. Our friends who we know we're never going to see again. Things can be replaced, rebuilt, but you can't replace people. Leaving our friends from here behind was the hardest part of going to Rizkaland, but we always knew we'd come back, that we'd see our family and old friends again. We don't have that same promise for the Klaranders, and it's painful."

I nod. "In the vein of missing things from Rizkaland, Morgan would like to know if it's weird to not actually be married to Andrew in our world after being Tied so long in Rizkaland."

"Very weird, especially when we're around Rhoda or his brothers," Clara answers. "With everyone else, the understand what we are to each other. With them ... well, we're supposed to be strangers, and we have to act like that. Kath's been helpful with Rhoda, though, so..." She shrugs. "It's weird."

"Kath," I turn to the brunette, "Question for you. Sarah Taleweaver asks, 'since you were shipping Clara and Andrew before they got together (or after, in some ways . . . weird time stuff is weird . . . anyway), do you ever have fangirl moments when you see them doing stuff together now?'"

"They're so cute, how can I not?" Kath answers, grinning at the glare Clara sends her way. "And with the way I break my back keeping Rhoda off of your case and arranging time for the two of you to spend together, I think I've earned the right."

Clara seems about to say something in responce to that, but Andrew leans over and whispers something in her ear. She shakes her head and rests her head against his shoulder, bringing a small giggle from Kath. Clara closes her eyes, clearly trying to ignore her.

"Tom WildRose would like to know what made you realize you loved the Fire Prince, Clara?" I then ask, though I don't really want to spoil the moment. They do look so sweet together.

She picks up her head, opeing her eyes. "It wasn't a realization, it was a choice," she answers. "I knew from the moment I met him that he had many admirable qualities that I could love, but I was so stubborn and deadset on not falling instantly for the Fire Prince when I met him, that I instead set about searching for all the things I couldn't love about him. I was fully aware of my heart betraying me and falling for him when I told it not to ... but it wasn't until the night of the ball when I chose to dive in and give him my heart."

"Well said," I answer. "C.B. would like me to ask if there's anything you wish you could change about your trip to Rizkaland."

"She wants me to say 'be less stubborn,'" says Clara, staring me deadpan.

"She might, I don't know."

"I've glanced through the reviews people have left on Goodreads," Clara continues, "I know that's the main complaint against me, my stubborness, but honestly, I don't want to go back and change that. Maybe it would have been better in the long run if I hadn't been, but how was I to know that then. I was a young girl thrust into an unfamiliar world without any friends that I knew I could trust. With Andrew, I'd just met the guy, I had no idea of his character, and Kath had already predjudiced me against redheads. Sure, the start of our relationship was rocky, but having that to look back on was what helped us get through harder problems later on. Sure, there are things that I wish I could have done differently, words I shouldn't have said, things I should have done ... but sitting around worrying about changing a set-in-stone past is a waste of time. I've lived a good life, and that's the important part."

"All right..." I say, once the storm has blown over. "A question for Kath, and then she can run and get Rhoda for her questions. Sarah Taleweaver wants to know if you fangirl over anything else - books, TV, movies, and if so, what?"

Kath grins, "Well, I do have a few..."

But before she can start listing, Clara flies out of her chair with a, "Nope, nope, nope!" hauls Kath out of her chair, and declares, "We are not going to sit here listening to that. You can go find Rhoda now."

"But!"

"Nope, now."

So a dejected Kath sulks out of the room.

"You could have let her continue," I say, hiding a smile behind my notes.

"If I had, we would have been here all day," Clara answers, sitting back down next to Andrew. "Do not get Kath started on her fandoms. Proceed with the questions."

"All right, I have one from Amanda. It's directed specifically towards Andrew, but it's really for both of you. She wants to know when you plan to get married."

"I promised Clara that she can go to the Olympics first, and the next one is in four years," Andrew answers, so not until then. "That also gives me time to prepare financially,"

"Probably smart," I say. "And Sarah Taleweaver asks, 'Before the whole Rizkaland happened, what were your plans for your future? What did you want to do when you grew up? How have those plans changed now that Rizkaland happened? (Besides the obvious you and Clara being an item).'"

Andrew glances down at Clara. "I know I had plans ... they most involved seeing my brothers grow up, and either pursuing a culinary career or become a scientist like my dad. How have they changed? Most of the changes are because I'm now actively preparing for marraige in the near future rather than the hazy someday. Dad has even offered me a job managing his website, which I think I'll take him up on."

"Anna would like to know what was the biggest thing you learnt while in Rizkaland."

"Confidence with people," Andrew answers. "I was never a people person growing up, I kept to my family, and that was that. I let my dad talk to people, because that's what dad was good at. Now ... well, I won't say that it's always easier, but it's not as hard as it used to be."

"And Tom WildRose whants to know how tall you are, since the only semi-exact description of your height is being a head taller than Clara, who's just shy of five foot."

"I'm about 5'5" right now," Andrew answers. "But I'm going into a growth spurt which had left me at 5'7" by the time I met Clara. I was 6'2" when I stopped growing."

"He's tall, that's all you need know," Clara inserts.

"One more question before we get to Rhoda's," I noticed, glancing back at the list. "Clara, Amanda would like to know if you could meet any fictional character or author, who would it be."

Clara bites her lip as she thinks. "Peggotry," she finally decides. "It just always amused me that we shared a name."

And perfect timing, because the door opens and Kath enters with a Rhoda in tow. "Hi!" I say, waving.

"Hi," Rhoda answers, giving Clara and Andrew a sidewise glance before sitting down next to him. "Kath says you're an author and are writing a book about us, and need to ask us questions because of that."

"That about sums it up."

"Why?"

"Because I decided you guys were interesting," I answer. I decide to hit her with Sarah Taleweaver's question first. "First off, what do you think of the fact that Clara, Andrew, Kath, and Rich are all acting weird now? Do you have a guess as to why?"

She blinks. "I was not expecting that question. I was expecting something like 'how many hours do you train each day to get those amazing swim times!'"

"Sorry, but that's not the part I found interesting, what do you think of your friends being weird?"

She shrugs. "They're being weird. Kath had a concussion last year, and Rich probably hit his head, too, so it's par for the course that they'd go loopy, not that they were the most sensical to begin with. As for Clara. I guess love really does chang a person. Didn't know it happened this fast, but I guess I can now believe in love at first sight."

Kath starts snickering. Clara shoots her a glare.

"And on that note," I say, pulling out Hannah Roger's question, "What did you think when Kath was all the time shipping Clara with your cousin all the sudden?"

"Following the concussion?"

"I assume so," I answer.

"She'd had a concussion and went loopy," Rhoda answers, with another shrug. "What I'm more surprised about is the fact that Clara played along and actually fell for Andrew. And Andew actually talks to her. This was my cousin who never talked to girls unless they were related to him. Any other questions?"

"Nope, that's it. Thank you all for cooperating and I'm sure my readers will enjoy learning more about you."

Rizkaland Q&A: At the Sports Center Part 1

Here's the first Q&A post that was supposed to go up during the party, but then Blogger ate, so I promised it to you in January, and here I am finally getting to it.

I went through a writing slump in January, though ... so I'm not sure you would have wanted to read what I'd have come up with then. But I have stuff now, and I hope you like it.

Enjoy.

Also BIG BOLDFACED SPOILER WARNING. This Q&A takes place after the events of WPFP, so if you haven't read the book yet ... well, there are spoilers.

I'm in the employees-only section of the Sports Center owned by Clara's, Kath's, and Rhoda's parents, clutching a list of questions that my fangirls have kindly provided. Most of them are for Clara or Andrew, but Rhoda, Kath, and Rich have a few as well.

Clara, Andrew, Kath, and Rich are waiting for me, but as previously arranged, Rhoda won't be here for a little while, to prevent awkward explanations. Clara, seated next to Andrew, is glaring at me, but the other three seem amiable.

I take a deep breath and glance down at the list, searching for a safe question to start with.

"Clara, Sarah Taleweaver and Mnm would like to know what's your favorite book?"

"David Copperfield," Clara answers. "Two of the characters share my name."

"She'd also asks, that, now that you're back from Rizkaland, if you're still planning on trying for the Olympics, or if the dream has been replaced by others?"

"I've been given back my pre-kids body," she says, leaning forward. "I might as well take advantage. I ... don't think I'm going to make a career out of it, like I was planning to, as a kid, but I'll be disappointed if I don't make at least one Olympics."

"Andrew," I say, deciding to pick on someone else, and knowing that this question will do much to ease the strain in the air, "C.B. wants to know if you have considered taking swordplay lessons with the others."

As I expect, Clara dissolves into quiet snickers, while Andrew heaves a heavy sigh. "Consideration wasn't an option. The morning after we returned, Clara's mom marched me in here, put my sword in my hand, and proceeded to attack me." He shakes his head. "And I thought her daughter was insane."

"You passed, though," Clara points out.

"Eh ... barely. But, the thing is, I have to get used to shorter arms and weaker muscles again. I know what I'm doing, but my body doesn't, if that makes any sense? It's frustrating, that's for certain."

"I know," said Clara. "I have the opposite problem. A body that knows how to do things I haven't done in twenty years..."

"On that note, Morgan would like to ask Clara if it's weird to not actually be married to Andrew after being Tied so long in Rizkaland."

Clara's answer is a flat, "Yes."

I decide that I don't want to press her for any further explanation, and turn to Andrew. "Amanda would like to know what's your relationship with Clara is like now when you can't really tell your younger brothers about Rizkaland."

Andrew shifts in his seat, glancing down at Clara. "It's ... complicated. They know I like her - we see no point in hiding that - but they have no idea how serious we are. I think Kyle suspects, though, and I don't know that he approves. Josh and Parker both love her."

"Well, I can swordfight and do martial arts, every little boy's dream," Clara points out. "Of course they're going to like me."

"But, back to the original question," Andrew continues. "Clara and I have chosen to take things slow and try to have a normal courtship this time."

There's a snicker from the peanut gallery known as Kath, so I turn to her.

"Kath, Soliel would like to know how it was meeting the Water Princess thirty years after you'd last seen her?"

"Awesome at first. After all, it was great for the first friendly face in fifteen years be a friendly face I hadn't seen in thirty. Then I realized that Clara didn't share my enthusiasm, and it wasn't so great. I think we've worked things out now, though."

Clara glances over her shoulder at her friend and narrows her eyes. "I'm still thinking about it."

"On that note, Clara," I continue, thumbing through my note cards, "Amanda would like to know what you relationship with Rhoda is now that you, Rich and Kath are all so much different. And at least twenty-five years older."

"It's been different," Clara admits. "And ... very awkward at times. It wasn't as hard for Kath and Rich, since they both suffered pretty bad injuries immediately after their return, and any oddness they displayed was blamed on that. For me ... it's just been difficult all around. I'm supposed to pick up on a friendship I dropped twenty-five years ago, and act as though no time passed at all. I'm a different person now, but I'm supposed to act like I'm not. It's frustrating."

"I'm not looking forward to facing the same thing with Kevin after I return home," Andrew adds.

"On that note, Andrew, Hannah Rogers says 'Sup Andrew! When you came back from Rizkaland and found you were a high schooler again, did you still feel older and more mature? How did that change your perspective?'"

Andrew leans back, staring at Clara. "Of course I still feel older and more mature. Twenty-five years of memories and growth don't just vanish. How has it changed my perspective though ... I'm not really sure. It's been twenty-five years." He shakes his head. "Ever since we lost our mom, I was the one who stepped up and took her place. I was already more mature than the average high schooler I think ... I think the biggest change is that now I have Clara in my life, and the memory of another family that I'll probably never see again, not in life at least."

"All right, last question for now, will return in a bit for the rest of the list," I thumb through the notes for a question that will allow this post to end on a happier note. "Ah, here's one for Rich, and I don't think I've done one for him yet. Rich, Alyssa would like to know what you did to keep yourself sane while locked inside the Kastle."

Rich seems about to answer, but is distracted when his sister begins giggling. He shoots her a glare, and then turns back to me. "I spent much time preparing for the eventual battle against Amber."

"He jumped out of windows!" Kath inserts.

"I was testing routes through the Kastle that would maximize speed and efficiency!"

"As I said, he jumped out of windows. It's a wonder he never broke a leg. At least, not until he returned here."

Rich just glares at his sister. I decide that this is a good stopping point.

Some Winsome Winners!

So, did everyone have a fun time last week? I certainly did (apart from the running around like a chicken with a head chopped off because I hadn't had sufficient time to prepare).

Of course, I'm sure of you are wondering who won everything. Well ... without further ado.

There was no fanfiction contest, and the Goodreads Group didn't make it to 50 members, so no one will be receiving a physical copy. 

However, for the fanart contest, we have three lovely winners, who will each receive $5 gift card for Amazon and Part 1 of book 2.

Skill:

Hannah Rogers is the unrivaled winner of the first category (Well, one person voted for my bro, but that doesn't count). 

Alyssa won Creativity, and I won't argue. I love this picture.

We had a tie for Interpretation, so I called in my mom and sister to break it - making the winner Tom Wildrose, whose mock cover is almost exactly what I'd always pictured as the cover when I was first brainstorming it.

You all did lovely work.

Now, for the fanart grand prize which, admittedly, is more of an "author's choice" than anything else.

Reuben and Petra. Their relationship summed up in one picture. I opened this up when Hannah sent it to me and I might have let out a fangirl squeal of my own. She'll be winning a read of part 2 as well, and a boxed set of the BBC Narnia DVDs.

I'll be contacting all of the fanart winners shortly.

And now ... for the grand prize of the full alpha read of book 2 ... the winner is ...

Ezra

Despite having only one entry (A speculation on Amber of "I bet she's gonna die"), he managed to score the prize. Sierra, since you're his older sister, you can go ahead and just slip him the files, since you won the alpha read in a previous giveaway.

Guess he's going to find out if Amber dies or not!

(Unfortunately, I didn't make it to 100 followers here on my blog, so he'll be the only one.)

Are we good, good!

Now I'm going to go and pin all of the fanart to my pinterest board, because that's what pinterest is for, right?

(Also, comment moderation is back on so I can keep an eye on my comments again)

Character Dress-Up Exhibit

This is going to be the last post for the party. I'm leaving things open until Sunday night, however, and will be posting winners sometime on Monday.

Amanda B. as Clara

Since Amanda was the only one who sent in a pic, I'm adding a picture of me and the friend who inspired Summer. She's the one with dimples.

A Post about Clara

One of the biggest complaints I've heard about WPFP has been Clara, the female lead. She's stubborn, annoying, and doesn't seem to show enough emotions in the epilogue.

To be honest, I don't blame you guys. As much as I love the girl, she frequently gets onto my nerves, too. This post isn't a defense of her actions, but merely a dig into her psyce to show the WHY behind what she did and how she acted. There will be spoilers.

To start with, Clara is an ENFP, as am I. She leans a bit more to the J than I do, but that's the biggest difference between us. The common stereotype about ENFP's is that we're emotional people who wear our hearts on our sleeves. In truth, we're actually very private about our emotions. ENFP's have been called the most introvereted of extroverts, and it's because our F is actually connected to introversion, not extroversion. When dealing with people, we'd much prefer to use our abstract iNtuition. When we're not able to use intuition, we prefer to fall back on Thinking, not Feeling, when in social situations. Our emotions are OURS.

This is especially true of negative emotion. We like being happy, we like showing our happy face to the world. Negative emotion is usually channeled into physical activities, anger, or both.

And this is what Clara is facing at the beginning and end of the book. She's just been thrust into a new world, she can't be certain if the people there are telling the truth, or if they have a much more sinister plan for her than what they're saying. She's scared, but put into the limelight, doesn't want to show it. So she channels it into anger - stubborness in refusing to tell anyone about her true skills - and actions - by ... what she does with her instructors. By not taking her instructors seriously, she's also trying to raise her own mood by making fun of their plight - even if it's only mentally to herself.

The other thing you have to take into consideration is Clara's relationship with her mom. Clara is an only child, but her mom wanted more and Clara knows that. Clara's mom has also had several miscarriages, and Clara has watched her mom go through deep depresssions after every single one, and she knows, without a shadow of a doubt, that if she weren't to return, her mom might not recover. So while Andrew's drive was to get back and take care of the physical needs of his younger brothers, Clara was driven to getting back to take care of her mother's emotional needs.

And then, when she left Rizkaland at the end of the book, you have to understand: she had warning. Tnika Spoke of their departure back to Earth a few days in advance, and Clara had that much time to emotionally prepare herself for leaving Klarand. They had time to set their kingdom back in order, and to say good-bye to almost everyone they considered important - with exception of two of their children who were on a top secret mission at the time that will be important in book 6.

Everything was not suddenly yanked away from her, and she went of her own choice. She thinks she's okay with it. It won't be until later that night, or even a night or two later, when she's left alone in an empty bed, and it crushes down on her and she realizes that she's not.

But even when she first emerges from the water, there are little things - the fact that she doesn't stay with Kath and Rhoda, for instance, and instead seeks out her mother. Her mother is Clara's emotional buffer. As much as she enjoys Kath and Rhoda, they're not her confidants, and she rarely lets down her emotional walls around them. That's reserved for her mom.

And her mom knows what Clara's going through, she knows her daughter's reluctance to admit negative emotion - so after offering a few words of emotional encouragement, she offers her a way to channel her grief into physical action - a sword fight. This sword fight raises Clara's emotions just enough that she's able to face people again at the picnic where she is reunited with Andrew.

The emotions are there, just buried under a smile and a tease.

But if it makes you feel any better, she probably cried herself to sleep - if not that night, then the next night.

Tyler

Okay, so I had the whole first Q&A post written, but sometimes my internet goes knacky, and then blogger will refuse to save it. I thought I'd put it into clipboard, but apparently didn't.

So ... I'm going to have to rewrite all of that again. and I liked what I'd come up with.

*heavy sigh*

I'm going to try to have it rewritten for tonight, but I'm not sure if that will happen. Perhaps, instead, I'll post them over the course of next month, and count in all of the questions that people asked too late?

Anyways, have a post about Tyler, the final main character in Book 2.

Via Pinterest

Tyler is Petra's older brother. He's a quiet ISFJ, and a lot of people overlook him. His plans include following his dad into the Electrician business, and being able to provide for and support Summer when he marries her. The biggest flaw in this plan is the fact that he's never actually talked to Summer about it. She's completely unaware that he even likes her, even though Robert, and occasionally Petra drop hints from time to time.

He's very shy, preferring to watch and observe what's going on than to actually talk about it. When pressed, he's a fast thinker, but he usually likes to take his time and consider all options before he makes a decision.

I was originally going to name him Tim. The girl who going to play Summer protested, so we spent an evening after AWANA one Wednesday, wrote down all the guys' names she liked on the board, and then slowly eliminated them until Tyler was left.

Next to Noraeto, he was one of the most underdeveloped characters in the book, but my mom and I sat down one evening and did up a list of character traits for him, so I have a better idea of who he is. Such as the fact that he has a pet finch. Not sure whether or not that'll ever get into the book, but there we go.

I do know that he's an adorable young man who needed to get his head out of his rut so that Summer would actually notice him, They're adorable together, I can say that.

Summer

Via Pinterest

It's incredibly hard for me to find proper inspiration pins for Summer, since her physical appearance is largely based upon a girl I know well,

I've said that Petra was a combination of Peter and Lucy's best traits. Summer, on the other hand, was a combination of Susan and Edmund's worst. This was how my friend liked it, as she loves playing villains/resistance characters. (She's the sweetest thing in real life, though!)

The Summer I have now, Reuben's younger sister instead of Petra's, hasn't changed terribly much. She's an ESTP, which is interesting, because I'm not an S, and I don't understand them terribly well (HOW CAN YOU NOT SEE ALL THE POSSIBILITIES IN THE UNIVERSE?????)

A lot of her character development was done my by friend, which I let her do, since this was the character she was going to play when it was to be a movie. I think the biggest change I've made since my friend left the project was changing her powers from just birds to Beasts in general, and that wasn't a change I made until very late in WPFP's publication process.

(Long story short, I decided to sort the Rizkan character's powers, which had previously been very hodge-podge. I may, after you read the book, share the original configuration with you guys.)

Summer is a bit of a typical teenager, a bit annoyed with the world, and a little obsessed with beauty. I believe I revealed in a Goodread's snippet that Reuben is part Native American, and, of course, as she's his younger sister, she is too. However, she's the one who actually looks it. Reuben and Robert take more after their mom's side of the family. In fact, many people give them a second glance when they find out they're related.

Until they smile, that is. All three of them have the same grin, revealing dimples a mile deep. (Key thing I look for when pinning her - dimples)

Summer does dye her hair, I've figured out, so if you see her in blonde on my pinterest board, that's what happened. In truth, she's a dark brunette.

I need to get to work. 'Twas fun talking. Hopefully I'll be able to get the first Character Q&A post up this afternoon, and the second one up tomorrow. The few answers I've eked out of Clara and Andrew have been interesting thus far.

The Other Books

Rizkaland may be the main series, but it's by no means the full story, today I'd like to talk about the (mostly) non-Rizkan stories that will tie in, and possibly fill in a few gaps in the main series.

First of all, I'd like to note that I have four timelines that I use when ordering these books, as well as the Rizkaland Legends themselves.

1. Rizkaland Timeline, which is the order of things by Rizkan time.
2. Earth Timeline, which is the order of things by Earthen time.
3. Amber's Timeline, which is mostly used when exploring her backstory.
4. Laura's Timeline, which is a convoluted, tangled ball that I usually leave alone, but it's occasionally useful.

Good? Good.

Now to the other books that I have planned that you won't want to miss if you're a loyal Rizkan fan.

1. Worth of a King. This is my cowrite with Jack Lewis Baillot, and pre-fall Amber and Granite play a role in it. I can't say yet what sort of role, but I will say that it is one of the stories that Amber has tucked into her library, and a reference or two to the story may be making a cameo at some point in book 2.

2. Dragon Song. This story is, in part, a companion to Worth - how, I can't say - and it was, at one point, going to be book 3 of the main series. Main characters from book 2 will be making large appearances, but I can't say who, just yet, or how.

3. Adventures of Princess Saffron. I need to finish writing this trilogy. I'm about half-way through the second story ... anyways, Saffron makes an apparance in Dragon Song. 

4. The Eternal Queen. This is another Amber backstory - except this time it reaches even further back and features Queen Amorite, Amber's ancestress, whose meddling trapped the royal line in their immortaity.

5. The New Division. This book begins during the Great Depression in the very orphanage where Andrew's dad later grew up, which becomes the house where Petra and her siblings grew up. It also features some POV from Petra's great-grandmother, Amanda Arden, and then at the end, an a breif cameo of some main characters from the series.

6. The Trilogy of Secrets. Two of the main characters from this series, Collie and Susan, live near Petra and Reuben's houses, and their electricty problem is talked about occassionally in LDTD.

7. Infiltration. Have I talked about my elvings, half elf, half something else, before? If I have, have I told you that the elf that they're descended from Rizkan elves? They are! Also, traces of Rizkan abound throughought their culture - indeed, the name of the world is the Rowa - Rizkan for rainbow.

8. The rest of the Mikida Chronicles. Infiltration is technically part of my sister's scifi series, and although it has the strongest connection, tie-ins abound throughout the whole series. Indeed, the main characters of the Eagle's Logs half of the series are two elvings, and two half-human twins who are descended from characters from the Rizkaland legends. (I don't remember, off the top of my head who the ancestors are, however.)

9. An untitled story about Laura set post-Rizkaland. I can't say much about this story, but it takes place several years after book 7 in the earth timeline, and takes place in the same world as Dragon Song. Also, Lucy is in it.

10. Stolen Ideas. This is the book that I recycled Sandra Elizabeth Nedor into. It's interesting, and I hope to share it someday.

And that doesn't even include the "lesser" legends that didn't make it into the main seven of the series. At the moment, I only know of three for certain, but I wouldn't put it past it for more books to appear.

1. Alphego's Hill - The Story of the Eight and the Ten.
2. Through the Mountain - The story of Amber's attack on Klarand 500 years prior to WPFP.
3. Ear of the People - this is a story set about eight years after WPFP, and is about Jasmine and Karlos.

So there's lots of story to look forward! to!

Granite

There weren't enough entrants for me to hold an official fanfiction contest. While there were three fanfics, there were only two fanfic writers, and that's not a fair contest. However, the stories are being posted over on the AA blog. If you have access, I'm sure you'll enjoy them.

Now, onto the Character post.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I added Granite about the same time as Noraeto. He has, perhaps, gone through the most drastic change of the main cast, plotting-wise.

Originally, Granite was to have shared his wife's fall. While she used her terrible magic to torment the people of Rizkaland, Granite did the dirty work that didn't require magic - in fact, the first bit of writing I did with him involved him and Amber discussing where to kill some prisoners. She told him to take them outside, because she'd just had the floors cleaned.

However, as I was plotting around and exploring backstory, I realized it would make more sense, and be far more interesting, if he hadn't shared her fall, if his heart was still true to Alphego.

Granite is either and INFJ or an INFP, I'm not entirely certain which. He's a quiet fellow, a bit on the shy side, who easily melts into his wife's shadow. However, he is the most important person in her life, and to loose him would be her undoing,

He shares her immortality, and has been frozen at the age of eighteen for six thousand years. He's fascinated and well-trained with all manner of weaponry, though he prefers close range weapons of skill best.

I wish his story could be happier than it is. It was happy, once for many years even, but now he fears that he'll never see light again. And yet he keeps a small sense of humor, he still takes joy in the little things when he can.

He does love Amber, a lot, and to be honest, he wouldn't like to live without her, either. He would just prefer that her heart was still his, and not given to the dragon magic that has consumed her.

Amber

Amber.

 

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Do you get chills down your spine when you hear that name? I do. It comes from working with a villain by that name for at least seven years. It was the third draft before I named her, she previously went by a mere, “Lady Dragon.”

Most of you have already met her, she’s the villain of the first book, after all. And I’m willing to say that you got a good glimpse of her character.

I’ve posted about her here on my before, as the villain of the first book, however, in Lady Dragon, Tela Du, she’s one of the main POV characters, and her story broadens and deepens. Do I justify her actions? Not in the least, however she makes a vain attempt at doing that.

Amber was inspired by Jadis, the White Witch of Narnia, and they share many similarities, both possess a form of immortality, both like turning their victims into statues (one ice, one stone, both terrible), and both have seen the death and birth of at least one world. However, unlike Jadis, Amber wasn’t always evil.

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As of book 2, Amber is about six thousand years old, with two thousand of those years having been spent on the Isle of Banishment in Rizkaland. To be honest, though, not much has changed for her since her banishment in WPFP. She can still turn herself into a dragon, she still has more magical items than I personally think is fair. (After all, I have NONE.) She still has a husband who gets in her way, frequently. She still thinks she's entitled to ruling the whole world.

This time however, the stakes are higher, and there's a desperation that she didn't have when facing Clara and Andrew. She knows she's nearing the end, and she's willing to do anything to keep what she's worked towards.

Amber is an ENTJ, a very driven woman, who certainly isn't one to wear her heart on her sleeve. She wasn't always evil, though. Indeed, for the first three thousand years of her life, she was quite on the opposite side of things. However, she has a weakness for power, and it was her undoing.

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Part of her knows she's fallen, but she doesn't want to admit it. She makes up excuses when confronted by her husband or by Laura. In fact, there's a lot of things, about her own person, that she has deluded herself about. To be honest, I'm not even sure if she knows what love is, anymore.

She's an interesting person to write with, especially alongside her husband, who'll I'll be talking about tomorrow. I've had some adorable scenes between the two of the despite, you know, her bend towards evil.

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Fanart Voting!

1.

By Alyssa. Represent Laura trying to hold on to a normal life, but it always fading away from her.

Winner: Creativity

2.

By my little Brother. It's his version of the cover art.

3.

By Hannah Rogers. Representing Clara and Andrew.

Winner: Skill

4.

By Hannah Rogers. Representing Reuben and Petra

Winner: Grand Prize

5.

By Bedtime Bear. Representing the seven colors of Rizkan water.

6.

By Tom WildRose. A mock cover

Winner: Interpretation

7.

By Sarah Taleweaver. A Clarand Collage.