Ashlee Willis's Blog, page 11

Summer of Ups and Downs

Death …

The past weeks have included a lot of ups and downs around our house. For those of you who remember when we got our puppy, Pilot, a few months back, it pains me to say that we lost him just a couple of weeks ago. He died, we believe, of a disease young dogs sometimes get. Fine one day … horribly sick the next. My 7-year-old, my husband, and myself were (and are) heartbroken, to say the least. It’s a sad thing to lose your dog … and it’s a sadder thing to watch your child’s little heart break because of that loss. God certainly put a special place in people’s hearts for their pets, and Pilot will always be in ours.

Pilot and my little Bug were rarely apart.

Birth …

Several days after Pilot’s death, our cat, Princess Peach, had a kitten. Yes … just a single kitten! And this was, in fact, perfect. If there had been any more, we would have had to find homes for them. This way we get to keep our precious little kitty (named Toad). While the pain of Pilot’s death won’t end anytime soon, this new fluffy addition to our household has helped a small bit.

Our tiny Toad

 

First Drafts…

Having completed the first book of my new two-book project, I have been attempting to concentrate a bit more on finishing up the first draft of  Book 2. I’ve sent very, very rough synopses of both Book 1 and Book 2 to my agent, although I fear she may be a bit bewildered with the fractured and confusing way they were put together! These books are still in early stages, and they are the first books that aren’t stand-alones I have ever written – quite daunting! But the confusing synopses are only temporary … things will be ironed out during edits, as usual. It’s nothing some hard-core revisions and trusty beta readers won’t be able to handle!  My hope (fingers crossed!) is to have revisions completed, and finished drafts of both books in my agent’s hands, by the end of the year. Then I’ll be able to start talking a bit about them here on my blog! Can’t wait.

Introvert Overkill …

The past few weeks have been full of other things as well.

I got to visit for the day with a friend I hadn’t seen in more than four years.

One of my very close childhood friends got engaged!!

I spent a “girls” weekend with my cousins and sister (sans kiddos!), just shopping, watching movies, chatting, swimming and laughing ’til we cried.

And I am gearing up for my son to attend school. We home-schooled this past year, but decided a small local Christian school was the best choice this year. I’m sure my Bug will have no problems adapting … it’s Mom who will be the emotional mess during the first week of school!

So, yeah. A lot going on for this introverted girl :)  I’m just plain worn out.

How has your summer been going? What have you been up to? Relaxing in the sun … or something new and exciting?

Two Giveaways For THE WORD CHANGERS

 

A short and sweet post letting you know that you’ve got TWO MORE opportunities to win a paperback copy of  The Word Changers!

Christian Bookshelf Reviews is hosting a giveaway right now, which will end on Thursday (7/17). That’s just three more days!

Author Heather Day Gilbert also has a giveaway for my book on her blog, so be sure to hop over there and enter your name while you’re at it! Hers goes through Sunday, I believe.

 

“Many people, myself among them, feel better at the mere sight of a book.”

― Jane Smiley

 

My Writing Process

I was tagged in this fun writing process blog tour by two of my favorite bloggers, Deborah and Sarah. So here we go!

What I am working on.

I recently finished the first draft of another YA fantasy, and am already about halfway through the sequel to it. When I’m finished with the sequel, my plan is to edit and revise both of the books at the same time. I also have a couple of short stories I hope to write soon (we’ll see if I have time!). In the midst of all of that, several weeks ago a brand new book idea (middle-grade fantasy this time!) dropped on me from nowhere, and I couldn’t help writing down a rough outline for it … I’m super excited about it, of course, although it will be a while before I can begin working on it.

How my work differs from others of its genre.

I love reading entertaining books, funny books, serious books, meaningful books. And though I’ve wanted to write books like that for as long as I can remember, I’ve always felt I couldn’t simply just write an entertaining story. My stories, as I hope my life does as well, point toward God. And I hope that they not only do that, but that they also tell my readers something new, or unsuspected, about their faith, God, or their relationship to Him.

Why I write what I write.

While I enjoy fantasy more than any other genre, I feel also that fantasy serves my purposes better – the purpose of reaching people in a way that’s not preachy or moralizing, but instead natural and even surprising. What could be more unexpected about a fantastical fairy tale world than finding a path leading you right back to your true home? I talk about why I write fantasy in more detail in this blog post, if you’re interested!

My writing process.

My usual process for a book goes something like this:

First draft (usually takes between 6-9 months)
When finished with my first draft, I like to work on something completely different, or simply concentrate on reading, while my manuscript sits for 1-2 weeks.
Now come the “big picture” revisions – that is, fixing structural things that don’t flow right, plot lines that are out of skew, character arcs that don’t work, scenes that are out of place or need to be cut altogether … etc.
For my second round of revisions I normally concentrate on things like dialogue, descriptions, wording, flow, and grammatical errors.
In the past I haven’t used beta readers – but that has changed! I look forward to being able to send my newer manuscripts to some trusted writers/friends who will be able to give me a sound critique of my work.
After the beta readers have given their advice, and I have changed anything that needs to be changed, off goes the manuscript to my agent, and from there … who knows! Maybe more edits and revisions … maybe straight into the hands of editors or publishers.

Currently, as a stay-at-home mom, I don’t have an actual writing schedule I stick to. I wish I could! But it’s just impossible right now. This coming school year, though, I hope to implement a fairly strict writing routine, and to become more consistently productive. Daily word counts … here I come!

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I am supposed to tag others to post answers to these topics as well, but instead I’ll just leave it up to you. Any of my followers who would like to fill everyone in on their own writing process (if you write!), fire away! Leave your answers in the comments, or post it on your own blog and leave the link below. I look forward to hearing from you!

Interview with Author Sarah Scheele

Today I’m interviewing the lovely authoress, Sarah Scheele. She is the author of Alyce, a charming fairy tale retelling. Join us as she talks about her faith, unexpected lessons, and the character she would choose to move in next door to her …

I notice that you write a combination of a few genres: historical, fantasy, science fiction … what draws you the most to these genres? Is there a genre you haven’t written in yet that you’d like to try?

With these genres I can emphasize characters. If I used a real setting, I would need to research—sometimes quite a bit—and it would distract from character creation. Fantasy was an obvious place to start, but I never felt quite natural handling magical props. So I switched into a historical-type setting that resembles southern Europe in the 18th century, but with some invented political situations. The science fiction stories are fewer, though they are actually my personal favorites.

I’m curious about the new field of early 20th century that has just opened up. (The “vintage” or “nostalgia” genre.) I’d love to explore that. Perhaps a twist of some kind, such as time-travel or an imaginary world, could give me an outlet into that era.  We’ll see . . .

How does your faith factor into your writing process or your books themselves?

With a few exceptions, my characters are already firmly established in their faith. I explore their daily lives in a religious family or community—clearly Christian no matter how it is labeled in the fantasy story—rather than focusing on spiritual struggles or conversion experiences. I’m also interested in how lack of sincerity and charity can correlate to stunning rudeness and littleness, which is surprisingly an issue even in the most devout circles.

If you have to choose one of the characters from any of your books to move in next door to you, who would it be? Why?   

Wow, that’s an interesting question! Probably Katia (and her brother Frank) from City of the Invaders. Katia is more like me, in some ways, than any character I’ve drawn so far, so I could really enjoy spending time with her.

Is there any book you’ve read that you wish you could have written yourself? Which one? Why?

Hmmm . . . The Canterbury Tales. Chaucer has an amazing gift for showing a huge diversity of people, very honestly, but also without being critical. Most authors (myself included) have a small cast of characters they use repeatedly. I don’t know if I could ever reach that level—outside of the real world God has created, almost no one has more diversity than Chaucer—but it’s something I admire.

What is an unexpected thing you’ve learned about yourself from writing?

I had thought that historical romance settings, even in juvenile fantasy, were too glamorous for me to attempt. But I’ve found the opposite is true. When I use historical costumes and situations, suddenly everything clicks into place. I’ve learned that I have been too afraid at times, assuming that things were out of my reach and belonged to other people. When I became more confident, I was surprised by the results.

If you could choose any writer, alive or dead, to have as a mentor, who would it be?

Probably two authors: Mary Stewart and Charles Dickens. Both have qualities I want to include in my work. Stewart is great at creating action plots that are glamorous, but still feel realistic, and Dickens had a rare ability to incorporate humor and social commentary without offending people. Learning to combine those two things would take my stories in a really good direction.

I was reading the blurb for your newest work, the novella Alyce, and it looks so amazing! Can you tell me a bit about how you were inspired to write the Cinderella story in this original way?

I was drawn years ago to retelling Cinderella because I wanted to explore what the fairy tale was really about. Cinderella is a young woman who is socially marginalized and vulnerable to selfish or unfair treatment on that account. As I developed Alyce as belonging to a tiny subculture, always at risk of negative treatment from outsiders, I was able to give my story the same theme while changing nearly every detail.

I found Alyce really resonated with readers, so I plan to continue with more fairy tales. Snow White, The Little Mermaid, Rapunzel, etc—always trying to see how many things I can change while maintaining what the story is about. These old legends provide a great framework for creating compelling situations.

I don’t know about you, but I’m horrible at coming up with titles. But there are some authors who come up with the title before they even write the story. How do you choose your titles?

I don’t officially title my story until I’m about a third of the way through. Once I know the story’s personality, I let a few titles materialize and try them out as little trailers. As in “The Castle of Randena, Coming May 2015.” I pick the one that sounds catchiest.

Do you have any interesting writer quirks? What are they?

I need to walk around while writing. This is obviously almost impossible, so I compromise—I write a bit, then get up and walk around to sort out the next scene, write it down, then bounce up again and start walking. It is essential for me to work alone because I probably look crazy. :P

If you could get lost within a book, which book would you choose? Why?

I’m not sure I can get lost in a book these days! I view reading and writing in a job-oriented way—which isn’t very conducive to getting lost in the magic of words. But when I was younger, The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis was one of my favorites. I’m drawn to hot places as settings, and at that time almost everything I read was located in the British Isles, New England, or imaginary places that resembled them. The society of Calormen and the daring escape across the desert felt really fresh and they captured me.

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Sarah Scheele writes historical fantasy stories and science fiction from her home in Texas. She is the author of The Valley Stories, set in a nonmagical fantasy world based on southern Europe, and the futuristic action/adventure novella City of the Invaders. Her blog Stardust and Gravel regularly showcases reviews and interviews for other authors, as well as the occasional comic skit.

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Alyce Lomlossa has never dreamed of visiting King Timson. To a member of a minority group that opposes his rule, his brooding, glum palace is associated only with imprisonment and death. Though it’s been a long time since any Sherban was arrested, Alyce feels little in common with her ruler and is quite content to stay unnoticed.

Until a mandatory summons to the King’s court dance leaves her no choice.

A 20,000 word novella that enlarges the story of Cinderella.

Purchase Alyce here!

Words of Freedom

What a perfect day for hearing all of the great things that can be said about our freedom!

 

“Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth.” (George Washington)

“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.” (Charlotte Bronte)

I had to snap a picture of this patriotic display we saw on the way to visit family!

“Our reliance is in the love of liberty which God has planted in our bosoms. Our defense is in the preservation of the spirit which prizes liberty as the heritage of all men, in all lands, everywhere.” (Abraham Lincoln)

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (2 Corinthians 3:17)

“There is a stubbornness about me that never can bear to be frightened at the will of others. My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me.” (Jane Austen)

“And the turtles, of course … all the turtles are free, as turtles and, maybe, all creatures should be.” (Dr. Seuss)

“Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves; and, under a just God, cannot long retain it.” (Abraham Lincoln)

“Freedom (n.): To ask nothing. To expect nothing. To depend on nothing.” (Ayn Rand)

“People have only as much liberty as they have the intelligence to want and the courage to take.” (Emma Goldman)

“Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.” (1 Peter 2:16)

“I am an American; free born and free bred, where I acknowledge no man as my superior, except for his own worth, or as my inferior, except for his own demerit.”  (Theodore Roosevelt)

“Freedom lies in being bold.” (Robert Frost)

“True freedom is impossible without a mind made free by discipline.” (Mortimer J. Adler)

“The first duty of a man is to think for himself.” (Jose Marti)

“He who has overcome his fears will truly be free.” (Aristotle)

“Freedom is what we do with what is done to us.” (Jean-Paul Sartre)

“Most people do not really want freedom, because freedom involves responsibility, and most people are frightened of responsibility.” (Sigmund Freud)

“Those who surrender freedom for security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one.” (Benjamin Franklin)

“For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” (Nelson Mandela)

“In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” (Ephesians 3:12)

“Injustice in the end produces independence.” (Voltaire)

“The time is near at hand which must determine whether Americans are to be free men or slaves.” (George Washington)

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36)

 

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY, EVERYONE!

Plastic Armor and Wooden Swords: Prepare for Battle

Homemade Warrior

I have a 7-year-old son who is … well, a boy. That’s the best way to put it, really. He likes mud and bugs and Transformers and wrestling with his Dad on the floor and making his own sound effects when he pulls a cool move … and believe me, he’s got a lot of moves.

He also loves knights and castles and dragons and swords, running through the house rigged out in his plastic armor and helmet, flourishing a wooden sword above his head, chasing invisible enemies.

Nearly everything he gets his hands on becomes a weapon. Almost every move he makes is a new “battle” maneuver.

Last week my husband and son and I were riding in the car on our way to church. I looked into the backseat and saw that my son had brought his sword with him. He was sitting calmly with it laid across his lap, his hand on the hilt.

“Wow,” I said, smiling. “You’re ready for battle, huh?”

Without skipping a beat, he answered somberly, looking right at me, “I’m always ready.”

And that was that.

Except that it wasn’t.

Because I … being who I am … started thinking about that.

Prepare For Battle

To be ready for battle at all times … that struck a familiar chord somewhere in me. To be primed to fight at a moment’s notice. Not to fight without reason, of course. But, like my son, to fight that invisible enemy, the one who lurks in the shadows, just out of sight. The one who would poison and destroy every good and godly thing in us and in our lives.

Every day is a battle, really, isn’t it? Every day we have to pick up our swords and prepare to defend our hearts. Battle for our very souls. Every waking hour of our existence, from birth to death, we have to live with a sword in our hand, ready to raise it against anything that would threaten to separate us from our Leader.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:10-11)

What a powerful message that was to me, seeing my son’s bright innocent eyes looking at me. “I’m always ready.”

His little heart will know soon enough the dark enemy he faces. The adversary who wants his heart. And no wooden sword will stand against that enemy. What a heart-rending thing to think about. For a mother, a nearly heartbreaking thought …

… but for one thing.

“Do not fear or be dismayed … for the battle is not yours, but God’s.” (2 Chronicles 20:15)

Yes. The battle is not ours. Thank heaven. Thank God.

If we’re in His ranks, it’s won already. All we need do is don our flimsy armor and brandish our homemade swords and stay on that battlefield till the bitter end. Show God our hearts are where they need to be, even though our strength is not our own, but borrowed from Him.

If God is with us, who can be against us? And God will be with us. Because the battle belong to Him.

One day my son will put away his wooden sword. He’ll tuck it into his toy box for the last time, too old for childish games. I hope that when he leaves the battle of his imagination, he will understand the true battle he prepares to engage in. I pray that when he steps onto the field and joins the fray, he will be wearing God’s armor. That no matter what dangers surround him, his eyes will always be upon his Leader… the One who has vanquished the enemy already.

A Shipment of Books, An Amazon Bestseller, and Obliging Trees

EXCITING ARRIVAL

First of all …. the shipment of books from my publisher arrived!!

While I didn’t swim in them, as I had previously threatened to do … I was quite excited! My 7-year-old son, who is very nonchalant about my author status now, shuffled through a few of the books in the open box, then looked at me with concern and said, “But they’re all the exact same book!”

Yes. *sigh* I think he must have been under the impression that, with all the time I’ve spent on the computer preparing for launch the past few weeks, I’ve written at least another several books.

Most of these are promotional ones, which I’ll be using to give out in all the giveaways that have been running recently. So if you were one of the several winners – be on the lookout! They should be in the mail soon!

BESTSELLER … KIND OF

Secondly, The Word Changers made it to the Christian Fantasy Best Sellers list on Amazon this week! To my understanding, the top 100 of any category qualifies for the list. My book started at #94, then went from #47 to #30 just within the past 24 hours.

I realize Amazon’s algorithms are confusing, and oftentimes seem to make no sense (or is that just me?). I’ve watched my book jump back and forth numerous times over the past week or two on various (yet similar) lists. I’ve seen one ranking on Amazon, a completely different one on Author Central Amazon … yeah, confusing.

But I’ll take #30! I’m quite happy with that.

I know that sales, reviews and tags do much in the way of putting books on the radar for other Amazon buyers. So to those of you who are reviewing, tagging and buying … I’m very grateful!

TWO HOMES FOR GNOMES

And lastly, I just had to share a fun thing I did today. Such beautifully obliging trees, no? How (or why?) would I even try to resist whipping out my paints and brushes? And they are right next door to each other, so the little gnomes who can now live here will be able to have cookouts together and watch their little gnome children play together in the front lawn …… well, until the next rainfall, anyway.

Have a wonderful weekend, my friends!

 

Begin and End with Faith

Everything I’ve done up to now has started with faith.

The faith of my parents when I was only a little girl, handing them a scribbled story.

The faith I’ve been taught God has in me as a soul of worth, as a creature who belongs to Him, and the endless love that accompanies that faith.

The faith of family and friends who have prayed for me and encouraged me both in life and in the growing of my creativity.

The faith of a husband and son who have left me alone for countless hours to wrestle with the characters and stories in my head.

The faith of an agent and a publisher who were willing to take a chance on both me and my book.

And, of course, the faith of you, the readers.

Sure, a lot of people are willing to pay a few dollars for a book that catches their fancy. But fewer of them are willing to invest precious hours of their time to dive into its story, bond with its characters, and open themselves to be changed by its message. That takes an enormous amount of faith – one I hope I never disappoint.

So thanks to you, my readers and future readers and even you “maybe” readers and “just-passing-by” readers!  And also to everyone who has ever offered encouragement and truth and wisdom.

Now my own faith comes back into play – faith that God will take The Word Changers and do whatever He wills with it, be it great or small.

 

“To have faith is to have wings.” – J.M. Barrie

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LAST DAY TO ENTER GIVEAWAY!

The Author of the Story

I found it amusing, at first, to know that I was writing a story within a story while penning The Word Changers. Now and then I would smile ironically to myself and shake my head. It was just too much fun. If you’re not sure what I’m talking about, The Word Changers is about a girl who falls into the pages of a book. She spends almost the entire remainder of the story within that book (a fairy tale, in fact). Yes, with my dry sense of humor I found it incredibly droll to think about that.

But then I reached the part about the Author.

Oh, don’t get me wrong. I had it all planned out. I knew the theme I was aiming for. I knew the meaning I wanted to hide within the pages of my story, the meaning that the Author would be a part of. I knew what I was in for. Or so I thought.

Writing about the Author made me start asking my own author-self some questions. And as I wrote the dialogue between the Author and some of his characters within my book, I began to see something happening that I hadn’t planned on at all.

Not, as you might imagine, a change within my story. But a change within myself.

Because, as an author myself, I do care about my characters. I do want what’s best for them. But many times, in order for them to have what’s best, I have to watch them go through some heartache and pain. If I take control of them and force them into roles, put them in just the situations I want them to be in, like chess pieces in a game, what would that say about me? My poor characters would never learn a thing. And they would end their stories just as they began them. Selfish, heart-sore, bitter and broken. Would my love for my characters be truly shown if I allowed that to happen?

This led me, of course, to look at the way God handles us, his “characters.” He allows us to see heartache and pain. We wonder why He doesn’t lift a finger to help us. But His help is often different than the help we demand of Him. It comes in a form that is subtle, sometimes invisible … many times unexpected.

*Spoiler Alert*

In The Word Changers, Posy is imprisoned. While in her cell, she cries out angrily to the Author. He is the one who wrote the story she’s stuck within, isn’t he? Why can’t he change her story, release her from prison? It would be so simple … he would only need to change a few of the story’s words, wouldn’t he? Posy wants the prison doors to be opened for her. She wants to walk straight out of her cell.

Instead, the Author shines down on her in the form of the moon. Gently, silently. And that single ray of moonlight shining into her prison cell is his answer. At first Posy doesn’t see it. Then she realizes she has to work with what she’s given. Her door isn’t thrown open, as she wished. But the shaft of moonlight shows her the way to escape. It’s a painful and difficult escape, but an escape just the same.

*Spoiler Alert End*

So writing The Word Changers helped me understand God a little better. It made me focus on His eternal intent for me, as opposed to my own petty every-day goals and desires. It made me understand that sometimes the difficult way can be the best way – the way that helps me to grow and learn and become more closely the person God wants me to be. Writing about the Author in my story forced me, for just a small minute, to enter into God’s way of looking at things. And what a different and infinitely superior way of looking at things that is!

That’s just a small part of what God has done for me through the act and process of writing for His glory. I can only hope that you, my readers, will get half the blessing out of reading my book as I did in writing it.

Introducing the Cast of Characters

Today I’d like to introduce you to some of the characters from The Word Changers. All of these people, save one, are unique in that they portray Characters within characters.

Confused? Yeah, probably!

Let me explain.

Within The Word Changers is another book – a strange, dark fairy tale that Posy, our heroine, finds in her poky hometown library. It’s The Book: the one she falls into and spends the rest of the story within, the one she ends up traveling through and ultimately changing the words to … And within that fairy tale lies the rest of the cast of characters.

So without further ado, here is the lineup of each Character, including a bit about him or her, and even a few pictures to portray what some of them look like (in my head, at least!).

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Emma Watson makes a wonderful Posy. She has the perfect combination of vulnerability, innocence, strength and softness.

Posy: Uncertain of her worth, unsure of her path, she stumbles into something that seems like a dream, but ends up being more like a nightmare. A runaway princess, a forgotten Author … Posy has many things to find. But none as important as finding herself.

Dark hair, dark eyes, dark mood … Ben Barnes fits Kyran so well!

Prince Kyran: Haughty and condescending, the prince of the Kingdom is bored with his role in it, and fed up with his parents’ cruelty and manipulation. When he agrees to accompany Posy on her quest beyond the Borders of the Plot, he little realizes the life-changing journey that awaits him.

Falak:  Chief advisor to the king. Head of the council of owls. Oh, and he happens to be an owl himself. He is sharp, intelligent, and not quite all he seems …

John Rhys-Davies. Imposing, heavy-browed, striking … in short, King Melathius.

King Melanthius:  Ruler of the Kingdom, Keeper of the Plot. But Melanthius has gone a step too far – he not only keeps the Plot, he now fully controls it along with all its characters. He has usurped the job that only the Author of the story has a right to.

Queen Valanor:  Cold, clever and beautiful. Her husband the king may rule the Kingdom, but she rules him. …At least, she thinks she does.

Delicate but determined. Give this young model lavender eyes and she’s Princess Evanthe.

Princess Evanthe: She saw the truth of the wrong that was happening in the Kingdom and did the one thing she thought would remedy it … she ran away. She went into hiding far beyond the Borders of the Plot, where her brother Kyran and his companion Posy go to seek her.

The Mist:  A voice … a feeling … a whisper. The Mist is kept under tight control by King Melanthius, and its voice can’t be heard by many these days, at least for any purpose but petty information. Yet it has a power all its own, and a role much bigger than anyone dreams of.

Alvar:  A “common” character, with no large part in the Plot. All the same, he has a strong belief in every character’s importance, and he opposes the king openly – something that’s never been done. He even has plans for forming an army of his own to fight for freedom.

Reader Hannah Williams sketched this fabulous picture of Faxon after reading The Word Changers

Faxon: Protector of the Glade. He is the leader of the exiled council of centaurs who were in power before the council of owls. He now lives in the Wild Land beyond the Plot as leader of a rogue centaur army. He helps Posy and Kyran in their search for the dark place they believe Princess Evanthe to be hiding.

Falak usually has a particular glint in those uncanny orange eyes

Seraphine, Limnoreia, and Adamaris:  A trio of exquisite mermaid sisters who have been wronged by the King Melanthius and banished from the Plot. They live in an underwater palace full of secrets and darkness. They have a choice – seek revenge for their own sakes, or join Kyran and Posy to fight in the name of justice.

The Wild Folk:  These are the folk native to the Wild Land. They are truly natural creatures who have always lived beyond the Borders of the Plot, and whom have never been a part of the book at all. They are so bonded with the Wild Land forest that they even look like a part of it. They are peaceful and quiet by nature, yet when the King threatens their land with invasion, many of them decide action must be taken.

The Author:  He wrote the story, yes, but his characters haven’t heard from him in centuries. They have even begun to believe he never existed at all, and is only a myth kept alive in tales. But some still believe he lurks somewhere beyond the Borders of the Plot, waiting to lay claim to his story once again.

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For those of you who have read The Word Changers, how do these descriptions and images compare to what you imagined? Those of you who haven’t read it – which ones sound most intriguing?

Also, I’m doing an interview with the lovely Kiri Liz on her blog today, if you’d like to come visit for a spell!