SNIPPETS FROM MY PETER PAN-INSPIRED WIP // my fictional children share their shenanigans

At the beginning of September, I came up with some goals I wanted to pursue this month and dedicated an entire blog post to sharing those goals with all of you. One of them was to write 30,000 words in my WIP, Blue Like Sapphires - the sequel to my YA fairytale fantasy novel Dusted Red. Unfortunately, it turns out that I'm not going to be able to reach that goal. :P

A lot of factors went into this, like the full week I went without even opening the document. That was, to say the least, a crazy week. Although I'm disappointed I won't be able to hit 100k in Blue Like Sapphires (overall), I HAVE made some really good progress this month that I'm excited about. At the time I'm writing this, I've hit approximately 93,000 words overall, which means I've written approximately 21,000 words this month.

I really can't complain. XD

The goal I absolutely must reach is to finish this first draft before the end of October. Which should honestly be a piece of cake, because I don't expect Blue Like Sapphires to extend much beyond the 105k-word mark. 110k at the most. I want to finish it before November because 1) for the sake of my sanity I can't have more than one first-draft project on my plate during NaNoWriMo, and 2) I just want to have book 2 finished before I start book 3. Because book 3 is, indeed, my NaNo project. *quiet screaming*

So that's my little writing update! As you already know by the title, today I wanted to scrounge up some snippets for you to read and cringe at maybe possibly enjoy (this is first-draft material, after all :P). I'm very particular about sharing names from this book, for a couple reasons, so I have to edit out some of them. You'll see my main character's older brother as [Big Brother] and my fascinating/obnoxious side character as [Snarky Redhead]. XD

Without further ado, here's a sneak peek into my Peter Pan-inspired WIP!

Blue Like Sapphires collage! (pics taken from Pinterest; credit to original creators/owners)

~~~

I opened the oven and met a blast of blistering hot air head-on. Wincing, I reached in with cloth-covered hands and withdrew a pan of perfectly browned muffins. "Those smell wonderful," Marlina commented, scurrying by me with a mop and bucket. [Snarky Redhead] was here, so she was in clumsy mode. Flustered mode. 

I was flustered as well, but for an entirely different reason. Mama wasn't here. When I woke up this morning, Mama was still asleep in bed - a rare surprise - and Papa was cooking breakfast himself - an even rarer surprise.

"Mama is staying home today," he told me, before I could get a word in edgewise. "Do you think you and Marlina can man the bakery without her?"

I had nodded, blinking. "Are you… going to Lenhador today?"

"Later this morning, yes." Papa stirred the sweet porridge he was making and smiled my way. "But I decided I needed a better night's rest. And your mama needs her rest too."

Even now, as Marlina and I ran to and fro mixing batches, attending customers, and keeping track of all the oven timers, I couldn't decide if the strange arrangement this morning was relieving or disconcerting. After all, Mama had to have told Papa all about Baldemar's visit the other day.

Was this the result?

His threat was working.

Of course it was. No matter what we did, he always managed to gain the upper hand.

*

My following them counted on neither boy turning fully around to gaze down the path the way they had come. I should have known, though, that [Big Brother] would think of my evident curiosity the other night and be on the look-out for me.

Because whirl around and gaze down the path is exactly what he did.

He noticed me pretty much instantly and stopped in his tracks. [Snarky Redhead] stopped several swaggering strides later and spun around as well.

[Big Brother]'s gaze sped through the distance between us, cutting through the Wide Path like a horizontal sunbeam, and bored into me. He crossed his arms.

Defiantly, and yet unable to hide the smile flickering across my face, I crossed my arms as well, mimicking his stance.

[Snarky Redhead] looked between us, then crossed his arms as well and made a show of tapping his foot impatiently as both of them waited for me to come closer and receive the earful I knew I deserved.

Unraveling my arms, I held my head high as I walked up to them. 

Standing in the dark, on the vulnerable and dangerous Wide Path, was not what I would normally have expected my brother, his friend, and I to be doing at this time of night.

*

"No more talking, remember?"

We hadn't been following our own rule very well, were we?

The next time it was my turn to sew, I caught a whiff of something awful. I sniffed again - an ironic reflex - and then my gag reflex jerked to life.

"Don't you dare vomit," [Snarky Redhead] said, sounding half-amused and half-scared.
"His gown…" I gagged again, then forced myself to ignore it and just sew. We were almost done. It was worth taking the time to make it secure. Mama had taught me the craft well, even though I was bad at being motivated to do it at home.

*

Hide.

Grabbing onto the low-hanging branch of a tree, I hoisted myself up. Adrenaline coursed through me as I scrambled up as silently and as quickly as possible. When I had tucked myself into a stable and inconspicuous position, I gripped the branches on either side of me as hard as I could and peered into the dimness of the nighttime forest.

Someone was coming. I could hear soft rustling and low humming. Masculine, it sounded like.
My breath caught. Could this be Peter Pan?

~~~

Believe it or not, Blue Like Sapphires isn't a retelling of Peter Pan. It's VERY HEAVILY inspired by Peter Pan, obviously, but my story 100% goes its own way. Although it snatches and twists many aspects of the original, it doesn't even try to resemble the general plotline of the original. So that's one Blue Like Sapphires factoid you might find interesting. XD

I hope you enjoyed these snippets (despite their first-draft-ness), and I'll see you next week with some kind of blogging anniversary celebration. Because YES, it's that time of year! More on that later, though. ;D

*salutes and then disappears in a poof of fairy dust*

The Lord's Truly,

SUNSHINE BLOGGER AWARD 2019

I've done this award tag once before, but that was on my old blog. Clearly, then, it's been a long time. I'm ready to do this again! *cracks knuckles*

Rules:

- Thank the blogger who nominated you and provide a link back to their blog so others can find them. A big thank you to Ash and Evan! I'm answering BOTH their sets of questions today. In fact, I'll be taking turns answering them - one of Ash's, one of Evan's, and repeat - because that's just how we're going to do things. XD

- List the rules and display an award logo on your blog post.

I really don't know what the award logo is, but I'm assuming I can just use what I found on Ash's blog?? I'm sorry, Ash, if I'm stealing something from you. It was never intentional!

- Answer the 11 questions the blogger asked you.

- Nominate 11 new blogs to receive the award and notify them by commenting on any of their posts.

- Ask the nominees 11 new questions. 

Dogs or cats?

DOGS. 100%. If you know nothing else about me, just know that I am not a cat person. I'm perfectly convinced our cat population is plotting world domination. So WATCH OUT. And lock your doors at night. XD

You have been charged to go undercover to complete a mission...at Disneyland...assonate the Imposter Mickey Mouse.  What elements make up your undercover costume, and how successful are you at your job?

My undercover costume would be a giant Minnie Mouse disguise. That way I could lure Mickey in with my feminine wiles and then pounce for the kill at the moment he least expects it. However, I don't believe I have it in me to MURDER a Mickey Mouse (imposter or not), no matter how much initial confidence I may have. In the end I'll chicken out, and Imposter Mickey will escape unfazed.

What's your favorite color and why?

Purple! One thing I find fascinating about this color is how, depending on its shade, it can be a soft color OR a hard color.

*realizes this applies to every color* *pretends like it does not*

I love dark purple best. <3

The last meme you saved on your phone?

This is a little something one of my friends made. XD Nicki is the author of a book called A Certain Sort of Madness (among several other books) which I love SO MUCH. Dante is one of the characters in said book. Nicki is also a friend, and I do a lot of screaming at her about her characters because... well, she's a writer. Dante is not safe. I do my best to protect him.

(READ THE BOOK, GUYS. Love Dante and join me in the screaming. Please, I need haaaalp.)

What inspired you to start blogging?

In my case, it isn't so much what inspired me as who inspired me. One of my best friends had a blog, and as she told me allllll about it, I naturally decided it was the coolest thing ever and started pestering my mom about letting me start my own. Haven't turned back since! And it's been a number of years. :))

You are given a million dollars, but you can only use it to buy one kind of thing...that costs one dollar or less.  What do you buy?

Geez, would I want a million of anything?

Forget a serious answer. I'm buying a million scented candles. The small ones at Walmart cost no more than a dollar, I'm pretty sure.

via Giphy

Are you an early riser or late sleeper?

Late sleeper. I can't deny it. I've been trying to convert myself into an early riser, but it's not easy.

via Giphy

^^^ me trying to get up in the morning

Besides, there's nothing more wonderful than being allowed to sleep till noon, or almost noon. Unfortunately, I can't sleep in as much as I might have used to, but that only makes me appreciate it more.

One blogger you want to get to know better?

Ash Ronnel! I only recently started following her blog, but she's fantastic. So sweet and inspiring, and I think we have quite a bit in common!! I look forward to interacting with her more in the future. <3

Favorite subject?

SPANISH. It's one of my more challenging school subjects (learning a second language isn't easy, kids), but I'm passionate about it and I'm trying to get back into practicing more. I'm also pretty certain I'll be majoring in Spanish when I go to college, so that probably shows better than anything how much I like it. :D

You just realized that the world is going to end in 100 days.  Do you tell people or not (think this one through carefully)?

I would try to tell people. It's a hit-or-miss whether they would actually listen to me, though. XD

Do you play any sports?

SOCCER FOREVAAAAAA

via Giphy

^^^ how I hype myself up for a game

You've been given free all-expenses paid, round-trip to the place you want to go LEAST in the world.  Would you take the trip?

I'd rather not go to Antarctica (or the desert, but we'll just go with Antarctica because I thought of that first). And yet, this could be a worthwhile experience. If Nadine Brandes became a sea cook in the name of book research, I think I can manage a trip to Antarctica in the name of book research too.

What is one of your favorite hobbies?

Why share one when I could share ALL? My favorite hobbies include reading, blogging, TV-watching (nothing but Merlin, really, and movies every now and then XD), Spanish-ing, journaling (when I'm not in a SLUMP ugh), and of course writing. Fiction writing. That about covers it.

One person in history you want to time travel to meet, and spoil something about the future to?

Charles Dickens: *literally treated like a Hollywood celebrity in his time*

Me: Sir, I just wanted to let you know, they still love you in the 21st century. Could you sign my copy of A Tale of Two Cities?

Do you procrastinate things til the last minute or get them out of the way quickly?

I tend to procrastinate, to be quite honest. It's a problem. -_-

It could be worse, though! For instance, I never rarely procrastinate till the literal last minute. That would be a much more serious issue.

I remember a time when I always got things done lickety split, with little distraction. I remembering being sure I would never to struggle with procrastination. WHO HAVE I BECOME? *cries*

You get two selfish wishes (like you can't wish for stuff like peace on earth etc.), what are they?

1) I wish my acne would go away and never return. All of it. Perfect complexion without makeup. I don't have really bad acne, but I do have more than a lot of teenage girls seem to. And I do have a lot to be thankful for when it comes to my deplorably sensitive skin, but... *sigh*

2) I wish I had flawless skill in socialization and human interaction and wasn't such an awkward potato. XD

Top three favorite foods?

- pasta

- PASTA

- PAAAASTAAAA

Ahem.

Which way does the toilet paper role go?  Write a thesis + mini essay about why (WRITE IT LIKE YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT. I WANNA SEE QUALITY CONTENT).

I'm sorry, but I'm not writing an essay about this. XD The edge of the roll needs to hang down from the top/front, NOT the back. It's as simple as that. How people could even think it should hang from the back is just what I'd like to know.

(Forgive the lack of formality. I know, I'm a huge disappointment in that regard.)

What's your MBTI personality type?

I'd like to think I'm an INFP, but I'm too lazy to take the test to make sure. I'm definitely a dreamer, an introvert, and a creative. Based on minimal research, I thought that sounded like an INFP. But you tell me. :P

One thing most people are afraid of but you're not / one thing you are afraid of that most people aren't?

A lot of people are afraid of what will happen to them when they die. As that isn't something I'm afraid of for myself ("to be absent with the body is to be present with the Lord"), we'll go with that.

Sometimes I'm mildly afraid Google is going to think my writer friends and I are actual murderers/abusers and not just murderers/abusers of our fictional characters.

via Tenor

If you were given $1000 to spend right now, what would you do?

Can I cheat and say I would NOT spend it right now? I would, in fact, put it into my college savings.

If I had to spend it right now, though, I'd buy any number of cliche things. A really nice phone. Service for said phone. Books. Book merch. Band merch. Writing merch. Maybe Scrivener.

via Giphy

11 things that describe your personal aesthetic, and why?

crooked glasses // ponytail all the time // avoiding eye contact bc it's too powerful // a mountain of things I wish I'd said // that peaceful, dreamy state of I-just-woke-up // loud thoughts // quiet voice // scenario after scenario after scenario // fingers blurting words // Jesus' unwavering love for me no matter how I feel or what I do

I think the fact that this feels like a very imperfect aesthetic is part of the aesthetic itself, seeing as I'm a very imperfect person. But God doesn't require perfection from me. He took care of all my flaws and shortcomings on the cross. Now He just wants my heart. He wants to slip me more and more pieces of His love and glory, and He wants to show me His wonderful plan for my life. And believe me, sweet soul, He wants the same for you. <3

~~~

Well, that's a wrap! I don't think I'll tag anybody or provide 11 more questions, but I love this award. It's tons of fun every time I do it. :D So if you haven't done it yet, beg someone to tag you!! Steal someone's questions!! Don't be shy, m'kay? There are plenty of beautifully random questions - and sunshine - to go around.

The Lord's Truly,

About those scented candles... I got some recently. XD In fact, I got fall-scented ones. Because the season of crispy leaves and fuzzy blankets is HERE, my friends! *brandishes pumpkin spice candle* I'M PREPARED FOR THE SEASON.

Anyway. XD I'd love it if you commented down below! Let's chat about alllll the things.

STAYING CLOSE TO GOD IN COLLEGE // guest post by Amanda Brown // Oh Beloved One tour

pics in this post courtesy of Amanda Brown

Happy Saturday, lovely friends! Welcome to the magazine tour for Oh Beloved One. I'm honored to feature Amanda Brown - the beautiful mind behind this magazine for Christian girls - on my blog today. She has some great tips to share on how to stay close to God in college, which is super relevant for me because I'll be heading into college next year. (O_o) I hope you find her advice and encouragement as inspiring and uplifting as I do. <3

Check out Oh Beloved One:

~ website ~

~ mailing list ~

~ Instagram ~

Without further ado, I'll hand the mic to Amanda!

~~~

Hi guys! I’m Amanda Brown, the editor and founder of a blog and magazine (Oh Beloved One) reminding you that you’re beloved by the King of the Universe! This month I’m “taking OBO on tour” . . .  which basically means getting to know AMAZING people like you by collaborating with blog owners to introduce you guys to Oh Beloved One!

My two passions are art and the written word, and I love finding unique ways to marry the two. This often looks like me designing and editing our bimonthly Oh Beloved One magazine (which is free online and also in print for $11) and designing e-books/printables (all of which are free so far). 

But, today, I wanted to talk to you guys about staying close to God in college. College can be a scary time. You’re moving away from home, possibly thrown into a mass of people who have never cared about God, living with three or four other people in a dorm room, and you have to choose your major (so basically decide the rest of your life). 

No pressure, right?

College is a time that can also become very selfish. College is all about YOUR friends, YOUR homework, YOUR teachers, YOUR future, YOUR relationships, YOUR meals. If we aren’t careful, we can become people obsessed with ourselves (I know this from experience).

It’s SO important to stay close to God during college because you’ll need His help a lot of times, whether you’re stressed about work or in a quarrel with a teacher, etc.  I mean, this is real life: you’ll always have hardships, whether they’re little puddles or huge oceans. God is the only thing that’s going to keep you from sinking.

TIP ONE: GET IN THE WORD.

Of course, the most important thing I can tell you is be in the Word. Not just once a week, but EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Some of you guys have never been able to do daily devotions consistently. I was there too!! I didn’t start doing devotions every day until last summer. I was held accountable for it while working at a Christian camp. Once the summer ended, I’d seen so much growth and experienced God’s love in such an intimate way, I knew I couldn’t afford to lose the daily communion I’d had with Him. 

It might seem impossible, but I’m telling you: if you draw near to God, He’ll draw near to you. I have lots of resources on the blog with information about starting your own devotions, but here’s just some quick suggestions.

• Choose a time: Stick to this time every day so you aren’t tempted to skip. I’m no morning person, but I have decided that starting out my day with God first thing is more important than a non-zombie Amanda. Daily conquering the flesh, baby!!
• Choose a location: I’m a town student so I get to do my devotions at my desk every morning. You may choose to do it outside a classroom between classes, next to a lake during the summer if you’re counseling, etc. It doesn’t have to be fancy. Just make sure you won’t be distracted!
• Choose a topic: This can be very overwhelming for the new devotion-doer. You could go two routes: study based off of someone else’s published devotional, or do your own study.
• Prewritten devotionals: She Reads Truth, Revive Our Hearts, Well Watered Women, and Daily Grace Co all have great devotionals. You buy these and they have a set time period they cover. Every day, you’ll have a reading and then the writers give a commentary and ask questions that will get you thinking and applying God’s Word to your life.
• Starting your own study: This can look like reading a chapter of Psalms every day and journaling your thoughts on it, choosing a short passage and using blueletterbible.org to look up the meanings of the words, studying through the OT (check out thebibleproject.com and watch their videos before starting a new chapter for great context), or reading through the Gospels and underlining every time Jesus showed 1 Corinthians 13 love. 

If you need more ideas, feel free to explore my blog or even write me on Instagram!! I’m passionate about helping people really dig deep into the Word because, for so long, I thought I was incapable of such deep study or communion with God.

TIP TWO: CHOOSE TO BE SELFLESS.

I’m such a selfish person. Really, I am! As soon as I catch myself throwing a pity party, being jealous about someone else, or complaining about how tired I am, I try to pivot my thoughts towards the OUTSIDE instead of the INSIDE. 

When you are selfish, challenge yourself to do something for someone. Find a cute Pinterest quote and send it to a friend. Buy a classmate a coffee. Hand letter a verse for someone. Offer to listen to someone and bear their burdens. Text someone you lost touch with and ask how you can pray for them. Bake cookies for a nursing home and then deliver them. Satan likes to get us really inside ourselves, which renders us useless to anyone (even ourselves). When we love on other people, we’re taking part in the love of God (1 John 4). 

Yes, you’ll need to get homework done. Yes, there will be times when your schedule seems like an impossible mess. But make sure you take time to love on other people. It could even just be a hallway conversation, a quick smile or hug.

TIP THREE: SATURATE YOURSELF IN GOD.

This is especially important if you’re going to a secular college. Find ways to saturate yourself in your faith. This might look like 

• listening to a Christian life podcast while working out
• signing up for the Bible Gateway verse of the day email
• subscribing to good Christian blogs
• choosing to watch a Christian YouTuber rather than a Netflix chick flick
• following inspirational Christian quote Instagram pages to give you a break in between selfies

Things that will be delivered to your web page, phone screen, ears, eyes, and therefore heart to remind you that you are just a sojourner in this world. You could even set phone reminders. Hear the buzz? Time to praise God for 15 seconds while walking to your next class. Hear the buzz? Time to pull out that verse card and work on memorizing one section. Hear the buzz? Just your reminder to smile at the next person you see and ask how their day has been.

We don’t have a cubby hole Christianity: we have a swimming pool faith. It pours over into ever crease, every corner of our being, from what we watch to how we scroll to what we say. Allow God to have His hand in every aspect of your life!

I hope these tips were very helpful and encouraging. Cultivating a relationship with God in college will take full commitment and some energy on your part, but it’s totally worth it. Imagine thinking you can go whitewater rafting without a paddle, relying on your strength and determination! That’s not gonna work too well. Likewise, we MUST rely on God’s strength as we grow older and face “big people” problems.

Hope to see you around the OBO blog, and don’t forget: you are beloved!

~~~

Wow. <3 Thank you SO much for sharing, Amanda. I'll be falling back on this as a constant reminder in the months leading up to college - and definitely once college hits!

Okay, so obviously I'm not the only stop on this tour. :D (which is going on all September long!!) Rosalie Valentine and Jane Maree have featured OBO on their blogs too. There's a giveaway, guys. And an interview. << EPIC STUFF RIGHT THERE. So check out Rosalie's post and Jane's post because you won't want to miss that.

Whatever you're going through this weekend, just remember that you are loved by the Creator of the universe. You. are. the beloved one.

The Lord's Truly,

Have you read any issues of Oh Beloved One? (I highly recommend it. It's an amazing magazine, and it's FREE online!) Are you in college, going into college, or have been in college? How do you prioritize relationship with God amidst school or general busyness? Comment below!

PUBLISHED ON HAVOK SEPT. 11 // a quirky story about dreams and stars (free today only!!)

Hey, friends! I'm popping in really fast this fine Wednesday to let you know that I've been published on Havok for the fifth time!!! My fantasy flash fiction Weary Dreamer will be free till midnight tonight for the general public to read. If you're interested, click HERE. I'll be replying to any comments on the Havok site throughout the day, so I'd love to see you over there if you happen to stop by. <3

Venturing out on a limb here, but I think you guys will like this one. :D It's a quite strange and rather simple fantasy about a girl with two dreams - one she wants to pursue, and one she wants to get rid of.

Weary Dreamer is also inspired by a song from the 70s! If you're a Havok Horde member and are the first to guess in the comments which song that is, you'll be entered to win an Amazon gift card. FUN TIMES.

That's all I've got for you today! Have an amazing rest of the week, my lovelies. <3

The Lord's Truly,

THE DIMENSION TAKEOVER // my friends share their predictions of my novel *cackles*

You may be wondering why I'm writing in blue today. I'm writing in blue because that's going to be my color for the rest of the week.

And what do I mean by "the rest of the week"?

I mean that The Dimension is taking over the blogosphere for the rest of the week in a collaboration stretching across five different blogs.

IT'S. GOING. TO. BE. EPIC.

via Tenor

Allow me to explain. I and a handful of other blogging gals around these parts have decided to call ourselves The Dimension. (I'm counting on one of the others explaining in their post where that name came from. XD) These ladies are fantastic and I love them SO MUCH. <3 For this collaboration we basically decided it would be hilarious if we took turns letting the others publicly roast us on our own blog. Each post will address a particular quirk of the roastee that we're constantly teasing her about in the inner circle of The Dimension.

Except for my post, that is. We couldn't think of anything the others could roast me for (apparently I'm too much of a cinnamon roll?? Not sure that's accurate, but okay XD), so I asked them if they wanted to share their predictions of my novel instead. Dusted Red is a fairy tale retelling mash-up of Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel & Gretel, Goldilocks, and Peter Pan. Here's my current (and still rough, I'm sorry) blurb:

After losing her father to the shapeshifters, Delmy doesn't want anyone else she cares about to slip out of her grasp. But when they take her grandmother, there's nothing she can do but venture into the witch-infested, shapeshifter-filled Fawood and hope she can find the shapeshifters' hidden sanctum before it's too late.

Delmy doesn't expect to meet a single human in the forest, but to her surprise, she encounters a brother and sister wandering aimlessly in search of home. Banding together, the threesome find themselves entangled in something more sinister than the darkest village legends ever hinted at. And worse, some of them may be connected to it in ways they never imagined.

~~~

*rubs hands together* So I came up with some questions for my fellow anomalies (another of our nicknames) to answer. Their responses will be based off more information than what is given in the blurb, so if you want to know more, follow THIS LINK to read a short series of posts delving a little deeper into what the story is about and who the characters are.

Now, without further ado, let's see what my friends expect from Dusted Red!

*gulps*

XD

~ First of all, please introduce yourselves! ~

What is up, peeps? It’s Brooke, the Queen of Ships.

Hello, it’s Gray Marie everyone’s second favorite introverted extrovert. 

HIYA ALL!! It’s Lisa, the one who’s sister is secretly twins with Lila’s. Ok that was a weird intro. Let’s retry. HELLO IT’S LISA the person who forgot Lila existed because the first time she commented on Lila’s blog was apparently the second time, but Lisa forgot she’d been there before.

Hellooooooo!!!! It is Faith, Evil Mistress of Death, Mother of Dragons, actually Potato Queen.

~ What is your general prediction of the kind of story Dusted Red is? (Fast-paced or slow-burn? Soft or savage? Mostly fun or mostly serious? etc.) ~

Brooke: I think it’s going to be a good mixture of all the above! I know it will be fast at times and I know there may be a slow painful burn at times. I also know Lila is a cinnamon roll, but that does not mean she can’t be savage. AND, I know it will be both fun and serious. Haha, all the above!

Gray: Hmmm. Lila is a very soft person, which is why we love her, however, I bet this book will be mostly savage. Will it have its soft moments? Of course, because Lila is writing it, but I think this will be a fun, fast-paced adventure overall. 

Faith: Honestly...you’d think it would be a sweet soft book because that’s Lila’s personality. But then…having read her flash fiction and knowing a thing or two about it from the snippets, I gotta say, it’s probably going to be pretty savage xD Probably pretty fast-paced, too, because she actually plots (*unlike me* *coughs*)

Lisa: I’m frightfully forgetful when it comes to details about my friends’ wips that I haven’t actually read *cough* From what I know about Lila though, I believe her book is going to be a perfect mix of everything! In essence I agree with everyone above XD

~ Based on what little you know (mwahaha), describe a scene you predict happening in Dusted Red. I know it’s hard, but be as creative as you want! ~

Brooke: I ship some characters and I can totally see a scene where the two characters get together. If I am correct that is. 

Gray: A battle with some characters constantly shape-shifting?? 

Faith: Some scenes wandering lost in the woods, possibly enmity between Delmy and Gretel (not sure why I think they won’t get along, but I don’t, for some reason?), and of course something to do with flying with Peter Pan…

Lisa: THIS IS REALLY HARD, but I think there’ll be lots of scenes that hark back to the original stories they came from! At least I hope. One scene I’d be most excited to see is the climactic confrontation with the villain(s).

~ What ships do you predict (or want XD)? I’ve been purposefully vague about that, so this oughtta be interesting… ~ 

Brooke: Delmy and Peter. I’ve already thought this through a lot. Or Gretel and Peter. I could go either way with this, honestly. 

Gray: Gretel and Peter for sureee. 

Faith: I’m thinking Delmy and Hansel? But it could be Delmy and Peter. *shrugs* Not sure yet. I reserve judgment for the time being. *cackles* (Although, based on that one flash fiction, it could be Peter and Tiger Lily…)

Lisa: I don’t know that much, but I went and looked at some of her character collages/descriptions and from what I saw, I decided on Delmy and Hansel XD Densel? Helmy? All the ship name possibilities this has hahaha!

~ Which aspects of the original Red Riding Hood, Hansel & Gretel, Goldilocks, and Peter Pan stories do you fully expect/hope I’ve included? *gulps* ~

Brooke: Neverland mischief and fairy-tale vibes. The wolf somewhere from Red Riding Hood, maybe sibling bonds from Hansel and Gretel?? 

Gray: I hope the wolf is somewhere in here, because that prospect is epic. Also, the mermaids from Peter Pan, which I think I remember Lila talking about somewhere… 

Faith: A shape-shifting wolf, perhaps? That would be EPIC. And the lost in the woods part of both Red Riding Hood and Hansel & Gretel? I think the mermaids will be in there (or is that the sequel? It’s one of the two xD) and the Lost Boys will be there, as well as Tiger Lily. I think. ;)

Lisa: I really hope to see the other side characters! Meaning, the wolf, the witch, the bears, and Captain Hook. *cough* apparently I’m excited about the villains now, what! I’m so excited for this fairy tale mash up novel *happy dancing*

From left to right: Delmy, Gretel, Tink, Peter Pan

~ And finally, what do you think the ending will be like, considering I’m writing a sequel? (cliffhanger, tragic, happy with a couple loose ends, etc.) ~

Brooke: Tragic with loose ends, probably a cliffhanger that could be by itself, but also have a sequel. Having read Lila’s writing before, I know it’s going to be great and I can’t wait. She’s SUPER talented at writing and I look forward to reading Dusted Red. 

Gray: A CLIFFHANGER! AND I’M GOING TO BE!! SO!! UPSET & SALTY IF IT COMES TO THAT!!!! DOn’t you dArE leave me hANGING, Lila. >:( 

Faith: Definitely a cliffhanger because she’s mentioned it…so. Cliffhanger it is and it will most likely rip out my heart very very rudely. Bring it on.

Lisa: I fully expect a cliffhanger!! Actually I think that either a) the story of the first book *seemingly* end well and is well tied up but CLIFFHANGER! Something surprisingly tragic and shocking happens - and we need a sequel!! Or b) there’s a tragic ending and a ton of loose ends that will be tied up in the sequel. But I rather hope for the first scenario XD

~~~

Well. That was something. XD

*zips lips*

via Gifer

Okayyyyy, so none of you are going to want to miss the rest of The Dimension Takeover! Click the links below to the other blogs and be sure to follow them (if you haven't already) so you won't miss alllll the good-natured roastings to come this week. XD

Brooke @ Chasing Dragonflies

Lisa @ Inkwell

Gray @ Sunshine and Joy

Faith @ The Writer's Song

I'll update the links when their actual Dimension Takeover posts go up!

The Lord's Truly,

This has got me super excited to share my novel with more people in the future! Whether those predictions are correct or not, mwahaha. Do you have any Dusted Red predictions of your own that you want to share? Are you excited for The Dimension Takeover?? Comment below!