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Of course! I mean how could I not fangirl about Fortitude? *Thinking of one reason not to* *draws blank* *tries again* *draws another blank* *trying to is futile* IT IS THE BEST EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:D š š š š š š
And everything you wrote from “of course” to “fantastic” just about made me cry. I mean it means so much to me you have no idea!:)Ā FortitudeĀ is also a book I would love to take to a coffee shop as well or one I’d pull off the shelf at the library (since my own copy wouldn’t be able to leave the house or it might get dirty or something unthinkable like that) and spend the whole afternoon re-reading it:) And same here, there is like no published book I can even think of right now that I’ve been this excited about!!
Thank you so incredibly, (like you have no idea how much) much!!!:D š š š š : DHaha, well no definite promises, but I think I will be keeping it:) Ooh yes! Pirion is like, theĀ perfectĀ villain name!:D
(I put a lot of :D’s in mine too XD) šAgreed!:) And, now that I think of it, you never really say goodbye to your characters because you, as the authoress, can write about them whenever you like:) And *gasps* YAYAYAYAY, The Snow Warrior has a sequel and prequel!!! *claps* *internally screams* *throws confetti everywhere* IāM SO EXCITED FOR YOU (and for me, because that means I get to fangirl over TWO MORE BOOKS and that is just the GREATEST. THING. EVER!!) š š š Awwww, thank you so much!!!!! Youāre the sweetest person ever!!!! Iām so happy you can picture that in your mind, because ironically, even though Iām a writer, Iām not the best at putting things into words, so I was hoping I explained it well. Aw, thank you!!! It is heart-wrenching, and it breaks my heart (and Cairaās) to read through his letter.
Aww, I donāt mind at all!!! I love questions (and by the way, I feel like I donāt ask enough of yours, because I was hoping you wouldnāt mind. I have so many I want to ask, so if you donāt mind, Iād love to ask more!!! I may put it in a separate post) So hereās a little excerpt from Newtonās apology letter:
I donāt know if weāll ever see each other again, Caira, but either way, I wish you every bit of happiness in this world. You deserve it. And I know in my heart that youāre going to make a young man really happy someday. But when you meet him, make sure he knows every day how lucky he is to have you.Ā And Caira? Donāt ever let anyone change you. Youāre the most perfect girl Iāll ever meet, and Iāll always remember the moments we had together. Iāll never forget you.
I love you, Caira Watson.
— Newton J. Rowne.
Itās pretty heartbreaking, and this is when Caira realizes sheās crying. And THANK YOU!!! Iām so glad you like it!!! Newton and Cairaās scenes are adorable to write (though Iāve only outlined most of them because, where I am in the story, thereās nothing romantic between them. Unfortunately, I may have to wait until the second book to even have romance :(Iām still trying to figure that out.) And yes, she does!! And no, that isnāt weird at all!! Itās definitely cut shorter, but itās still shaggy, which is what Newton likes. Heās a little awkward because, at this point, he really has feelings for Caira so heās nervous being so close to her. I think he fusses a little, and Caira playfully scolds him. Itās a pretty adorable moment, and even though Newton tries āflirtingā with Caira, it goes over her head XD He appreciates it once sheās done (because, prior to this, Newton used to cut his own hair with his knife, so thatās why it was so unevenly cut).
And YES HE DOES, and itās going to be so adorable to write (this sounds bad, but his stutter makes it even cuter:) Iām honestly overjoyed that you love it and think itās adorable, because I wasnāt sure if readers would ever like the romance or even ship Newton/Caira in the first place. SO THANK YOU!!!! š š šĀ Yeah, Iām thinking I may include it near the end, though Iām not sure. Iāll also need to figure out how people propose in Aldova because itās different there… *sigh* Thank you!!! š
*sighs* Good! Iām glad youāre keeping it, because ITāS JUST PHENOMENAL AND IāM PRACTICALLY SHAKING WITH EXCITEMENT TO READ IT!!! *pulls out paper bag and hyperventilates* Okay, okay, Iāll calm down. BUT EEEEK IāM JUST SO HAPPY THAT THIS STORY EXISTS!!!!!! Where has this incredible masterpiece of literature been all of my life?!Ā Yup, I definitely am thankful to have found this forum:) I feel like Iāve made so many friends and itās just been the best thing ever meeting you and everybody else!!! š š š KP does rule!!:)Ā And yes, definitely!!! Sunday works greatāI canāt wait for it! *still grinning harder than humanly possible and practically screaming about awesome this is* š š š (Also, sorry for this loooong post–I get carried away when I’m writing XD I hope you don’t mind them)
Aww, thank you!!! I’m smiling so hard right now–that’s just so sweet of you to say!!! š š š *gives the biggest sigh ever* IT MEANS SO MUCH TO ME THAT YOU LOVE IT SO MUCH! Yay, I haven’t even finished the book and it already has fans!!! <333 Aww, I’m glad to hear it touched you so much, but that wasn’t even half of how much I’m just in love with your story!! I think I’d crash the entire forum if I wrote my true feelings about your novel because the actual post itself would probably be a novel-length:) And thank you so much!! I can’t wait to be able to sit in a coffee shop and read your book *sigh* and then I’ll tell everybody else in the coffee shop about it and brag about how I’m friends with the bestselling author š Yay, you’re keeping it!! I mean, if you decide not to, I know that his name will be perfect regardless, but still! And thank you so much!! It’s the most fantasy-style name I have, I think.:)
Thatās true too:)
Yep:) Iām almost a 100% sure Iāll be writing a prequel, (how and if I go about sequels is still kind of fuzzy because tbh I think I have enough plots that wonāt work in the first novel to make a series, but on the other hand, I like the idea of one large stand-alone. Though Iām seriously thinking a sequel could be a great addition, so who knows:) Thank you!!! š
Aw, thanks:) And I mean I think you explained it very well because the image I can see of them is so beautiful, (and adorable and sad at the same time:) Poor, sweet, amazing Newtonā¦:)
Oh good! Because honestly, I love asking questions:) And are you kidding?! I LOVE ANSWERING QUESTIONS TOO!:D Seriously, (I mean when I started KP, I was kind of uncertain about sharing my WIP and wasnāt sure how likable it was. But now after meeting all you awesome writers, I love talking about it! Endlessly XD ), so honestly, any and all questions are 100% welcome and Iād be super ecstatic to answer them!!!:D So yes, never worry about me minding answering questions because I love questions!!!:) š
OH, MY WORD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THAT IS THE MOST HEARTBREAKING AND ADORABLE AND AWESOME-EST AND SWEET AND SAD AND UTTERLY AMAZING THING EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh my goodness, thank you SO much for sharing that excerpt, I nearly cried. Aw, Newtonā¦ he is the greatest ever!!! I just about cried, screamed, and grinned a million miles long at the same time!!!!!!!!!!! š š š š š š š š š š š š š š Aw, I can just picture Newton writing that and that makes me want to cry, and then I can see Caira reading it and crying then going to find Newton and telling him how she actually feels and all that makes me want to cry. Gosh, thereās a lot of crying going on here, but all the good kind!!!:) Oh my goodness, that was SO INCREDIBLE!!!!! I mean, Iāll probably be fangirling about it for the rest of the month, (year, decade, century, lifetime:) I especially loved where he wrote, āAnd Caira? Donāt let ever let anyone change you,ā and where he says he loves her. I mean I literally melted at that. I can hardly even write how amazing that is:)
And this is extremely hard for me to switch to the next comment because of how much I want to keep talking on FOREVER about that letter butā¦ā¦
Yes, Iāve mostly just outlined Mejia/Filip scenes too, (recently though Iām taking advantage of NaNoWriMo to flesh those scenes out and I finally have the first draft of the confession part 1, flower scene, confession part 2, and a few other assorted ones where they are practically anything but romantic XD This draft overall may not make the world of sense but at least Iām getting these scenes out:)
Awww:( Oh well:) I know it will be 100000% pure awesome no matter what you decide and saving the romance for later on can definitely add a lot of depth and specialness to it. I saved Mejia and Filipās slowly growing feelings for much later in the book and since the book happens over the span of a year, I hope to be able to put the confession in it, but who knows:)
Oh good, Iām glad itās still shaggy because thatās just, okay I know he doesnāt consider it cute and would probably be infuriated with me that I called it cute, BUT ITāS SO CUTE! Awwwwwwwww, thatās so adorable that he fusses about it a bit and I can just see Caira playfully scolding him. Oh, my word, that is such a sweet image:) Thatās so utterly adorable that heās awkward being near her and tries to flirt with her:) How does he try to? Oh my goodness, I just saw the scene play out in my head and I just about melted. Thatās just too adorably awesome:)
(Ah, yes:) My guy characters can definitely sympathize with Newton only having a knife to cut hair since Mejia and Lila just donāt cut theirās).
Oh no, his stutter will make it even cuter than it already is!!!:D AND YEEESSSS!!!!!!! I ship Caira/Newton all the way, 100000%, totally, absolutely, completely, I mean I couldnāt imagine them not being together even when she holds Deekās sword to him:) (Tbh, I loved that:) but yeah, I understand worrying about whether readers will ship the characters you choose to be in a romance or not. Because there are stories where youād think the protagonist shouldāve fallen in love with a different character than the one they did and so yes, I worried about whether readers would even root for Filip instead of say Anton or Morio. But Iām so glad you ship them!!:D
And thatās so awesome that people propose differently than in Aldova, I love that idea!!!:D
THANK YOU!! š Aw, thank you so much:) Same to your novel! I mean I seriously canāt get enough of this once-in-a-lifetime masterpiece in the making, AHHHHH! Itās so amazing I can hardly hold still:D Someday Iāll walk into bookstores and see Fortitude on the selves and tell absolutely everyone in the bookstore, āI know that bestselling author!ā
Awesome!!! *Smiling soooooo big here* I canāt wait!!:D
Oh no worries, I donāt mind long posts whatsoever, (I mean this one wasnāt necessarily short XD ). No seriously, I love reading them:)
Aww, Thank you a million thank yous, (I mean, I mean that so much, I could sit and count every thank you out of that million ‘thank yous’ out with utter enthusiasm:) And yes! FORTITUDE FAN FOREVER!!! š š š š š š š š š š š š š š š š š š š š š š š š š š š š
It seems my post vanished… *sigh* I’m sure you got it in your notifications, but just in case, I can re-post it again:)
Also, in response to your last post, you’re so welcome!!! You never need to thank me, because I’m just expressing how happy and excited I am for this story!!! š š š Aww, thank you!!!Ā The Snow WarriorĀ FAN FOREVER!!!!!!!! š š š š š š š š š š š š š š š š š
Yep, I got it:) š Thank goodness for the notification bar huh? Itās been a lifesaver for me XD
Thank you! š The prequel will most likely be set many years prior to the first novel where Mejia has been āadoptedā by a farmer with eight sons and two daughters. But the majority of the story will take place after she is abandoned at Birch Woods furthest border and will mostly be about her three-year trial and becoming The Snow Warrior:) So yes, it will be shorter than the original novel I believe, but it will be covering much more time (two years more,) and at this point, she will only meet Anton, since the others are introduced in the first book:)YESSS!!! *Rubs hands together* I love all these questions and there is no way Iād regret it because I am so excited to answer them!!!:D
(Warning in advance, my answers may be long XD)1# Iāll start with Anton first:) She met him long before the story even begins, during near the third year of the three-year trials. It happened when she was searching for the Ice Well, the final milestone of the trials, (which if I go the allegory route with my novel, will represent salvation), but the trials themselves are just becoming a warrior and honestly, that is only the starting point of actually being a warrior. So anyway, yes:) Anton had been climbing a very tall tree and they met by Mejia saving him as the tree began to fall. Since the tree was practically a colossus tree, it fell back and against a scarp that was right behind it, and was caught on the cliffside before slowly falling downward, scraping the wall of stone. Mejia, by now, was highly skilled in all fields of maneuvering due to the harsh challenges of the trials and ran, (slightly unsteady, but she made it) up the trunk, grabbing Antonās arm, running, and jumping to a middle point ledge on the scarp. This seems kind of farfetched but *shrugs* Iāll be keeping it for a while:) Their first impressions of each other were mostly shock. Anton couldnāt believe Mejia had just done that and Mejia couldnāt believe what just happened, before getting curious why he was in the tree to begin with. And afterward, when they formed a friendship, trees and climbing were always an inside joke for them.
Mejia met Filip when she began to realize there was an unknown and unwanted stranger in Birch Woods that was making scarce of themself. So one day when an elk and the zing of an arrow fly past her, Mejia ducks into the thicket and trips the human who was running after the elk. The masked stranger was a full subject to Mejiaās suspicion and this led up to a swordfight that Mejia won, and holds her sword to him demanding to know who he is. And in his position, Filip wasnāt about to argue as he told her who he was and that he was carrying a letter to Ivatoust. After it was confirmed who he was, Mejia gave him back his sword and advised him to practice. Filip didnāt bother mentioning that he was the best swordfighter in his band and merely took his sword back. She began to leave when Filip suddenly asked if she was just going to leave. Mejia didnāt know what to do with that question for a moment because of how clearly obvious it was and asked if he was lost or injured that she would need him. He said of course not, but when he began walking, his mind wasnāt on where he was going. When Mejia noticed she said that he was lost and walked with him all the way to the outskirts of the village. Mejiaās first impression of Filip was that she was completely unimpressed by him.
She met Lila while marking borders and checking snares. She found her in a stone ditch and was about to tell her to be on her way back where she had come from when Mejia saw that Lila only had one leg. Lila told her that she had no idea where she was and had no idea how to get back, but she said that the forest was nothing like she had ever seen before because where she had once lived, it was never this cold or had as much snow and ice. So with little option but to either abandon Lila or take her in, Mejia cut a crutch from a tree and showed Lila back to her fortalice, and warned her about what not to touch. Mejiaās first impression of Lila was surprise at finding someone in a ditch, then irritation and compassion even though she did not express it.
And as for Morio, Mejia came across him when she saw him running from someone outside of Ivatoust. It turned out later that he had been running from a man who he had just started as an apprentice for, but didnāt carry through with it because the man could be dangerous when he got into a rage over inadequate work. Mejia helped him escape and later asked who he was since he was new to Birch Woods. Morio who didnāt know who she was said that he was looking for The Snow Warrior to join her alliance. He answered a string of questions from her, growing irritated that she was asking him anything and not just telling him where the warrior was. Finally, Mejiaās last question was if he could scale cliffs and as soon as he said that he did, she told him who she was and said the outcome of the climb would determine whether he would join her or not, (the result of the climb itself wasnāt what Mejia was after, but how he reacted to and handled the harshest climb in the forest). Her first impression of him was that she thought he was someone with potential, that he had been hurt several times in the past and already felt that she would be accepting him to her crew.
2# Mejia, Morio, and Filip are sixteen. Anton is fifteen and Lila fourteen. But due to their culture, era, and past experiences, they are all very mature.
3# Though Mejia can wield almost every weapon (with the exception of the bow and arrow which she is still in the process of trying to master) but her weapon of choice is her sword, Filipās is his longbow, Morioās is the staff and dagger, Anton really does not carry weapons generally but can carry a dagger. And Lila doesnāt really have on either although Morio will show her the finer points of wielding the staff now and then, so she knows how to use that pretty well.
4# Mejia never gets to meet her parents sadly, since she had grown up in an orphanage/church-related place before being taken in and later abandoned, she doesnāt know the slightest thing about them. The only link she has to her past is a copper ring with her name engraved in it.
5# Now thatās an interesting question, I have been struggling with whether or not to give them last names. Mejia wonāt ever have a last name because she doesnāt know what her parentsā name had been, so she leans on her title to put after her first name. But I donāt think she cares whether or not she has a last name. (I once considered giving Filip the surname āKondrashā and Lila the surname āLaskinā). But for now, Iām just sticking with given names:)
6# Mejiaās pets are Sonechka, (a snowy owl that she saved and in turn saved her), and the Koni Iāda, (which is Russian for Steeds of Ice), although she doesnāt really consider them pets as much as she considers them friends. The Koni Iāda are six stallions with flashy silver coats and are highly intelligent creatures that are allowed the free reign of Birch Woods and Mejia take the greatest pride and devotion to. Their names being IceDrop, NobleMane, Chantilly, Garvin, SnowDrift, and Hart. CatEye is the stallion and legend that sired them but isnāt one of the Koni Iāda themselves and is considered a myth to everyone, including Mejia. Mejiaās favorite out of them all is IceDrop, which is the cleverest of the Koni Iāda and has the most gentle nature with his rider.
Lilaās pets are every animal in the forest since she makes it a habit to make friends with every one she can find by becoming acquainted with its habitat, sitting there for long hours, and offering them whatever food she can. The largest she ever brought back to the fortalice, Mejia was not pleased with. Lila had brought back a mountain lion that she had helped out of an Ivatoust snare.
Filip will, later on, have Aspen, who a light chestnut mare that his father had wanted him to have before Aspenās herd had trampled them. Aspen herself had not taken to life with humans at all in the beginning in which Filip had released her as he was too afraid to ever even touch her. And thence the mare took into the forest, eventually winding up in Arturās possession where he tamed her to be his mount until someone from Destal steals her from him.7# Mejiaās favorite thing in the world is somewhere between IceDrop, the exhilaration and views of climbing, and knowing that her band and forest are out of harm, (needless to say, she rarely attains that). Her least favorite thing is being at a disadvantage or being helpless in any form.
Morioās favorite thing is finally having someone to call a friend after he meets Mejia, showing Lila how to wield the staff, and the thought of never having to serve anyone, (though that doesnāt go over the best for him). His least favorite thing is his memories and the dark, even though he walks by himself in the woods at night.
Antonās favorite thing is using his hands to invent and create things, squirrels, and visiting with Mejia. His least favorite is being useless and having to constantly be dodging the Ivatoust Leader.
Filipās favorite thing is traveling, coddiwompling, and later on, Mejia. His least favorite thing is being afraid of horses, letting his comrades down, and the doubt that Mejia will never even remotely care about him.
Lilaās favorite thing is exploring Birch Woods, even the places Mejia warns her against, fireplaces and animals. While her least favorite thing is seeing Mejia hurt and being left out and alone.
ā¦ā¦.. I warned you that that might take a while XD Anyway, sorry for how long that turned out to be, but once I started, there was virtually no way to stop XD And thank you so much for saying that, that means a lot:)
Yes, that excerpt WAS THE BEST THING EVER!!! And I have no idea how I managed to hold my tears back, but everyone would have thought I was crazy so, oh well. But seriously, I couldnāt hold back how long I was grinning as I was nearly about to cry, so they probably thought I was crazy anyway XD But if they only knew what it was, they would be doing the exact same thing because it is JUST WAY TOO UTTERLY AMAZING!!!!!!!! š š š
Same! I’m also dying to read Newtons and Caira’s:D And you know what? I know Iām in the first draft of it, but I need someone to critique the confession scene for pacing because of how short it is. But the forum won’t let me post the link:(Ooh, I love that! I think it just makes it all that much better when it takes a while for them to start to like each other. So I think that would be awesome if they started to have feelings for each other in the second book:)
Thank you!!:DAw, that reaction is just so adorable!!!!! That is so cute I donāt even know how to say how cute that is!!!:D
And OH MY WORD, I love it so much that he nicknames her āmāladyā!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is just the awesome-est, adorable-est thing in all of ever!!! I donāt know why Iām so excited about him calling her that, but I just LOVE it!!!!!! š š š š š š š š š š Itās utterly perfect!!!:D
Thank you! Oh, yes, I had been wanting to read the sword scene all the way back when you first mentioned it and had wondered how it would go and what would happen and when I read it!?!?!? IT WAS THE GREATEST THING EVER!!!!!!!!!!! š š š š š š š š š š š š
And thank you SO much!!! I am SO ECSTATIC that you ship Mejia/Filip so much!!! (Okay, that was a lot ā!ās but I couldnāt help it:)*Runs to the cupboard for confetti* *then to secret chocolate stash* *then grabs the streamers* THAT IS AMAZING ALEXA!!!!!!! *Throws the confetti and streamers and shares half the chocolate* CONGRATULATIONS ON REACHING 60K IN YOUR NOVEL!!!!!! Isnāt that the awesome-est feeling ever to see that number on your word count? I canāt wait till we both have 100kās at the end of this month:) BUT FORGET THE 100k FOR NOW BECAUSE THAT IS SUCH AN AMAZING ACHIEVEMENT AND I AM SO EXCITED FOR YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! š š š š š š š š š š š š š š š š š š š *abandons keyboard to celebrate*
I just checked y’alls word counts and you’re doing AMAZING!!! š š š
OH MY GOODNESS, that sounds so incredibly interesting!!! I would ADORE reading that story because I would LOVE to know how Mejia truly became The Snow Warrior!!! Also, *gasps* why does she get abandoned? That’s so sad, it just broke my heart to think about!! Poor Mejia… *sniffles* And THANK YOU so much for all of your replies!!! I LOVED reading every single one of them!!! I loved the introductions (I’m practically dying to read Mejia and Filip’s introduction now) and honestly they all sound so interesting!! How does Mejia meet Artur? Does she already know about him or does she find out? Is it when she gets captured that she first learns about him? And that’s so cool our characters are around the same age!! *high-fives* I thought about making Caira sixteen, but I think she’ll probably be sixteen or seventeen by the end of the last book (not the epilogue, obviously), so I guess that counts:)
And I loved reading about their choice of weaponry! Especially Lila–coincidentally, I have a main character who has a staff as well!! That’s so cool!! š š And *heart breaks again* that’s so sad for Mejia!! Aww, this poor girl just needs a hug (she probably wouldn’t want one, but I don’t care. She needs one), so *hugs Mejia* *pats her on the back* it’s okay, Mejia. I won’t let anything bad happen to you. Oooh, I think your choice of not giving Mejia (by the way, it is pronounced My-juh, right?) a last name is so interesting and I LOVE it!! It emphasizes her title more, and I’m not sure I’ve ever seen that done before!! And MEJIA HAS AN OWL? OH MY GOODNESS, YAY!! That’s so awesome, I could scream!! Also, I love that Filip has a mare!! Does he ever get over his phobia? If so, how? Poor Filip, he also needs a hug because he’s just such a lovable character *also gives Filip a hug* How dare someone steal it from him! Does he get it back? Your characters are all so lovable, I CAN’T WAIT TO READ ABOUT THEM!!! Also, the thought of Lila bringing home a mountain lion makes me smile. How did Mejia react? And how did Lila react to Mejia’s reaction? I loved hearing about their likes/dislikes so much!!! What about Artur? Ahh, Filip’s was so adorable š *chanting* Filip, Filip, Filip… I just love him so much:D
Awww, THANK YOU so much for saying that!!! I’m very happy you like it, I thought it was quite adorable!!! It’s so obvious that Newton is in love with Caira (Deek gets grossed out multiple times XD) but Caira is so oblivious when it comes to romance, mostly because it’s almost impossible for her to think that someone would actually love her. So that’s why Newton’s confession throws her off guard so much. Thank you!!! I think I’ll do that!!!:) I think I’m getting to the point where they’re going to make amends now. The last scene I wrote was Newton saving Caira’s life when she was about to be buried alive in an avalanche in an underground cave. So, she begins to slightly trust him. Slightly. Those two are so troublesome sometimes XD
And *gasps* YOU’LL LET ME READ THE CONFESSION SCENE?!?!?!?!?!?!? OHMYGOODNESSGIRLYESIWILLMORETHANHAPPILYREADIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *infinite !’s* *internally scr–* No, you know what? I’m going to actually scream out loud to the top of my lungs *externally screams because there’s no humanly possible way to hold in how happy and honored I am* YAYAYAY, YES YES YES!!! I’m so honored you’d let me read it!!!:) Hmm… maybe you could send it to me on the Google hangout thing? Of course we could make a private convo so other people couldn’t access it. The links on here are weird–I couldn’t even post my last two chapters without Grace’s help. Other than that, I’m not sure.
Thank you!! I was hoping it wouldn’t feel too rushed to have them start having feelings, but honestly, it’s Newton who starts having feelings first. Caira mentions romance a few times before liking Newton (this is whenever she envisions her future husband as some handsome, gallant gentleman who will treat her ‘like a lady’. So when she meets Newton, the gruff, homeless, dirty outlaw–the complete opposite of who she envisions marrying someday–she never imagines that he would become her husband someday). AND OF COURSE I SHIP THEM!!! Like, when you mentioned wayyyy back on the ‘Romance’ topic (when I first spilled the beans about C&N) about it, I thought OHMYGOSHĀ THE SNOW WARRIORĀ HAS ROMANCE and then I started shipping them even though I had no idea who it was š š And THANK YOU SO MUCH GIRL!!! *happily accepts chocolate* I’M SO EXCITED because this is one of my biggest writing accomplishments ever, so thank you so much for the celebration!!! YES, I CAN’T WAIT UNTIL WE HIT 100K!!! Btw, I wonder if our books will end up being the same length? That would be awesome if so!!! THANK YOU so much!!!!!!!!!!!!! š š š š š š š š š š š š š š š
Oh, I forgot there was another question I was going to ask!! Though, don’t feel obligated to answer this if you don’t feel comfortable sharing spoilers or anything, I completely understand! I meant to put this in the earlier post, but forgot. *facepalm* If you were going to write a sequel, what would it be about? Sorry for asking, I’m just SO curious what happens to these beloved characters after the story ends and wondered what the sequel’s storyline would be!! Anyways, if you don’t want to share, then just ignore this question XD Oh and another thing: what are some of the things Mejia goes through during the three-year trial to become The Snow Warrior? I know you mentioned finding the Ice Well, but I wasn’t sure what else and got curious to know!!! I hope you don’t mind my questions!!! š š
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! š That makes me so happy to hear that you enjoyed reading my monologuing, I mean replies:)
So the farmer abandoned her primarily because she didnāt act as she was expected to back in her time era. Instead of working with his daughters, Mejia would hunt and play and work as hard as any of his sons. And being a natural-born leader, she became a leader to his sons and she always had a spirit of freedom. The farmer eventually got fed up with her since he wanted another daughter to take up homework, not a daughter who could outwork his sons. So instead of taking her back to where he adopted her from, he abandoned her in Birch Woods. (Sorry, Mejiaā¦).
Mejia and Filipās introduction was something else thatās for sure XD But if I ever post it, youāll be the first I tag:)
And yes, Mejia knew there was someone up to no good in Birch Woods, but she didnāt know who it was. Until one day when Mejia was visiting Anton, she heard movement outside on the roof. She went up through the smoke latch to see who it was but saw no one. Then she heard a noise from inside the house and as she re-entered again, the room was ransacked, Anton was wide-eyed in the corner and pointing at the door. She races out the door, down the ladder, and was accosted by a young man leaning against a post behind her. He said that it was about time they had met and she drew her sword. He realized after a few strokes with the blade, that wouldnāt be able to successfully sword-fight her and took to his method to fox-like movements to avoid her sword. The rest of the meeting didnāt go very well either and ended with Artur drawing an arrow and launching it through Antonās only window, saying that it was the beginning and disappeared almost like a ghost into the woods. She doesnāt know much about him except that he means no good. Though Filip knew him because Artur had been part of his archer band a while back.
*High fives back* that is awesome!:D I think fifteen is perfect for Caira since she gets older through the trilogy:) Does she get a year older with each book?
Really? Thatās so awesome that one of your MCs has a staff too! *Double high five* š
Yeah, Mejia has it tough, but I donāt think sheād believe me if I apologized so, *shrugs* oh well I suppose. And yep, thatās how itās pronounced and Iām having the hardest time finding a Russian variant of it, but Iām sure Iāll find one someday:) Thank you:D And yep, Sonechka was one of the first very first characters I made after Mejia in TSW.
I donāt think Filip will ever truly get over his fear, but later on, he begins riding again and the phobia will become more minor. The first time he rode within the novel was in order to save Mejiaās life, so he didnāt even give himself a chance to let his fear get the better of him at that moment. But yes, he gets Aspen back in the end:)
As for Mejiaās reaction to the lion, when she first caught sight of it, Mejiaās first thought was how did Lila ever manage to get it there without being eaten. She was rather sarcastic and asked Lila how she planned to feed such an animal. Lila stopped then said that she wasnāt thinking about that at the time.
Thank you! š Artur? His favorite thing is to have the upper hand in things, stealing or as he calls it collecting high-quality horses for himself, and learning his enemies’ disadvantages. His least favorite thing is having the lower hand, his past, and anyone who stands up against him.
Liked it? IT WAS UTTERLY SPECTACULAR!!!:D And oh my goodness, that is so hilarious that Deek becomes grossed out by that XD Ooh, how does he get grossed out? What does Newton do? How does Deek react? It just makes me grin to even think about š And aw, poor Caira. Iām already sympathizing with her and even though it didnāt go well for her, that confession is the BEST!:)
That sounds like an INCREDIBLE scene! Wow, I love it already and I havenāt even read it! š I mean Newton saves her from an underground avalanche?! That is just amazing!! (This might sound terrible, but avalanche scenes are always fun to write for me, how about you? Is it more fun, terrifying, or suspenseful?) Ooh, how does he save her? Now Iām all curious about it! I mean you donāt have to say if you donāt want, but in case you wanted to share, Iād gladly love to find out š
And yes! Iām so glad youāre so excited to read it!:D It is pretty short though, only two and a half pages long and itās only the first draft of it. But Iād be glad to share it:) Sure, we could try that:) Although I’m not sure how; do you know how to set up a separate convo?
I feel terrible that I didnāt post the link for TSW Journal Entries today since today is Sunday, but we can exchange links when I post the TSW confession scene. šAw, thatās so sweet that Newton starts to have feelings for Caira first and that is so ironic about who she thought she would marry someday, (but that is honestly the best case of ironic that I have EVER heard of!!!:D ). I MEAN I LOVE THAT SO MUCH IT IS SO AMAZING I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO SAY TO SAY HOW AMAZING THAT IS!!! I couldnāt help the all caps because I just re-thought all about Caira and Newton and everything that happens andā¦ yeah the all caps were kind of inevitable XD
Really?? That was the same for me too! I mean I remember back when you had asked Grace about writing hate-to-love romances for characters and I was already dying to find out about Caira and Newton! I mean I didnāt even know a whole lot about them back then and I already thought they were beyond awesome!!:D
Yes! That would be so amazing if our novels ended up the same length!! (Btw, Iām still SO excited for you that you reached 60k, that is SO INCREDIBLE!!!) š š š
Are you kidding? Spoilers are my hobby right after writing! š
Ah, the sequel… Well, tbh I have several storylines that could work as sequels. Some of them would include: 1# Mejia actually discovers that she is half royalty and in order to complete a mission she received as a warrior, she has to adapt to royal life for the time being while trying to accomplish it. (This is where I wrote out the dance scene). 2# Mejia discovers underground caverns that are constructed like castles and hold something that could once again threaten the existence of Birch Woods. 3# Mejia loses the ability of her sword arm to an avalanche injury and has to re-learn everything she could ever do, while Lila has fallen with a nearly incurable illness. Her only hope is in Mejia finding an antidote that is believed to be nothing but a myth. 4# Mejia, Filip, Anton, and Lila are in danger of being caught in between warring villages outside Birch Woods unless they find out where the fighting began and if there is still a trace of hope to stop it before turning Birch Woods’ villages into permanent enemies of the people of Filip’s home forest. 5# Mejia journies with her band, deeper into the tundra regions than any human has ever gone to reach the Lone Towers there, where the greatest treasure known to the earth is. But the quest for Towers quickly turns into one of mere survival as a whiteout that will last weeks suddenly turns its icy fury against them.
…So, yeah. Just a couple of ideas, but I don’t know if they’d even work, whether they sound cliche or if they are irrelevant to TSW’s original novel. Nothing is set in stone, sequel-wise yet, but those were some ideas:)
As for the three-year trials, this is where I feel the worst about what I’ve all put Mejia through, and yet at the same time, this is what made her into a fearless warrior. *Sigh* so conficting.
The trials were a harsh series of quests that she had to complete alone for three years. Becoming a nomad as she had, meant Anton was one of the first humans since she had been abandoned, that she had even seen. The trials including finding her sword, later giving it up to the Ice Well, attaining her final trial given sword, earning the loyalty of the Koni I’da, climbing the mountain above the Roga Olenya (the Roga Olenya is considered the harshest climb in the forest, the mountain above it was considered impossible). And in between quests, was the challenge of just surviving and enduring the daily challenges such as storms, wild animals, and learning how to wield weapons properly. But yep, the Ice Well was one of the final quests.
So that’s roughly what the three-year trials looked like, a lot of Mejia’s skills and personality were shaped through those years.No, I don’t mind your questions at all:D I hope my replies made sense, I’m not sure how well I explained them XD But anyway, yes, I love questions:)
Agh, my post disappeared AGAIN. I went to edit it because it was ridiculously long and it just vanished, so I’m sorry š If you didn’t get it (I’m sure you did) I can re-post it from my profile activity.
Okay, so I had a question about the illustrations I’m planning on drawing: what would each of your character’s expressions be? I’m drawing Mejia right now and was going to have her drawn with a determined smile (determined is the only word I can think of right now to describe it XD), and I was hoping that was okay!! Anyways, no promises on how they’ll turn out, but once I’ve finished Mejia, I may send her before starting the others just so that you can tell me what you think!! <333333
Ooops, I had a couple more questions about the illustrations, sorry. Didn’t you say Mejia has a scar? Where is it? And also, I was trying to draw inspiration from that image you sent me and noticed the girl had markings and paint on her face. Did you want me to keep this or does Mejia not have that? Anyways, I forgot to put this into the above post, so I’m sorry!! Sorry for so many questions, I just want to get this right:) I may be able to finish Mejia’s portrait tomorrow or the next day *crosses fingers* though no promises:)
Yep, I got it in my notifications:)
Thank you!! I never thought about them being unique before, thank you for saying that!:) *Gasps* Oh my goodness, wouldnāt that be something if Caira and Mejia met? I have a hard picturing how that would go XD But, wow, that would be so cool! I wonder what they would do firstā¦ I was just thinking, what if they had to spend two days with each other? One in Aldova and one in Birch Woods? What if Pirion met Artur? Or if Newton met Filip? If Deek met Anton? If Alana met Lila? Gosh, wouldnāt that be incredibly interesting, how theyād all react to each other? I couldnāt help but grin at that thought:) XD
Thank you! Yep, thatās Mejia:) To be honest, I donāt think the sons minded so much because of how much it lightened their own work. Haha, no, I wouldnāt mind, Iād be honored to have you read it sometime:)
Thatās one thing that Iāll give Artur, is that though he is cruel most of the time, he is cunning and resourceful. Thank you!:)
No, I donāt think it would be awkward at all for their age. Tbh, with characters, I donāt go by their age as much as I go by their maturity level. Because if they understand it (well actually thatās debatable), know what actual love is, and are responsible, I donāt see any reason why fifteen isnāt a great age for them. Plus, it sounds like Caira and Newton are very mature characters already, so I wouldnāt worry about it too much.
Oh, I know that. Tbh Mejia is a lot harder to pronounce than youād believe. Almost everyone I know thought it was Ma-gee-ah and my device wants to pronounce it Meh-hee-a XD So anywayā¦ yes.
Aw, THANK YOU!!:DThat made me laugh and smile at the same time, the thought of Newton coming to Deek for advice and Deek being grossed out about listening to Newtonās ideas for confessing to Caira XD Thatās so awesome. That must be fun and tough at the same time for Deek, to hear both sides of it but to have neither fully believe him about the other. And itās just hilarious how Deek is un-romantic and is stuck listening to them. I can just picture him trying to give advice and his disgust at Newtonās ideas XD Aw, but itās so adorable at the same time:)
Wow, that sounds like such an incredible scene!! I mean, yikes, but AMAZING at the same time!! š AND I UTTERLY LOVE THAT SENTENCE!!!!! *shudders* BUT STILL!!! I LOVE IT!!! š š And I love how she is later told who saved her;) Yes! I knew Henrick was going to turn out to be her father! That is so awesome and I love how it was him who wrote the book, I can definitely see why Caira would go back for them.Ooh, what was Caira so angry about? I also love the whole concept of her and Newton being in an argument and him then coming back and saving her. Aw, Newton is so amazing:)
Arenāt they though? I love writing avalanches. Well, so far I have two avalanches and one landslide. And Iād love to share about them:D The main avalanche is pretty intense and began with an encounter with Artur. Artur had strung his bow and had aimed it at Mejia, (being an expert archer, he wouldnāt have missed), but this is where Filip comes in and as Artur releases the arrow, Filip takes it instead. Mejia was horrified, and Hart (since the Koni Iāda are also protectors of sorts to the warrior as she is to them) charges from behind them and rears upon Artur. He loses his balance and nearly falls off the cliff if he hadnāt caught the ledge in the nick of time. Mejia has no option now, as she helps Filip to his feet, telling him how foolish that was. And they take off down a ridge as Artur climbs back up. The snow there and in many other places had been increasing dangerously. Then halfway across the ridge, Mejia senses the avalanche that will be coming down upon them in a matter of moments and shoves Filip to the other side before being engulfed by the onslaught of ice and snow. The scene goes on for a while as she struggles to stay above the surface, catching onto a tree and climbing to the top before it goes under as well and she finally is buried. (Though I may change the event of the first time he rides), Filip has mounted Hart and despite the arrow in his shoulder, takes off after Mejia down the side slopes and eventually finds her several feet below the surface, unconscious. He then hoists her onto Hart and takes her to Anton. This was one of Mejiaās many close calls where she almost didnāt make it and was seriously injured in her right arm, (tbh, I originally wrote in the first draft that she lost the ability of her arm entirely, but I thought that would be pushing the limit of disabilities in one book, seeing as how Anton already goes blind, and Lila only has one leg. So I moved it as sequel material for now). The scene, in the afternoon before the night Mejia finally regained consciousness was pretty heartbreaking with Filip blaming himself and fearing for her life as he stayed with her.
Oh, thatās perfectly okay:) I tend to skip those too at times and only have sixteen pages of journal entries that I collected and wrote and that includes all of my castās entries. But itās perfectly okay no matter what amount of entries youāve written because Iām seriously honored reading any that you want to share:) We can always add to the entry docs later on if we wanted:) Hmm, I tried setting up a convo on the google hangout, but couldn’t quite figure it out, maybe you can copy and paste this link into your search engine? Let me know if if works:)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/17s0dGTxV8QCowWxnJOe78rNUGrrht2HyDkoWtlPsoSE/edit#
That is the most incredible ironic ever:) Ooh, that fits Caira so well to have a dreamer side and I like how she never expected to love someone like Newton and ends up doing just that.
LIES! ALL LIES! Donāt listen to him, Newton!!! Aw, that is utterly and completely heartbreaking, who could ever think heās worthless? Even more so, who couldnāt love Newton!!?!?!??!?!? Seriously, thatās impossible!!! Thatās so sad that it breaks my heart, Newton is so awesome, who could ever say such a thing to him!?
Oh yeah, same here. And even if they can be hopelessly impossible sometimes, Mejia/Filip is one of my favorite subplots to write:) Whatās your favorite subplot in Fortitude?No trouble at all! I mean, thank you for participating NaNo with me this month!:D Itās helped TSW more than youāll ever know, (I mean Iāve gotten months of writing caught up) and Iām glad itās helped your writing so much too!! š š š Thatās alright, I love spoilers!
THANK YOU!!! š Iām super happy to hear they arenāt cliche, *whew* š Oh, I donāt think itās cliche. I mean the character personalities, pasts and relationships are original and Aldova is just amazing. And what?!?!! He isnāt the villain?!?!?! PLOT TWIST!!! Wow, thatās extraordinarily interesting! See? Thatās not cliche, usually, itās the king himself whoās the ultimate villain. So that is so unique that he wonāt be the main villain.
TSW is slightly more cliche than youād think though, with the fierce warrior, a legendary sword, the loyal horse companions, etc. But for the most part, I let the story do what it wanted with itself, (Mejiaās a much better writer than I), and adding unique twists to my cliches and infusing them with Russian history and art.
I mean, Iāve never heard of a book like Fortitude before, which is probably why I never had a favorite fictional book, (with the exception of Dark Horse, but I had to keep busy somehow before I heard about this masterpiece). š
Thank you:) Roga Olenya is a Russian word for a deerās antler, because of how the scarps are so vertical and smooth, they often seem like the surfaces of deer antlers.Mejia, hands down š But Filip is a close second thoughā¦ whoās your favorite to write about?
*Runs away screaming for joy*
*Comes back*
*internally screams*
AHHH!!!! Iām SO excited that youāre illustrating them!!!!!!!!!!!! š š š This is so amazing!!! I mean, Iām so super ecstatic and am so honored that you want to draw them, (Mejia and her band are honored too:) What is the word for this? Incredible? Spectacular? Amazing? AH! I canāt even think of a word that explains how ecstatic I am!!! š š š Okay, Iām calming down, Iām calming downā¦ Hmm, yep, I think a determined smile sounds 100% like Mejia:) I think Filip would have a charismatic smile, Antonās would be more nervous, Morio would probably have a straight face without a smile, and Lila would have a beaming grin on her face. And yes! Mejia does have a scar, itās on the right side of her face starts an inch below the outer corner of her eye, and runs horizontally down her face, half an inch past her mouth but doesnāt touch the mouth itself at all. Sorry, that might have sounded confusing XD But basically, itās about five inches long if she were to ever measure it. As for the face paint, Mejia wears it a couple of times on very rare occasions, (for example, in the SnowChase against Artur). But otherwise, not too often. Either way is fantastic!:D
And donāt worry about that at all, Iām sure theyāll be fantastic and Iāll be printing them out and putting them in my new TSW concept book, (where Iāll be keeping all my important inspiration, concept art, quotes, paragraphs, illustrations, etc, for TSW:) I CAN”T WAIT!!!!! š š š
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