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🌳Do you enjoy books that are intertwined with f

🌳Do you enjoy books that are intertwined with fairytales?🌳

My mum found this for me in a little bookshop we visited on Monday - and when I saw that it was about a discovered book of fairytales, I knew it was my kind of thing! I was immediately immersed in Rebecca's mind from the first few pages.
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Here's a summary:

Rebecca is at work, irritated by a wonky sign, how people force paper cups out of the dispenser instead of using the button, and how they throw them on the floor after use instead of in the bin. But then Ellis walks in. He's fair-haired with glasses and *almost* handsome. He notices the wonky sign, uses the dispenser button, and throws the cup in the recycling bin afterwards. He's also a journalist who has questions about Rebecca's long-lost father. When her grandmother then gives Rebecca a book of fairytales written by her father, she begins to realise there may be a hidden clue within the tales that might just lead her to the truth...

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'The Lost Storyteller' is wonderful. As you might know, I'm a big fan of character-led stories, and this is a wonderful example of why. I became so invested in Rebecca's world and finding out the truth to the mystery, and the characters were so vivid (I love when I can really picture a person because of how they're rendered).

This book allows time for authentic character moments, and I was so excited for each installment of Rebecca and Ellis' relationship, which was so brilliantly paced and pitched. Cam was another highlight - he was so distinctive in appearance and voice, and made me laugh out loud a few times.

There's a poignant under-layer that slowly came to light as the mystery unfolded, and I found it very touching. I was enchanted by the fairytales - so vivid, magical and unique - and I loved analysing them to see how they might link to the mystery. But then they began to expose a darker, very real truth, and the intertwined duality of those things was so beautiful and cathartic to understand.

For those who love fairytales, wholesome romance, and stories about the connection between fathers and daughters - you'll love this!!

A wonderful debut. I can't wait to see what Amanda writes next!✨

🌞Have you, too, been melting in the heat today?

🌞Have you, too, been melting in the heat today?🥵

The great thing about this weather is that it inspires me to do more... The unfortunate thing about this weather is that it is too hot to do any of those things I want to do.😬 How the human brain loves irony😂

Having said that, I've had a lovely day. Mostly, I spent it on the sofa with three fans pointed at me, trying to avoid the multitudes of flies that decided our sweltering greenhouse of a living room would be a better place to hang around than the great outdoors, where they can find shade and actually have space to plot their cunning fly schemes. Why do they do that??

Anyway. I read more than I have in a long time, wrote some of my book, gave feedback on two wonderful writer friends' drafts I'm critiquing, then edited some photos and took a few of the growing Buck Moon - it's a gorgeous amber hue!😍

Also, I've just come back from a little holiday, so I haven't posted in a while - but I've got a few posts up my sleeve for the next week or two that I'm looking forward to sharing - including a review tomorrow of a lovely book I just read.
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✨What have you been up to this week? I'd love to hear!✨

I hope you're all doing well, and that my fellow Britons are surviving this 30°C+ heat okay!

👒It occurred to me today that Anne of Green Gab

👒It occurred to me today that Anne of Green Gables is like a fairytale...

A young girl from a poor background who suffered but finds refuge (something that is shown more in the Anne with an E adaptation)👜

She befriends the woodland creatures and sees the beauty in all things🐿️

She amplifies both the positives and the negatives to extremes - with the drama of a Disney princess💃

She looks for fairies and sees magic in nature🧚

She has a Prince Charming who looks out for her (Gilbert) - though she is far from a damsel in distress🤴
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I thought I'd Google it, and sure enough, I found this article written by Lesley Willis that goes over some comparisons. There's The Ugly Duckling, Cinderella, The Snow Queen, and Alice in Wonderland (if that counts as a fairytale😅)

I also think she has similarities to Belle, with her love of books and learning.
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👸Do you think Anne would make a good fairytale princess? I can totally see it😂
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🌳Which fairytales can you see in Anne's story?
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🔮Which of these 2 do you prefer?: 1: "The deep

🔮Which of these 2 do you prefer?:

1: "The deep green fabric was moved aside from within, and a mass of frizzed tawny hair appeared, sweeping out in layers around a powdered face. It framed thin brows arching over lustrous orb-like eyes, set into large sockets that accentuated round cheekbones dusted with rouge. Beneath a celestial nose and the absence of a Cupid's bow, thin lips were lined with dark magenta..."
(Ok I'll stop there lol😂)

OR

2: "With a flourish, the emerald fabric was whisked aside. A sugared perfume floated into the air as a mass of tawny hair emerged, sweeping out in layers around a powdered face. She was the painting brought to life, hoop earrings swinging and plum scarf rippling as she slunk into the daylight.
'Do you wish to know your future?' Her rich voice resonated again, the accent difficult to place. When they both nodded, her thin lips twisted into a magenta-lined smile. 'Morna will show you...' She lifted the curtain with four pink talons and swept an arm towards the shadows."
•

So I think this is a matter of preference. For many of you, I'm sure both versions are probably too wordy😂 Thank you to those who gave feedback when I shared this on my stories - it was so interesting to hear your thoughts!

One key bit of advice was to be wary of consecutive lists when describing. Now, I love being able to picture exactly what a character looks like - for me, a key thing I notice about a person is their facial features, and I enjoy having a clear image to imagine.

HOWEVER, when you meet a person in real life, you also immediately get a sense for the way they move, how they speak, their smell, their *vibe*. So, it's actually less effective to list every visual feature in detail - because that takes far longer to absorb than if you were looking at a person in real life.

As you can see, example 1 is a long-winded list - and I don't know about you, but I don't get as much of a feel for Morna's ~presence~ in that one. I'll still use those individual descriptions at some point, but scattered sparingly throughout the scene instead of in one chunk.
Number 2 brings her to life more, I think.
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🔮What are your thoughts? I'd love to know!🔮

🌳Last week, I was wandering past rows of booksh

🌳Last week, I was wandering past rows of bookshelves in a tent at a history festival. As if it knew I had a Waterstones voucher to spend, the gold writing on the front of this book glinted at me as I passed. So I bought it, then stepped out into the afternoon sunshine and read its introduction.

It spoke of fairytales and the wonder of folklore; of messages passed down generations and remembered over centuries. This resonated with me, with its emphasis on the importance of stories - something I like to weave into my creative projects and this account.

I also had the pleasure of seeing a folk band called The Trials of Cato perform. They kindly signed a CD for us, and I got a t-shirt of the album cover. To me, in some way, that's a story in itself - the sharing of music, an interaction, and a moment in time.

I've been listening to their album 'Hide and Hair' a lot over the past week, and it transports me to a place of telling stories round a fire and dancing to folk music, surrounded by friends and good food.
This was pretty much the atmosphere of the festival - so along with the fairytale book, the historical recreations, and an excellent apple & cinnamon crêpe I had, the music made the day extra special.

As the album has a storytelling focus and folklore themes, I thought it tied in nicely with this post (and as a bonus, the cover colours match so well with the book!)

I've added some of their songs to the playlist for my story - in particular, the beautiful melody of 'Libanus' made me think of my character Finn, and I now consider it his "theme" (is that weird?😂). In this way, I love how creations can inspire more creativity in others, like a domino effect where the dominoes are lifted up by each other, rather than knocked down.

All stories are rising dominoes; pathways leading from tales that were whispered at the dawn of human consciousness. Like fairytales before us, our own stories spin new domino trails for those who follow after.

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[I hope you enjoyed today's Fairytale Friday on this Saturday evening. I know that makes no sense, but my brain partly lives in a fairytale land where time has no meaning and everyone speaks in riddles. Anyone else?]

🕯️"𝑪𝒖𝒓𝒍𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒊𝒓 𝒂

🕯️"𝑪𝒖𝒓𝒍𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒊𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒄𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒏, 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒔..." - 'The Dance', by Kaby Burton

✨You can buy it on Bandcamp (link in @kabyburton_music's bio) - and download it on streaming platforms like Spotify and Amazon Music!✨
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This somewhat creepy gothic shoot was so fun to do!! It was inspired by my friend Kaby's new single 'The Dance', which is about a lonely vampire woman and the change from a life with friends and laughter to one of solitude...but dancing anyway.

I have listened to this song far too many times😂 It is melodic rock with a rhythmic groove, and a gentle bridge that contrasts brilliantly with the more layered verses and chorus. The lyrics (written by Kaby) are very poetic, and paint such vivid imagery. Her beautiful voice (with its lovely balance of power and softness) weaves with an awesome bass line, rhythm and guitar details that help make it so catchy - not to mention the epic guitar solo outro (conceptualised by Kaby, and implemented courtesy of her producer Adam - @adamdaffurn).

For reference, The Dance has vibes of Within Temptation/Evanescence, but it is wholly its own sound-world and unique to Kaby's style. As I was lucky enough to hear it early, it's been stuck in my head all week🤣 But in the best way!

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I'm interested to know how you'd interpret the song, as there are many meanings to glean from it...

"𝑩𝒓𝒐𝒌𝒆𝒏 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒅, 𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒑𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒅𝒐𝒘'𝒔 𝒅𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈"

What do you reckon this means?👀

I see the chain as a metaphorical link to her past life that has been broken, as she embraces her new life and 'dances' (in the light). The shadow cast behind her is her past self, still within her - as if we can never truly escape the versions who we used to be, even when we leave old chapters behind. So there's almost an inevitably of no escape, within that. Is she free or not? Or is it not about freedom at all?🤔

🕯️What do you think?...🕯️

☕What does your World look like?🌳✨ As human

☕What does your World look like?🌳✨
As humans, part of what makes life so interesting is that we all have different preferences - favourite colours, weathers, books, TV shows, movies, art, music, hobbies, and particular genres and styles that we tend to gravitate towards.

I often struggle to pick 'favourites', because I am interested in so many different things - and they all feel like my 'favourite' in different ways. I love the vast scale and sense of adventure in Star Wars, but I also adore the lilting music and beautiful countryside scenery of Anne with an E - but I'm also fascinated by the mind-bending world of heist movies like Inception...

In other words, I think "What is your favourite..." can be such a difficult question to answer!

So instead, I'm asking: What is in your World?
My wonderful friend @kabyburton often talks about this concept of your own 'World'. I see this as: the creative space you build around yourself - the media that gives you the brightest spark of inspiration, that makes you feel the most at home, that makes you feel the most like YOU. That can mean aesthetics, genres, tropes, types of characters etc.

It can vary from day to day, but these are some of the core things in my 'World':

Fairytales, witches, fairies and magic. Settings in the countryside and woodland, elegant horses and mysterious owls. Ballet dancers and dashing witty heroes in longcoats. Time travel. Romances where the leads get to spend a lot of time talking and adventuring together. Victorian dresses and stories with historical and mythical references attached. Beautiful costumes, attention to detail, actors who make you feel like you're watching something happening in real life.

I connect most with characters who are bookish and a little outcast, characters with strong family (or found-family) relationships, witty humour, and those with layers of sides and backstory that make them fascinating to analyse. I live for character-led stories with interesting, fun dynamics. For me, the best kind of story is one that wraps up all the loose ends neatly and perfectly, but gives a little extra at the end to make you smile or keep you thinking.

What is in your World?🌳✨

☕You may know the story of Rumplestiltskin, but

☕You may know the story of Rumplestiltskin, but have you heard the different endings?👀

If you've seen Once Upon A Time, you'll know how brilliantly complex the character of Rumplestiltskin is (pic 2). I love how they incorporated the roles of the crocodile and the Beast too. Apparently they wrote the role specifically for Robert Carlyle, and his portrayal is so layered and fascinating to watch!

But what about the original Rumplestiltskin story? Like Carlyle's version, his defining trait was: he would only complete a favour if he got something in return.

The story goes...

Long ago, a Miller lied to the king, saying his daughter could spin straw into gold. To test this, the king locked her in a tower room with straw and a spinning wheel, demanding it all be spun into gold by morning - or he would cut off her head.

She wept, knowing she had no hope. But then, an imp-like man appeared and spun the straw into gold in return for her necklace. The next day, he did the same in return for her ring. On the 3rd day, the king told the girl he would marry her if she could fill the castle's largest room with gold. If not, he'd execute her. (Excellent marriage material there.)

Sadly, the girl had nothing left to pay the imp. So, he made her promise to give him her firstborn child, then spun the straw.

The king married the girl. But when their first child was born, the imp returned to claim it. She tried to bargain, but he had no interest in gold, for of course he could make it. Finally, he agreed to give up his claim if she could guess his name within 3 days.

She guessed many times and failed, but on the 3rd night, she went into the forest and found his cottage. She watched, unseen, as he hopped about his fire and sang: "tonight tonight, my plans I make, tomorrow tomorrow, the baby I take. The queen will never win the game, for Rumpelstiltskin is my name"

When the imp arrived the next day, she said his name. Now, here come the 5 endings...

My favourite is this one: In the version originally collected by the Brothers Grimm, he flies out of the window on a cooking ladle😂

🌳See my comment for the 4 other endings! Which is your favourite?🌳

[Adapted from Wikipedia]

☕Okay whatever you're doing right now, stop and

☕Okay whatever you're doing right now, stop and go order Lightfall😂 (or if you haven't started the Starchaser Saga yet, it begins with 'Darkwind', by @reneeduganwriting. Lightfall is book 4!)

As you can see, I had a lot of fun dressing up today - as Cistine (the main character)! We also hear from 3 other viewpoints in this one - so the tension between each chapter is nail-bitingly good!

It has:
- Found family
- Characters you connect with deeply
- A princess working on her combat AND negotiation skills
- Unique twist on the 'chosen one' trope (it's not the defining trait of Cistine's character by any means)
- Realistic progression through trauma & fear
- Brilliantly-crafted courtroom scenes
- Heartfelt, realistic friendships, relationships, kinship & sisterhood
- Humbling & empowering character arcs
- The most beautiful prose

Lightfall is a pivotal point for the saga, and feels like a 'step up' not only in its storyline but in its execution. While Nightwing was brilliant, Lightfall is on a whole other level. It hits harder, runs deeper, climbs higher, and shines brighter - I can see just how much has gone into writing it.

Seeing Cistine overcoming trauma and growing stronger is so humbling to read. The presentation is so gradual and realistic, with relapses as she realises healing is a process (see 5th slide). Every chapter, I felt like I was learning and understanding more about life.

I picked out so many quotes to save, squealed, gasped, and sometimes just had to stop and reread a paragraph because it was so beautiful, in absolute awe of Renee's writing and the masterful way she has crafted this story. It highlights how she has improved EVEN MORE as a writer, and (much like her characters) in Lightfall, the progression is stunning.

If you've been looking for a fantasy series free of typical tropes (but has cute heartwarming ones when it counts😆), great depth to its characters, gorgeous passages, and beautiful aesthetics (castles, princesses & warriors!!) - this is your series.

Seriously, it's in my top 5 favourites ever - and we're only halfway there.

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[Note: This isn't the actual cover - I don't have a physical copy yet, so had to improvise😂]

☕Do you know the tale of The Old Woman in the Wo

☕Do you know the tale of The Old Woman in the Wood? I shall tell it to you now...

As Terry Pratchett says in The Wee Free Men: "All the stories had, somewhere, the witch. The wicked old witch." I've always found that idea of ~the mysterious old woman in the woods~ fascinating. Yet though this story is named after the witch, she never has the chance to justify herself. Is she evil?...
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🌿Once upon a time, a servant girl was travelling with the family she worked for, when they were attacked by robbers! She hid behind a tree, but the rest of the family were killed before her eyes. Just as she began to weep from shock, an elegant white dove came to her with a golden key in its beak. It indicated a tree and told her to unlock it. In doing so, she found some bread stored in the trunk - her evening supper.

The dove then led her to a tree with a bed, where she slept for the night. She lived like this for many days. Then, the dove asked for her help. Her task was to go into the old house at the end of the lane. "An old woman will speak to you", the dove explained, "But you must not answer. Step into the room, where you will see an array of splendid rings. You must take only the plainest, simplest one there, and bring it back to the forest."

When the girl entered the house, she walked past the old woman and didn't respond to her angry words. The plain ring was nowhere to be seen! But then she saw the old woman trying to carry off a bird cage. In it was a bird with the ring in its beak, so she crept behind the woman and took the ring, before running as fast as she could back to the forest! She leaned against a tree and examined the ring. It was only made of wood - surely it was all a hoax...

But at that moment, two branches slowly twined around her and became arms. Holding her in a gentle embrace was a handsome man, who told her that he had been turned into a tree by the old woman. He had then become a dove for two hours each day, and it was down to her bravery and diligence that he had escaped! The two went back to his father's kingdom and were married by the light of a bright Spring sun.🌿
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[Adapted by me from Wikipedia synopsis]
[Drawing by Arthur Rackham, 1917]

☕Why do we find morally-grey broody dark-haired

☕Why do we find morally-grey broody dark-haired clever characters who only wear black and rarely smile and have probably killed more people than they let on...so endearing?

Characters like Sherlock, Snape, Loki, Kylo Ren, and then Kaz here. Y'know? Where they're sort of the antagonist or against the protagonist, but underneath the surface they're actually just a cinnamon roll trying their best - and you just want to protect them!

I think maybe it comes from the fact that they have a deep-rooted sense of vulnerability to them. We see their flaws, we see how the world doesn't accept them... so we try harder to seek out their humanity, and root for them as they overcome those barriers. Perhaps there's a part of ourselves that we see in them?

Watching Shadow and Bone, I found Kaz to be particularly endearing and intriguing. I think Freddy did a great job of making him feel layered and mysterious, yet vulnerable. So here is my drawing of Kaz! (Jesper is on his way soon folks, don't worry!😜)

He'll be available as a print and on his very own bookmark in my upcoming shop, very soon!👀

☕Who else would you add to that list of broody-cinnamon-roll characters?☕

✍️It's funny how things evolve. When I was lit

✍️It's funny how things evolve. When I was little, I decided I was going to be "a writer and an illustrator". Of course, a few years passed, and something in my mind decided that wasn't realistic. But it was still a dream, and I had this vague notion that I wanted to publish a book one day.

When my gap year started last March, it occurred to me that it would be the perfect opportunity to write a book. Why leave it in the hands of "one day" and "some time", when I could do it now?

But the question was: what would I write? I had various half-finished drafts, but they were started by my younger self and felt outdated.

So, over the following year, a story gradually took form in my mind. Characters appeared; a plot surfaced; bits and pieces came together. I knew this was the story I wanted to write.

I wrote the first line in January...then didn't touch it for months. I'd keep going over the same 3 sentences and editing them, because they didn't sound like they had in my head.

But thanks to the sense of urgency behind not having much time left + being inspired by some of my writer friends + joining writing sprints to keep me accountable - I sat down every day for the rest of May, and just wrote.

I got to 20,000 words this weekend, and I feel like the story is taking flight! I've accepted that it won't be "perfect" in the first draft, and I don't know how long it will take to finish, but it's better than the two sentences stuffed in my bedside drawer.

By having a routine of waking early each morning to write for a few hours, I've got so much further than I thought I would! I've also been drawing much more frequently, which has been lovely.

Now, I don't know what my future profession might be, but right now I'm really enjoying writing and doing art. So, I suppose, I am "a writer and an illustrator" after all. I always have been.
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So to all you lovely writers: if you've been doubting yourselves, this is your sign that you can do this! I believe in you! It might seem like there's a long way to go, but if you keep at it, later you'll look back and see just how far you've come.

Now, on to the next 20,000 words...✍️

☕What was your dream 'job'? Has it changed?☕

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