Upstream Updates: Fall 2021

Life Stuff

It's the most chaotic tiiiime of the YEEEEEAAAARRRRR!!!!!!

No joke, these fall months (September/October/November) have been absolutely bonkers! I'll admit I was kind of hoping that perhaps after the first month or so things would settle down and kids would fall back into the rhythm of expectations and routines and things would calm down... but that doesn't seem to be the case. I don't know if it's the fact that all throughout those three months there were kids in just about every grade level who were absent at one time or another, and so every time they've been gone and they come back, it's starting over from square-one as far as routines and expectations go; or the fact that every month has brought new and drastic changes, from starting the school year at a staffing deficit, to starting small groups which meant we were switching classrooms every half hour, to adding on a Pre-K classroom (requiring some reorganization for the class that was originally using that room) a month into the year, and so on and so forth--there are still several kids that haven't "gotten the memo", as it were, and continue this pattern of misbehavior that makes it stressful for those of us who have to be on high alert to make sure that the misbehaving kiddo doesn't hurt other kids, while also trying to be available for other kids who invariably need help... and, yeah. It's definitely feeling pretty unstable at this point... here's looking forward to the new year and seeing what progress we can make then!
Unfortunately, all this chaos in my working hours leaves me creatively and mentally too drained to write most days... So these last few months have been not as productive as my summer was, but oh well! I've got a pretty good trajectory for other things, so bring it on, 2022!!

Words Written:
September--25,783
October--27,250
November--35,105

Books Read: 37/40* (Note: I read the final 3 books for my 40-book reading goal in December!)

Writing

Fugitive Of Crossway

It is done! Well, the first draft, anyway. I managed to finish it in October, and it came together nicely--with a final word count of about one hundred thousand words. That's about three times the length of Princess of Undersea, if you must know.

That just means that I'm going to spend the winter figuring out what parts of the story are truly necessary, and whittling things down enough for a second draft, to try and get it all pulled together by spring, so I can see where I'm at! I already have a plan for the first chapter that actually shortens what I originally wrote by a couple pages, at least--or so it seems. I think if I can do that for each chapter, we'll be in much better shape by the time I actually write out the second draft!

Anyway, once I was done with the main draft, I moved on to the short stories. I successfully re-plotted both of them, and got the first one done. For now, "Unlucky Urcellus" has been re-titled "The Curse of Urcellus Marin", and "Yet You are Young" has become "The Mermaid's Fate." (Fun fact: did you know that "Urcellus" is actually a masculinized twist on the name "Ursula"? But nobody outside this blog is gonna know...) I had reasonable success with "The Curse of Urcellus Marin", rewriting it to focus on the story more (as I mentioned in my last updates post) and also including some details and references that I had only just come up with while writing the first draft. Although it isn't necessarily detailed in the main narrative itself, there are some quips and cracks that different characters make throughout his brief involvement in Simon's story that I felt should be described more and actually portrayed in this story--the fact that the Marin family tended to be rather unscrupulous in their pursuit of success, the process that resulted in Urcellus choosing to willfully ignore the customary fishing boundaries, and what happened to him and all his credibility because of it...

The fun thing I realized when I started writing "The Fate of The Mermaid", too, is that it really did happen just after King Theodore banished the fairies from accessing Overcliff, since it was decided that they brought the plague that decimated the kingdom's population--so I'm able to include that as a reference in the story. The troubling part is that elsewhere in Princess of Undersea, I also mention that trade with the Mermaids had ceased long before that... Inconsistency, much? But maybe I can use this story as a clarifying explanation as to why all that happened the way it did, so that it just looks more like I meant to say it the way I did, instead of it being an innocent slip-up like it probably was at first... That's the beauty of being the writer, though, isn't it? As long as I can figure out a decent explanation, it doesn't have to be written off as a mistake!
That being said, I do think that focusing on building a story rather than throwing in as many alliterative words as possible works so much better!

Meanwhile, I won't say too much just now because I'm saving up the news for my plans of 2022 for the NINTH birthday post of this blog (nine years already, how is that even possible??) but I will say that it's shaping up to be a great year!

Blog Serial: Fairies Under Glass

With the completion of "Clan of Outcasts, Season 3" in late October, I was certain that I would be able to get started on the next serial, "Fairies Under Glass" fairly quickly. The trouble was that I basically only had a week to start jotting down notes before NaNoWriMo hit, but I was confident that between adding to my notes, and actually writing the draft, that would give me plenty of material to allow me to get the words in and be successful at writing every day. I was especially confident that writing it in the style of a serial would allow me to expand and shift focus on things in ways I didn't do it as a novella. (especially considering how much Priscilla Sum expanded as I wrote it!)

All I can say is that the momentum lasted me about a week. I did fairly well, not quite getting up to the daily word count sometimes, but finding ways to eke out a few more words here and there, and confident that by the weekends, I would be able to make up the difference...

I was so wrong. After that first week, my creativity took a hard nosedive, and I struggled to keep up with everything for the rest of the month, battling some days when I didn't even write at all! Most of that I think was due to a lot of work fatigue that set in over November. Like, September was a bit chaotic, and October a little more so--but a lot of things started happening one right after the other in November, and that culminated into me being too drained and too busy during my off-work hours to do very much writing, if any at all. Long story short, I "failed" for the first time since 2013, really, and only managed to get just over 35 thousand words by the time November ended. (And, quite frankly, I've spent the whole of December just making up for everything I didn't write during November, so it's been a quiet month...)

But all that is to say, I didn't start posting Fairies Under Glass right away because I didn't have it all together far enough in advance, so it's coming in January!

I will say, I've done a fair bit of changes to it that seem to be working quite well. I'm stuck naming the main character "Casey", but I've given him a few friends that he hangs out with, just because I'd painted him as such a lonely character in the first draft... and that is only because at the time, I distinctly remember that I didn't really know how to balance character dynamics! I have a better handle on it now, so here we go!

The one thing that I'm still not sure about is whether it should be in first person or third person. I originally wrote it in first person, but I thought that for the serial, just to change things up, I'd switch to a third-person limited-omniscient, the way I'd written Priscilla Sum--but something about that isn't sitting quite right. Unfortunately, now that I think about it, I wouldn't be surprised to realize that this might be one of the things that was holding me up so much over the course of November--the downside of third-person means it's a bit harder to get into the characters' "headspace"!

At the same time, to go back now and switch everything to first-person, only to decide to switch back later when first-person doesn't fix the problems I'm having... Yeah, that's the biggest reason you haven't seen this serial yet!

Wattpad

It came to my attention in December that I hadn't touched my Wattpad stories since August, when I was really getting into writing the "Clan of Outcasts" serial and the thick of trying to finish Fugitive of Crossway, in spite of the fact that a lot of my most popular stories are still getting comments and adds and upvotes--still is pretty awesome! But it inspired me to get back to updating my stories again, so Priscilla Sum is on there, and I've started posting Season 3 of Clan of Outcasts as well, to... not much fanfare. But it is what it is, and it brings my total number of works on there to a nice round forty, so there we go.

Reading

And now we come to a more encouraging part of this post!

I checked out a few books from the library at the beginning of October, fully intending to read them... and then as time went on, I didn't manage to read them... and then it came time that I ran out of renewals, but I still hadn't read them... I finally finished them by the beginning of December, so I am no longer in trouble with the library lending services!

Anyway, in four months I managed to finish four indie books--three of them were ebooks, and one paperback! It started with Petra by Cheri Lasota--a very steamy Italian vampire romance novel by a local author. Those who know me know I'm not very often in the mood for anything overly smutty--but I will say that Lasota at least kept things outside the sexual scenes interesting enough, and generated plenty of sympathy for her characters that I didn't mind it so much! From there I moved on to The Night Alphabet by David M. Donachie, a book that I'd won in a giveaway a few years ago that had been sitting on my queue for a while--and wouldn't you know, it turned out to be a bunch of short stories in an A-to-Z Challenge style, similar to what I've done before! By this time, I realized that I was just moments away from my 150th Reader's Review. Not the 150th title, of course... I've had double- and triple-features when the books are short. But that distinctive spot I reserved specifically for You're Not A Real Goth Until You Sack Rome by Katherine Perkins and Jeffrey Cook. Cook is an author from the north end of my state, and he's been a huge support in my author networking endeavors, as well as a brilliant author whose books I've loved--unfortunately, he passed away before I'd even read the book, but at least Perkins got to receive my review! Most recently I finished Spirit's Lullaby by J. E. Mueller, a signed copy I'd had since many years ago that I finally got around to reading--and wouldn't you know, that was the 40th book I've read this year, so with the end of that one, I also achieved my reading challenge goal for 2021! You can follow the hyperlinked text on each of those titles to read the full reviews. 

Meanwhile, as far as library books I ended up reading, there were a couple Agatha Christie books, The Hollow, which was a Poirot novel I hadn't read yet (and a rather strange one at that...) and The Man in The Brown Suit, which wasn't (and I didn't mind that at all!). They were both of them nothing to write home about, but Conjuror by Carole and John Barrowman was definitely everything I hoped it would be! Devious villains, a driving plot, and fantastic characters that kept me fascinated all the way through. Dire King by William Ritter, the Jackaby novel, was splendid to read, with very excellent character development. Last of all, Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith was unexpectedly long, but very well done. A lot of developments in the lives of Cormoran and Robin. Trying to solve a 40-year-old disappearance is hard enough, without so many other things going on in the lives of the two private investigators!

I'm currently reading Pendragon by D. J. MacHale at last, and also I couldn't resist cracking open one of the books I got for my birthday: Archenemies, the second book in Marissa Meyer's Renegades trilogy. I'll admit it took me a while to get into Pendragon, because I didn't quite understand what was going on at the very beginning, but I'm definitely in the "rising action" now, and things are moving quite quickly!

So there you have it, the last update of 2021--and as we close out the year, I'm looking forward to 2022, and I hope you are too! Next time I post, it will be the Upstream Writer's NINTH anniversary! Stay tuned! And as ever...

Catch You Further Upstream!

Reader's Review: "Spirit's Lullaby" by J. E. Mueller

Synopsis from Amazon:

Lost souls. Scheming demons. A young woman caught in a struggle she does not understand.
Tella is gifted, able to communicate with the dead. Using her gift, she guides lost souls, helping them to cross over. When she discovers demons deceiving helpless souls and recruiting them for their own dark designs, Tella finds herself caught in a conspiracy between realms. To stop this growing threat, she must master abilities she does not yet understand.

Can Tella master her gift in time or will she join the lost souls like those who tried before her?
A Tune of Demons follows three young women caught up in the twisted schemes of angels and demons, taking readers oh a spellbinding journey of love, magic, and redemption.

>>>>>>>>>

My Review:

Oh goodness! It’s times like this that I seriously start to figure that maybe I need to rethink my strategy of waiting A WHOLE ENTIRE YEAR (OR THREE) between consecutive books…

But then again, that’s the true mark of an excellent sequel, is it not: to be able to pick up the next book and be pulled right back into the world as if you’d never left?

That is exactly how I felt finally reading Spirit’s Lullaby.
I opened it up, quite forgetting not only most of the characters (except I knew of Key and a couple of her friends—a vague awareness of her royal siblings, and the like…)

But as I mentioned before, Mueller did an excellent job of bringing me right into the action and intrigue. Tella is traveling with Lydia, a Blessed warrior tasked with seeking out and dispatching demons who plague the villages around Shaudrey. Tella helps with her Gift of speed, and the fact that they can usually get hints of where demons are active because Tella can also see ghosts who are still trapped on the mortal plane. It is through conversations with different ghosts they encounter that Tella begins to realize that there is something dangerous afoot, that the enemy they defeated in the last book wasn't the "Big Bad" himself, but just a link in the chain that threatens to destroy the world and make it another demonic domain. There is that, and there is the mystery as to Tella's other abilities, such as being able to weild Blessed magic as well as Cursed magic--she feels kind of "trapped" between the two warring sides of the spirit realm, as much as the ghosts themselves are trapped and prevented from moving on into the afterlife. Can she find the answers she needs? Can Lydia and Tella figure out what's really going on before it's too late?

The characterizations are marvelous. Even the "cameos" from characters introduced in Fire's Song were clear and sound enough to re-conjure the memory of them as if I'd only read it a few months ago. Mueller crafts a suitably intriguing story, one without an obvious outcome, that keeps the reader guessing, and populated by characters and plot devices that are interesting enough to hold the reader's interest. I remember one of the things I said about Fire's Song was that I became so invested in the characters that I would stay up far too late reading, just to know what happens to them--the same holds true for Spirit's Lullaby, even though by now I didn't really have the luxury of reading until my eyes closed by themselves! The plot twists made me catch my breath, the pacing held my interest consistently from beginning to end, and while the conclusion answered a lot of the questions from the beginning, it also set up some definite changes that we as readers won't get to see the effects of until the next book--which I am so glad I have already!

Spirit's Lullaby is an excellent sequel as well as a worthy story in itself. I give it *****5 STARS***** and I would add to it an Upstream Writer Certified RECOMMENDED endorsement. If you're looking for a gorgeous fantasy/paranormal adventure with kickass heroines and quality characters with a fascinating plot, look no further than the A Tune of Demons trilogy!

Further Reading: (Also By The Author/Paranormal/Fantasy/Compelling Adventure/Strong Heroine)

A Tune Of Demons Series--J. E. Mueller
       -Fire's Song 
       -Spirit's Lullaby (*This book)
       -Dreamer's Melody

The Bhinian Empire--Miriam Forster
     -City of A Thousand Dolls 
     -Empire of Shadows

Verona: The Complete Mermaid Tales--Pauline Creeden
       -Scales 
       -Submerged 
       -Salt 
       -Surfacing

Lord of the Wyrde Woods--Nils Visser
     -Escape From Neverland 
     -Dance Into The Wyrd 

Talented Series--Amy Hopkins
     -A Drop of Dream 
     -A Dash of Fiend 
     -A Splash of Truth 

-The Purple Door District--Erin Casey

The LouisiAngel Series--C. L. Coffey
        -Angel in Training 
        -Angel Eclipsed 
        -Angel Tormented

Bookish Blog Hop December 2021--Day 6: "A Book Based On A True Story"

Leslie Conzatti (Me!)

Continuing the theme I started with my answer yesterday, namely “a book set in WW2”, the book I chose for today’s theme is Until We Meet Again by Michael Korenbilt. It tells the story of the author’s parents, Manya and Meyer, two young Jews fighting for survival through the Holocaust. Manya decides to go on the run with Meyer while her family strives to hide, and in the process, the two lovers are arrested and sent to separate prison camps. The story brings the reader into the harrowing uncertainty of living in a ghetto, where you were never sure whether your neighbor was going to tell on you; and the intense suffering of camps like Auschwitz, where the only thing Manya had to keep going was her faith and the hope that someday she would see Meyer again--that is, if he survived and she survived. 
I’ll admit, I don’t really read a lot of nonfiction, but this one came recommended by a friend, and it was definitely worth reading!

Vidya Tiru @LadyInReadWrites  (Instagram | Twitter | Facebook ) 

Again, too many options for this prompt, but I decided to keep it limited to two books. First up, The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank. This can easily make it on my book from my childhood theme as well and has appeared often on my blog. Each time I read the book (even today), I am inspired to be more than I am: to write more; read more;  be braver and stronger; and simply be more human. For any of you who have not yet read this book, I definitely recommend you do so today; and if you have read it before, pick it up again for a re-read. 

The next book I want to mention is When Stars are Scattered by Omar Mohamed and Victoria Jamieson. This graphic novel memoir, based on Omar Mohamed’s gripping true story, is heartbreaking, raw, powerful and at the same time full of hope, inspiration and awe for the strength that is in each one of us as humans. A must-read for all ages (ignore the age recommendations completely) and a book that will stay with you for a long time. 

How about you? Have you read a book recently, or do you have a favorite book that is based on a true story? Tell us about it in the comments! And head over to my Facebook author page to find links to the other posts in this blog hop!

Reader's Review: "You're Not A Real Goth Until You Sack Rome" by Jeffrey Cook and Katherine Perkins

Synopsis from Amazon:

Death was supposed to be an aesthetic, not a plan for the weekend.

Rae Schwarz spends her lunches at the goth table, her evenings with eccentric loved ones, and her daydreams with poetic inspirations. But family secrets have a way of getting out, no matter how long one is sheltered. Some of the things brought to light are a little too bright for Rae's taste, and some have a darkness and a danger she can fall into all too easily.

>>>>>>>>>

My Review:

My! It's been too long since I've gotten to read and review a Cook/Perkins adventure! After the end of the Fair Folk Chronicles, I got into reading a lot of other things, and although they still produced some novels--and especially a short story here and there for Writerpunk Press, which I would read--I just never quite got around to their latest (and last) series together until just now.

This is on purpose, though. It's my 150th "Reader's Review", after all, and I wanted to make it special. Who better to grace this rank than one of the very first authors to ever respond to my tentative message, back when I decided to review indie books on The Upstream Writer?

Anyway, on to the review!!

My only regret was that I happened to start this book at a time when literally everything about my life was pretty stressful, and my opportunities to read were all very short, just when I would be about to fall asleep at the end of the day... many pages of this ebook had to be read and re-read because I would be nodding off in the middle of a paragraph, and would have to go back to the beginning of the chapter to figure out what was going on! As a result, there was a considerable chunk in the middle of the story that ended up rather confusing to me, and I quite literally lost the plot... but I forged ahead anyway, because the brilliant characters compelled me!

I absolutely loved Rae's dynamic, and the way she had basically two camps at her back. One was her "classic goth" crowd--not the "downer goth" variety, with myriad piercings, tattoos and garish skin, but more the "literary goth", with their candid conversations about morbid subjects, the penchant for writers from the Victorian-Gothic era, and of course, skulls on basic black clothing.

But Rae also had another sort of "crowd", one that featured more in the grand scope of adventures: Henny and the Littlethunder family (shades of the family of Menehune from Fair Folk!!) with their homey vibe, deep-running family traditions, and secret magical lore; and Erica, Rae's Viking "champion" friend, who would not hesitate to pitch into battle when the bullies would cause Rae trouble!

This impression of tight-knit camaraderie at the heart of the book was definitely the best thing about the book. Three friends from vastly different backgrounds, upbringings, and with vastly different features and skills--and yet they all accepted one another, and supported each other without hesitation. It took me a while to realize what the actual story had to do with "sacking Rome", as the title says--but I think I've got it by now, and you will too... and I hope when you do, it makes you chuckle as it did for me!

On the whole, I would give You're Not A Real Goth Until You Sack Rome a well-deserved *****4.5 STAR***** rating. It manages to keep its balance through precarious plot twists and complex narrative maneuvers, but only just barely. I wasn't quite pulled all the way in from the very beginning (as I have been, in past works!) but every time I picked it up again, it only took me a couple pages to rekindle that enjoyment I felt over it!

If you've ever experienced the feeling of being ostracized, isolated, excluded, or just plain lonely because of personal tastes or preference choices you've made, don't hesitate to pick up a Gothcraft book--or any other Cook/Perkins book for that matter!--today. You will always find a relatable character to root for in those pages!

Further Reading: (Also By The Author/Urban Fantasy/Brilliant Lore/Compelling Characters)

The Fair Folk Chronicles--Jeffrey Cook and Katherine Perkins
        -Foul is Fair 
        -Street Fair 
        -A Fair Fight
        -All's Fair 

Dawn of Steam Trilogy--Jeffrey Cook
      -First Light
      -Gods of The Sun
      -Rising Suns 

Punk Anthologies--Writerpunk Press Group
      -Sound & Fury: Shakespeare Goes Punk, Vol. 1 
      -Once More Unto The Breach: Shakespeare Goes Punk, Vol. 2 
      -What We've Unlearned: Classic Literature Goes Punk 

The Therian Way--Kimberly Rogers
       -Leopard's Heart 
       -Wolf's Path 
       -Tiger's Shadow 

Verona: The Complete Mermaid Tales--Pauline Creeden
       -Scales 
       -Submerged 
       -Salt 
       -Surfacing 

Lord of the Wyrde Woods--Nils Visser
     -Escape From Neverland 
     -Dance Into The Wyrd

The Firebird Fairy Tales--Amy Kuivalainen
       -The Cry of the Firebird 
       -Ashes of the Firebird 
       -Rise of the Firebird 

Talented Series--Amy Hopkins
     -A Drop of Dream 
     -A Dash of Fiend 
     -A Splash of Truth 

Bookish Blog Hop November 2021--Day 1: "A Book About A Bookstore"

Leslie Conzatti (Me!)

I’m pretty sure that my favorite book about a bookstore (or library!) right now is probably the Invisible Library series by Genevieve Cogman. It’s absolutely delightful! 

In true, fantasy-literature-loving fashion, the series centers around the premise that the stories that are fictional in one reality, are the reality of another “alternate dimension.” If, then, the “fictional tales” from one reality end up in the reality in which they are “historical documents”, it is then possible for characters from the story to show up in the wrong reality, or it gives them the ability to alter what they perceive to be their reality. To keep this from happening, the Invisible Library tasks its Librarians with recovering these alternate-reality versions of stories, and file them away in this extra-dimensional Library where they can do no harm.

Of course, that means there are two other factions that complicate things: The Fae, who thrive on chaos and natural unpredictability, so long as they hold the power--and the Dragons, who value stability and order, and so would much rather they held sway over the realities. The lore is fantastic, the imagery is absolutely spellbinding, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves fantasy, dragons, fairy stories, or all of the above!

Kriti @ Armed with A Book

One of the sweetest books I have read about a bookstore was The Little Bookshop on the Seine by Rebecca Raisin. Through this book I finally got a glimpse into the workings of being a bookseller and bookshop owner. And it sure is a lot of work! 

Sarah moves to Paris to give her friend a break – it’s a bookshop exchange! Having never left her little town of Ashford, this is the first time Sarah is venturing out of her comfort zone of romance novels. However, even though it is a ‘little bookshop’, it is actually a massive building that houses decades of books and history. Sarah faces a number of challenges throughout the book, personal and professional. This book is set in Paris which is known to be the city of lost souls and through The Little Bookshop on the Seine, we learn about many of the lost souls that call this city home. Though the bookshop staff are initially resistant to her, partly because of how Sophie manages them herself, eventually Sarah makes friends with them and learns about why they moved to the city and their reasons for working for the bookshop. I really liked that aspect of that book.

Read my full review on the blog and find this book on Goodreads.

Jo Linsdell @ www.JoLinsdell.com

I’ve read several books that feature bookshops. One that comes to mind is Confessions of a Curious Bookseller by Elizabeth Green. 

“Without question, Fawn Birchill knows that her used bookstore is the heart of West Philadelphia, a cornerstone of culture for a community that, for the past twenty years, has found the quirkiness absolutely charming. When an amicable young indie bookseller invades her block, Fawn is convinced that his cushy couches, impressive selection, coffee bar, and knowledgeable staff are a neighborhood blight. Misguided yet blindly resilient, Fawn readies for battle.

But as she wages her war, Fawn is forced to reflect on a few unavoidable truths: the tribulations of online dating, a strained relationship with her family, and a devoted if not always law-abiding intern—not to mention what to do about a pen pal with whom she hasn’t been entirely honest and the litany of repairs her aging store requires.

Through emails, journal entries, combative online reviews, texts, and tweets, Fawn plans her next move. Now it’s time for her to dig deep and use every trick at her disposal if she’s to reclaim her beloved business—and her life.” 

Read my full review here.

Vidya Tiru @LadyInReadWrites

The moment I saw this prompt, a whole list of titles leapt at me! However, Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan was at the top of that list. It is definitely the book I first think of when someone asks me for a book about bookstores. 

There is a certain uniqueness it has - with the right touch of the old and it's definitely high-tech vibes, the hometown Bay Area settings along with allowing me (the reader) to armchair-travel in time and place through its pages, and well, the bookstore itself, of course!! 

I mention this book many times over on my blog, like in this post about Books I Would Watch on the Screen or another one about Top Ten Bookish Settings I Would Love to Visit. These are just two of the half-a-dozen occurrences but I have never actually reviewed it!  Well, I am not sure I might ever get to it and maybe I will just ask my teens to write a joint review for me now that my younger one has gotten to it! 

As for the other books in the list, here are a couple for which I did write reviews. One is a sweet children’s book called The Bookshop Girl by Sylvia Bishop and the other is a sweet contemporary romance titled The Little Bookshop of Love Stories by Jaimie Admans. 

Robin Loves Reading @ www.robinlovesreading.com

I have read several books about bookstores this year, but the most notable is The Bookseller of Dachau, written by Shari J. Ryan. This happens to be one of my favorite books of 2021. The premise is that a woman named Grace discovered that she inherited a bookstore in Dachau from a grandmother she never knew. She travels to Germany and learns the most incredibly sad story of her grandparents, Matilda and Hans, and how Matilda hid Hans from the Germans during WWII for as long as she could. The story took very sad turns but ended up becoming one of hope. This book really touched me.

Another five star book that I read about a bookstore was The Bookstore on the Beach by Brenda Novak. Autumn spent summer after summer helping her mother at her bookstore until one day her husband went missing. She missed a summer at the bookshop, but the next year she went with her two teens and they had a wonderful time, despite Autumn's heart being in limbo about her missing husband. She does find love, but not without its challenges. The side story was about Autumn's seventeen-year-old daughter and the serious issues the teen was facing. This story really made me feel for all of the characters involved.

How about you? Do you have a favorite book that features a bookstore? Tell us about it in the comments! And check out the upcoming topics below! Tomorrow's post will be hosted on https://www.JoLinsdell.com. Be sure to check it out!

Serial Saturday: "Clan of Outcasts" Season 3, Part Final "Catch A Falling Star"

FINALE (Part 2)

"Catch A Falling Star"

"Princess?"
"Zayra, we're here!"

Raedyn and Edri appeared in the cavern, just in time to see Zayra crumple to her knees. They rushed to the princess' side. Edri whipped off her glove and began searching for wounds under the blood soaking Zayra's gown. "The others aren't far behind, she whispered quickly.
Zayra couldn't tear her eyes away from Polaris' debilitated figure.
"It's too late..." she choked, as tears fell down her face.

"Polaris!" Jaran's voice carried through the cavern, as he and Beren, Damaris, Azelie, Aurelle, Tessa, Denahlia, Markus and Korsan arrived, borne by Erlis, who shifted from dragon to human as they joined their friends in the cavern.

Denahlia's eyes shifted from the two dead bodies she recognized to the rapidly-declining one she didn't. "Wow," she muttered under her breath. "Is that him?"

The ground began to rumble, as more of the shed blood seeped from the wounds and spread in red, branching rivulets farther than it should have, all the way to the six stone pedestals, and as the blood pooled underneath the statues, the rumble increased, until the statues began to crack and crumble, giving way to bright-glowing skin underneath.

Trevon looked up at them and gasped, as the familiar faces took shape, and the wings began to beat again.
"Gemmar!" He cried as they surrounded him. "Allhenn! Scathys! You're alive!"
"Tyrven!" Boomed the tall Angel with long dark hair tied back in a tail. "It is good to see that you have survived... but--" His eyes wandered to the devastation before him. "What happened--"
A female Angel gave a quick glance toward the back wall of the cavern and warned her compatriots, "The Gate collapses! Look out!"

As she spoke, several booming cracks shattered the Gate, and threatened to collapse the entire cavern along with it.

The Angels did not hesitate, and Raedyn helped along with Sir Roger, bringing all those who were still alive--including Polaris--out of the cavern, and down to a high platform just below them, at the edge of the city.
As soon as her feet came to rest on firm ground, Tessa ran over to Polaris and wrapped her arms around him. The six Angels withdrew to observe without interfering.

"I don't believe it!" Tessa choked as she sobbed. "All this time... You're real! You were actually there!" She ran her hand over Polaris' face to brush his silvery locks aside. "I can see you now!"
"Tess..." Polaris grunted, reaching a feeble hand toward her.

Tessa grasped it in her own. "Polaris," she said. "My guardian Shadow!" Her face crumpled, and she wept, although she kissed his hand and pressed it against her own cheek.

Sir Roger--or, as the others knew him, Juros--stepped forward so that Polaris could look at him.
"Do you now understand my intention for giving you this--" he gestured toward the Knife in his hand and to Polaris himself, "assignment?"
Polaris managed to form his answer in just one word, "Yes." His eyes traveled to Zayra, standing forlornly at her husband's side.

Juros nodded. "Since you now understand why I give the mortals these Gifts, and you recognize their ability to stand with what they are given... Polaris, I release you." With the tip of the knife, Juros pricked the heel of his own hand, letting his own blood drip down and wash away the wicked stains left by Mallory.

In Tessa's arms, Polaris felt his strength return, and he let out a deep sigh. The color returned to his pale cheeks, and after a moment he was able to sit up, and even to stand. Tessa supported him up to his feet, aiding him in moving very slowly until he nodded to signal that he could support himself.

The young woman looked at the old soldier, her eyes squinted as she searched his face. "How did you do that?" she asked. "Who are you?"

The Gifted friends all exchanged knowing looks and grins. Markus finally leaned over to his cousin and whispered, "I guess Polaris wasn't just referring to a star, after all."

Polaris, meanwhile, took this opportunity to kneel in front of Sir Roger, and he glanced up to Tessa.
"Lady Tessa," he murmured, "It is my honor to present to you my own ruler, Juros of Justicia."

Tessa's eyes nearly bulged out of her head, and she tremblingly took to her knees as well. "You're Juros?" she gasped. "You're him! All this time... just a soldier?"

Juros chuckled. "The White Castle has been the center of much contention--I wanted it to be the nexus of those who would honor me in the mortal plane, a safe haven for all those who believe in my name. I did not mind taking on the persona of Sir Roger, seasoned knight and trusted protector, as it gave me the chance to personally see how my Gifted people were getting along." He nodded to Edri and Zayra, and also to Beren and Jaran. Everyone respectfully nodded their heads.

Juros returned his attention to Tessa. "I chose you to be the bearer of Polaris' Dagger because I could see your noble heart, and the way others would underestimate you, and I wanted to know what you would do with unlimited protection and awesome power." He glanced over his shoulder, in the direction of The Roque. "You have done well, Milady. The Roque is truly a bastion of sanctuary and security outside of The Realm, and by your deeds, Gybralltyr is saved from the tyranny of evildoers who would have invited my wrath and judgment upon this island."

Tessa ducked her head as a deep blush stole over her face. "I have only done what I could to defend the innocent and strengthen the weak," she murmured.

Juros nodded, reaching down to raise her and Polaris together to their feet again. "And for that, you have earned yourself a favor from me. What is it you desire?"

Denahlia noted how Polaris suddenly went rigid, and wondered why he would be so concerned about what Tessa wanted. Why would it have anything to do with him?

Tessa glanced at Polaris, a bashful smile playing about her face. "Well, if you had asked me that a few hours ago, I would have said that I desired for Polaris to be set free from his obligation to the Knife--but you've already done that, so..." She paused, folding her lip between her teeth in careful thought. "My Lord Juros," she continued in a clear, confident tone, "I would like to be Gifted, as these others are." She gestured around at the group.

Juros nodded slowly. "Gifted? Why do you suppose that such a thing would be profitable for you? Why not desire any of an infinite number of things that I could give you?"

Tessa shifted her hand to clasp Polaris' hand in hers, and said, "I know that Polaris, now that he is free from his obligation, will be returning to Justicia, and I will not have his protection any more. I know that only those who are Gifted may enter Justicia. Furthermore, I know that even if I cannot be with Polaris any longer in this life, I very much want the assurance that I will see him again in the next life."
The pair gazed into each others' eyes and Polaris smiled even wider than Tessa did.

Juros nodded. "It is high time that one such as you would receive a Gift to aid you in the work that you have before you. Seline!" He beckoned to the back of the group. "Seline!" he called.

The Angel lifted above the heads of everyone, and alighted beside them. "Here, my lord," she said.

Juros gestured to Tessa. "Gift this one with the ability of Industry--she has much rebuilding to do, not just in improving and expanding The Roque, but also restoring Gybralltyr to somewhat of its former glory. With this Gift, she will be able to clearly envision the optimal future, and comprehend what is needed to reach said future. And in the end," he smiled at Tessa and Polaris standing side by side, "she will see her protector, and they will be together in Justicia."
Seline nodded. "As you have said, so will it be," she answered.

Tears of happiness sprang into Tessa's eyes, and she grasped Juros' hand. "Thank you, sir!" she whispered. To Polaris, she said, "I hope you don't mind. Even though I couldn't see you, I did like having you around."

Polaris grinned and wrapped his arms around Tessa, like he never wanted to let her go. "I confess, I've been thinking that once the Crow Queen had been vanquished and the spell of the Knife had been broken, that it might be time for me to retire as a Knight--if it meant seeing you more often."

The sun broke over Gybralltyr, and in Tessa's newly-Gifted sight, the future had never looked brighter!
>>>>>>>>

That same sun had reached midday by the time Elvish lookouts came to announce before Prince Aspen and Princess Mignonette that the King and Queen and all their entourage had returned.
Jaran and Azelie paused in the courtyard of the castle to appraise the changes that had gone on in their absence.

The courtyard was no longer a scene of chaos, but a well-tended parade ground, with clean cobblestone walkways and lush patches of grass. The holes in the stonework around the garrison had been repaired, and everything looked to be in working order.

The Elvish servant led them across the castle to the gardens, where Aspen and Mignonette sat in the pavilion enjoying a midday repast.
The two Elvish rulers stood in deference to the returning Royals.
Jaran nodded in return. "It is done," he declared. "Mallory is no more."
"And the Enchanted Knife?" Mignonette asked.

"No longer enchanted," Zayra answered with a smile. "We had some assistance from Juros himself, and he ended the spell that had trapped the Shadow Knight."

Aspen nodded slowly. "Very good--and I trust you'll find that we have upheld our end of the bargain here," he gestured to the castle grounds.

Javira stepped away to inspect the new flowers growing among the hedges. They were unlike any she'd ever seen--but they responded to her Gift in much the same way. Damaris and Anahita slipped away hand-in-hand, to see how the kitchens had been maintained--or at least, that was the excuse Damaris gave, while Anahita only blushed and giggled without saying a word.

Aurelle instinctively glanced toward the window of the library, and Mignonette supplied, "Our archivists have sorted and re-shelved all the records and scrolls that the conflict left scattered."

"And your scientists will be happy to know," Aspen added, with a nod toward Lizeth and Nyella, "that all of your experiments have been preserved, and your ingredients for the synthetic tinctures have been resupplied."

Nyella got a strange look on her face, but by the time she vanished and reappeared, she wore a smile instead of a frown. "It's true! Everything is better than when we left it!"

Princess Tamarind observed the group with a tilt of her head. "Where is your new friend--the half-giant?"
Azelie smiled. "Tyrven chose to stay behind, along with Lady Tessa, to help her rebuild Gybralltyr as a Gifted community outside the Realm. Even though he is the last of his race, he wanted to use his knowledge gained by living with the Angels, plus what he had picked up from being warped by Mallory in her diabolical experiments, to reclaim the city as a remote community for Gifted individuals--much the same intentions we had for Wildhaven."

"In fact," Beren spoke up, "Brinley promised to make the portal between Wildhaven and Gybralltyr more accessible, so that if things get too crowded or unsafe for anyone here, they can easily get to there, where there will be more room for them, and they still wouldn't be cut off from any resources or community on our side."
Aspen nodded. "The Realm expands, I see," he mused.

At this point, Markus stepped forward, with Hadrian's Wyrmling crouched on his shoulder. "By the way," he said, nudging the Wyrmling from its perch, "This little fellow has agreed to say in your sanctuary until he's strong enough to be out on his own. Hadrian reserves the right to come and go as she pleases, but she acknowledges that the sanctuary does have all the protection and nourishment a growing Wyrmling needs--something she hasn't found in the outside world." He smiled as the Wyrmling warbled and bopped him on the leg with its head. "He'll live there for a time, she'll come and go as she pleases, but I think she's hoping that it will go a long way toward repairing relations between Elvendom and The Realm."

Aspen nodded slowly. "I will consider it," he said, well-aware of the red-scaled, sharp-fanged shadow hovering overhead.

Mignonette giggled at the Wyrmling's antics. "Does he have a name yet?" she asked, reaching toward the little dragon with a steady, non-threatening hand.

Markus watched the Wyrmling study the Elvish princess for a moment, before cautiously extending its neck for scratches. "Actually, Hadrian decided on the way over here. His name is Roger."

Risyn stood by with one arm around his sister, and the other hand tracing the runes carved into his staff. 

Quilla leaned against her brother's shoulder. "Korsan seemed only too happy to live out the rest of his days in Gybralltyr, wouldn't you say?" she mused.

Risyn nodded, and even chortled a little. "I couldn't tell who was more excited: Tessa, at getting to cook for and host both Korsan and Tyrven at The Roque, or Korsan, to be fed by someone who could really cook!"

Quilla snorted. "Are Damaris and Anahita really that bad in the kitchen?" she asked with a hint of apprehension in her voice.

Risyn shrugged a little. "I suppose you'll have to decide that for yourself, little sister!"

As the others conversed out in the garden, a lone figure ascended the steps onto the patio of the White Castle.

A golden-eyed Elf stepped out of the shadows to greet her.

"Lady Vel-Thane," said Prince Spruce, beginning to bow his head in deference. Halfway through the motion, he stopped, and straightened to peer closely at her. "Wait... Not thane--but how can it be? Your own blood was far too poisoned by the Dragon-Blood..."

Erlis smiled and gave a breezy chuckle. "It was not the blood poisoning me, but my own fear of what I was supposed to do with it. It was that same fear that drove me to agree to Velora's offer to seek a cure from the Elves, and that fear continued to haunt me and cripple me until I no longer knew myself..."

Spruce's lips thinned, and he tilted his head. "What changed?" he asked.

"I met Juros," answered Erlis. "He gave me a portion of his own blood, and showed me how the Gift I'd been given--that of healing--was not something to shy away from or be afraid of, any more than I should fear the Dragon's Blood, in the way that it gave me shifting abilities and also heightened my healing capabilities." She straightened and shifted the cowl back from her face. 

Her ears were still softly pointed, and her skin was very pale indeed, more like Mignonette's complexion, but there was a clarity and consistency about her demeanor that Spruce had never seen in her before. "Juros redeemed me with his blood," Erlis said, "and his blood protects me from harm, so that I can continue being his agent of healing, and also a defender of the weak and vulnerable with my dragon form--but in all of this, I carry out his will."

Spruce nodded. "I think you will find good reception across Elvendom's borders hereafter, Lady Erlis."
Erlis nodded. "Thank you very much."

By the end of the day, the Elves had returned to their kingdom, and the various leaders around The Realm returned to theirs. King Jaran and Queen Azelie ruled their people well and wisely, acknowledging the truth that Zayra had spoken in Gybralltyr, in the face of one who tried to control the future and thought that mastery over all things was the key to lasting peace: A community's strength didn't lie in the Gifts one could wield, and those who had Gifts weren't necessarily more important or better than those who didn't have any. Rather, a community could draw its strength by its citizens' capacity to work together, and support each other, and the Gifts were merely a means of doing that even more.
And so the Realm did flourish. The Lost Boy found his home, and when the time came, the Lady was reunited with her Star. And they all lived in community, one with another.

(Are you sure you want to end it like that, Kaidan?)

(Yes, Aurelle, I'm sure.)

Thus Ends 

THE COMPLETE ACCOUNT OF THE RISE AND FALL OF THE CROW QUEEN, 

By Kaidan Clissander

Read More Of The Clan Of Outcasts Saga:

--> Season 1, Part 1: "The Storm"

--> Season 2, Part 1: "Upgrades"

--> Season 3, Part 1: "Always A Party"