If you saw my announcement on National Fairy Tale Day, you know that I've been waiting a long time to get my story, Hope and Love's Legacy, out into the world. In fact, it's been over 20 years since I conceptualized this book as an animated series when I was 16. Today is the day that my lifelong legacy can finally be part of your world (Yes, that is a Little Mermaid reference, and yes, there are mermaids in this book). From a spark of imagination to a two-season series bible to pilot spec scripts to a full-length novel, this story has evolved so much since I first dreamed of starting an animation studio to produce it as a naive teenager. I truly believe that its current format is the strongest it's ever been, and I am so pleased to share it with you today.
I came up with the idea of Hope and Love's Legacy in the midst of various fandom obsessions, including
Disney Princesses,
Final Fantasy VIII, and
Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders. My passion for these things was incorporated into the story, but it still stands apart from anything I've seen in the past. My idea was to bring together two polar opposites who are manipulated into going on an RPG-inspired quest and fall in love along the way. Amoura, a peasant girl from 1590, is chosen as the essence of love, which is reflected by her sweet, soft-spoken nature. Spero, a wealthy modern-day gamer, is chosen as the essence of hope due to his privilege and optimism, but that doesn't stop him from speaking his mind without any regard to how the people around him might react. My favorite thing about every version of this story was the banter between these two characters. They play off each other so well, which is a writer's dream when it comes to incorporating humor and heart into the dialogue.
Turning this idea into a novel seasoned me to grow exponentially as a writer. I didn't want it to be a small, quiet release, like
my other books, which are around 35,000 words on average and have a small following. This had to be big. This was the story that motivated me to move to Hollywood for a decade and enter the film industry in the hopes of finding my big break. My initial draft for
Hope and Love's Legacy was 50,000 words, which was already the longest book I'd ever written, but industry standards require YA books to be even longer. After a painstakingly tedious editing process, I completed the final version of the book at 71,000 words, making it my greatest achievement to date. I punched up the prose, enhanced the plot, and added more sensory details than I ever pay attention to in real life. Anyone who reads this book will step directly into the minds of Amoura and Spero, experiencing everything that they think and feel.
As a lucky coincidence, this release also coincided with my
1,000th blog post, allowing me to celebrate with a special giveaway including signed copies, CDs of
Locked Tower, my original album, and 3D prints of Amoura's pendant. The winners have been notified, and prizes were sent out yesterday. Going big with this release has introduced me to the Bookstagram community, which is one of the kindest and most supportive groups of people I've met online. I'm so grateful for getting to know them that it almost makes me glad I couldn't find an agent and go the traditional publishing route. The indie book community is such a vibrant and uplifting group, and I hope they are able to help this story find its audience.
My legacy doesn't end with today's release. I currently have a sequel in the works, as well as a new ebook cover, which will be revealed in the coming weeks. It feels like I've been waiting my whole life to launch this story out into the world, and the time has finally come for it to shine. I recently uploaded my books to Draft2Digital to make them available in libraries. You can help me out by recommending this book, along with my other ones, to your local library by downloading the Libby app, doing a "deep search" for my titles, and clicking the "Notify Me" icon to let your library know you're interested. If you have enjoyed any of my writing here on The Princess Blog, I implore you to check out Hope and Love's Legacy on Amazon today.
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