Okay, so, I freely acquiesce that it's been way more than a week since I finished HoD7. In all technicality, it's been over three weeks. I'm really sorry for the delay on everything, but life has been ridiculously busy since I wrapped the book up (thank goodness I was able to, at least), and every time I sat down and tried to work on this the way I was originally planning to do this, some sort of tech idiocy happened and I wasn't able to get it to work.
At first, I was planning on doing this thing as a video/blog post sort of a thing, but all my recordings have had major issues, such as horrible audio quality, bad lighting, or simply being too big of a file to do anything with (which is what happened whenever I tried to film from my iPhone instead of my laptop.) Basically, I'm giving up on that idea and just sticking to the old-fashioned written word. I'm sorry that I wasn't able to kinda "introduce" myself to you guys as the About the Author this time like I was hoping to, but life happens sometimes. ;^^ Maybe I can eventually do a short blog post thingy for Songs and Poems and Stories etc. etc. ad infinitum.
Anyway, I got three Ask An Author questions (which were gonna be answered in the video), all from Aura_Blaze. I'm gonna go ahead and answer those here.
1: What inspired you to start writing, fanfiction especially? (I apologize if the questions are phrased differently from what you asked, my Loftwing friend; I'm doing this from memory.)
Answer: What inspired me to start writing at all, was that from when I was born up until I was three and a half, I lived like less than a mile from Scholastic Publishing headquarters. Everyone in the area worked for Scholastic, pretty much, so they were always getting free picture books and everybody in the neighborhood had picture books coming out of their ears, so all the local garage sales had picture books for almost literally a dime a dozen. Anyway, I grew up reading those books, most of which I still own today somewheres in my house. Every time we went to visit my dad at work (he was an accountant in those days, not a pastor), we drove past the Scholastic building. One time when I was two, I told my mom I was gonna grow up and write books for them. Pretty much ever since then, I've known I want to be a fiction writer.
What inspired me to start writing fanfiction is more complicated. Basically, I've kinda been writing fanfiction ever since I was about that age, only it was more like I role-played it then wrote it. Every single fandom I've ever been in, pretty much, I've created an OC for (usually just an alternate version of myself, yes, yes, laugh at my self-inserts and Mary Sues, bleh) so I could role-play, either in our backyard with my brothers/sister (although I didn't have them yet when I first started), with my stuffed animals and dolls, or by myself in my head when I couldn't sleep at night (although it was a heck of a lot better when I was little, I've pretty much always been an insomniac). The first fanfiction writing project I ever started, which never got past two chapters scribbled in a notebook along with my math problems, was a really pathetic Sonic story called the "Flutter Fox Diaries," which was about my OC Kim "Flutter" Prower's (Tail's twin sister) adventures she went on while the others were all off having their adventures from the cartoon shows. She was definitely a Mary Sue who had way too many magical powers (based on her emotions, so she had to be stoic or risk blowing something up with her volatile Mary Sueness), but she never actually ended up going anywhere story-wise, so hey. I actually once thought about writing a comic about the mental adventures I used to go on with her, only to end up completely disowning her when a "friend" basically ripped me, my personality, and everything I liked to shreds when I was about twelve and essentially turned most of my personality off for over a year. From there in the comic, it was going to be Flutter alone in my head, wanting to cheer me up but not knowing how, and then eventually, Sakura showing up and taking her place as my "imaginary friend of sorts," Flutter being jealous and attempting to get rid of Sakura every way she could think of, only to eventually realize that her turn in the spotlight really was over and it was time to let Sakura have the place of the leading lady, basically. All this was going to be done only through pictures, no speech or thought bubbles. (Yes, I did watch Inside Out about the time I thought of this. So sue me. XD) Anyway, I thought the idea was dumb/boring, and I really can't draw worth a Shotzo, especially since I'm out of practice again, so I ditched it.
I am so off-topic here... Anyway, um... So. Yeah. Flutter was my first "OC" I wrote anything about. HoD was definitely my first honest-to-goodness foray into the land of fanfiction, and I've probably told the story of what inspired it so many times you guys hate it by now, but here goes, one more time.
In early Oct. 2013, I had a dream that seemed sweet at first but actually turned out to be a nightmare. I was already obsessed with Waddle Dees at the time and had been since about March, although I didn't really care about the rest of the Kirby series yet. In the dream, a new Kirby game came out featuring a girl Waddle Dee with a pink cape and sword as one of the four playable protagonists. In the story, they were fighting a lightning monster. Waddle Girl's distinguishing power was her ability to fully heal all three of the other characters with a pink light, which took away half of however much health she had remaining in her status bar. She could also give the others extra lives by doing this when her health was full, but doing that consequently docked her down to half-health and took away some her moves with the Copy Abilities (which she could use in addition to her sword, and in the dream the Abilities actually combined with the sword to make it have special powers like fire, water, etc., but I completely cut that out to minimize her overpowered-ness in the books).
Anyway, during the boss battle, in one of the cutscenes, Meta Knight died. Like actually died. He was deaded, completely and totally deaded. Didn't have a pulse or nothin'. (Magolor quotes ftw. XD) Adios, amigo. While my brother threw a Wiimote at the TV in the dream because now he was stuck not playing, the dream changed so I wasn't playing anymore, but was actually in the game world, watching. Waddle Girl stopped fighting (she was nameless in the dream; her status bar read 'Waddle Dee (Girl)') and ran over to Meta Knight, said something (she could talk, but I couldn't ever hear what she was actually saying whenever she spoke), and gave him a large amount of light, which got rid of almost all her health. With what she had left, she attacked the monster and revealed his weak spot for Kirby to go all Ultra Sword on, and then died with the happy death jingle. Sadly, she didn't regen, and the other three player characters didn't seem to notice or care.
I woke up bawling. For whatever reason, I was really attached to that Waddle Dee my subconscious had randomly come up with, and I could not for the life of me figure out why. Since then, I've decided that maybe I had that dream for a reason and that it was slightly more than a dream, since without it, HoD never would have been written. Idk though. It was probably just a random dream. XD
The girl Waddle Dee quickly took over my bored (awful and hideous) algebra doodles and a lot of my random thought. I eventually gave her the name Sakura and a flower ribbon, simply because I named like all my original characters Sakura at that point since it was/is my favorite Japanese word and I love the flower. For awhile she was Sakura Waddle Dee, and then Sakura Dee, and then usually just Sakura. I toyed around with the idea of her being MK's girlfriend a lot there at the beginning, but eventually opted for pairing her with Sailor Dee until I started writing the series and figured out I liked her and MK together more and that there was a way to make it believable/likable.
My mom suggested I draw a comic with a happier ending for the Waddle, since I was so upset she died, so I tried, but I couldn't draw well and quickly gave up in mid-Oct. The idea was still in my head pretty much constantly, so I typed up the first chapter of the story and put it on Wattpad about then, and then dropped it until winter break started and I was really sad and needed a distraction from life, as you all know, so I started it up again. The rest is history. XD
2: How old were you when you started writing?
I wrote my first short story (about twins named Liz and Lizzie and their twin puppies Lisa and Li-something) for a PBS Kids writing contest when I was five. The story was disqualified because the judges didn't believe a five-year-old had written it and accused us of entering it in the wrong age range. Anyhow, I've been penning book ideas and little short stories pretty much constantly ever since then. Unfortunately, most of my ideas never actually end up on paper or anything, and so I usually eventually forget them.
3: How many hours a day do you spend writing?
I've always had a bad habit of writing binge-ing on occasion for up to ten hours sometimes. On a typical writing day, however, it varies. KatML and KatRD took me two hours a day, tops. NW took me three hours a chapter, usually, and KatHD was the same way for the first two thirds of the book, but then was three and a half more often close to the end. NW:TFoAW took three and a half hours a chapter at first, but was four plus by the end. Both KatFF and KatBFD took anywhere from five to six or more hours a chapter, occasionally even up to more than eight hours a chapter. That's part of why the updates slowed down so much, is it's harder to find six hours to write with than it is to find three. That and I work best in neat packages, so I almost always write one chapter in one sitting. If I don't complete a chapter, I usually end up erasing most of it and starting almost completely over the next time I sit down for whatever reason. Sometimes I'll actually be working on a chapter and will start over randomly about halfway through, although that typically happened more in the early days (approximately clear through KatHD).
So... That's all the About the Author this time around, since y'all already know all the biographical stuff about me. On to the Acknowledgements.
First, as always, I give glory, praise, and thanks to God, Father Son and Holy Spirit, for everything, and also for giving me the gift of writing, but especially for giving me this series. Heroes of Dreamland is the best thing that has ever happened to me in my whole life so far, and I'm not exaggerating. So many wonderful things have happened to me because of these books, and it's been my sanity and happiness through the piece of my life where I've pretty much grown up. I was a little girl when I started these books, and now... well, now I'm not. I learned a lot during this time, from writing, about writing, and from other life experiences. Sorta like Kury did, I found my voice and learned a little bit more about where I really belong- although I'm not to the last chapter of my story yet, like she technically is.
Next, I thank my parents, Momma and Daddy, for allowing me to spend all my writing energy on fanfiction for so long. I hope you can be proud of me for these stories, and I hope to make you proud with worlds entirely of my own working someday soon. Thank you also to you both for always being there for me, and for raising me well these past almost eighteen years. I love and honor you both so much, and I could never thank you enough for everything you've ever done for me.
To my siblings, Blue-Eyed-Dragon-Boy, Monkey-Man, Boo-bah, and Bear-Bear... Thank you for making me laugh, even when all I want to do is cry. Thank you for trying to help me learn to be less of a Meta Knight and stop taking everything so seriously. Thank you for being there, even when you do make me want to tear my hair out and go burn a village down. XD
To kyleemuy: Thank you for convincing me to get a Wattpad, even though I was so insecure about my writing and so convinced everyone everywhere everywhen would abhor everything I wrote that I never would have come to this site if it weren't for your basically (kindly and friendly-ly) coercing me into it. I owe this whole ride to you, in that sense, so thank you so much for that. Thank you for everything else you do, for your randomness and your being like a sister to me. P.S.: Watch out for Laugbut, Barackmiobamanaynay. He will never relent from his pineapple stalkage.
To PrimeJourney: You, my friend, and your sister are the very best parts of my experience with HoD. PJ, you've always read my books and given me such good feedback. You've always been so enthusiastic about them- you've sent me so many fanarts, way more than anybody else, and you've both intentionally and unintentionally given me so many good plot ideas. Thank you once again for creating the Star Power and allowing me to use him in my stories... They never would have been anywhere near as good as they are without his presence to guide the characters. ^^ Thank you for being such a wonderful friend, for always having my back, and for always listening to me. You're gonna go far, hon. I just know it.
To WritingForLife101: As noted above, you're the other best thing that came about because of HoD. Thank you for being my friend and for being so sweet. I love talking about Japanese with you and role-playing with you and your sister. You're so hardworking and brilliant, and I know that whatever you set your mind and heart to, you're gonna accomplish it. The world is gonna be a much better place because of you, whatever it is you do. ^-^
To mangalissi: Thank you for being my biggest fan, my loudest cheerleader, my most fervent Hearth (ClerkXRinda, the name comes from Hyrule and Earth together, plus Rinda bakes stuff over a fire in Hyrule, and fireplaces have hearths) and Sakura Knight shipper, my longest friend, and the best cousin I could ever wish for. Thank you so much for everything you are and everything you do.
To Stay_Street_ on Twitter: You're never gonna read this, but I love you anyhow. Stay street. Stay alive. Stay unlit. Lastly... Thanks for being my Zombietwinsie, the Velma to my Thelma, my Dr Pepper "drinking buddy", Lashakayobamanaynay, and the H of the SHE Club. Gotta let it happen, honey bun- and it will happen, even if it takes forever. You'll get there. ^^ Cheers!
To neomeo: I will never get over how happy I am that you like Sakura enough to write her. I will never get over how many people have asked me if they could use her, but you're the one who's put the most care into her and developed her apart from me. Thank you so, so, so much for taking her under your authorial wing and giving her another adventure written with another just as wonderful and beautiful 'Author Lady' voice. You're definitely my partner-in-crime when it comes to Author Lady-ing... We'll drive Magolor totally bonkers with schizophrenia yet, won't we? ;P
To Aura_Blaze, Maddisun10, Kman1800, PsychicNature, IvyXHawk, Galaxy_Artemis, KirbyGirl123, NaturalAqua, riseludere, ThunderingBuck, Fairy_Wizard, Epiclight, SuperCamborg, epicRedHot, BandannaDee, TheMackontauish, DylanMoore832, RandomMarx, shadonic64, Wenseya, luigiwritesastory, Noxiee, Dracorex116, Ninjakuzero, and WaddleDeeDwee: THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU DOMO ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU for being my fanbase!!! I love all of you guys so much, and I will never stop being thankful for your votes, arts, comments, friendship, and everything else. That's what I love most about Wattpad:
I don't have "fans..."
I have friends.
Thank you for making me feel so loved and like I have worth.
Thank you to Nintendo and Masahiro Sakurai for creating Kirby. If you wish, think of this saga as my love letter to Nintendo, particularly the Kirby series. In a way, Nintendo has been my personal Fountain of Dreams... Their games, especially Kirby but also Legend of Zelda, Mario, and Pokemon, among others, have been such huge inspirations to me and have become very precious to me. I don't care what others say, Nintendo is king of gaming- although, honestly, Nintendo games aren't just video games. Nintendo games aren't about blowing people up or pointlessly doing the same tasks once every eight hours or whatever else, although battles and repetitious tasks can be a part of them. Nintendo games are visual stories, like movies, only they accept input from the player and make them feel like they're in the story themselves. Playing a Nintendo game is like having your own adventure, being a hero yourself- or so it rather seems to me. Best of all, Nintendo births so much creativity, so many unbelievably talented fan-artists, including animators, artists, cartoonists, poets, and writers. To every adventure that's happened so far, and to all the adventures that are to come, whether I ever get to be a part of writing them officially or not, I give this toast: May the Hall of Entrusting Heaven never die, and may we always remember to "Leave Luck to Heaven." ;)
Lastly, to everyone listed above and everyone else who's read this far, even if I didn't mention you by username... Thank you for reading these books, for enjoying the story that's been at many points an indirect allegory to stuff that I was going through and figuring out in real life (it'd take at least three hours and a coffee shop to actually explain that, probably, haha), for taking in the words that I wrote from my heart, and for loving the stories and me for writing them.
Thank you to all the people who have told me that HoD was a factor in their decisions not to commit suicide... You have no idea how much of an honor it is to me to know that I've saved lives, that there are hearts still beating out there at least somewhat because of something I've done, whether the words I said to you or the words I wrote that spoke to you. Never give up, loves. The whole world is out there, waiting for your story to be written on its pages, and your story is no less beautiful or important than anybody else's. It will get better, I swear. I'm so proud of you for hanging on this long, and I know you're strong enough to make it through anything. You've got this, sweethearts. You're knights and Star Warriors with Lights of your own too, and nothing would ever be the same without you. Don't give up now... your story is still so close to the beginning, and there's no way to tell what the happy ending will be when you're still in chapter 15/16/17/18/whatever else out of 80 or more. E(:
I haven't deserved any of this beautiful journey, but I am so thankful for it, and I hope no matter what else I write over the years, that I'll never forget that my first story I shared with the general public was about a handful of puffballs saving the stars and those who lived among them. Oh, gosh, I'm crying again... Anyway, I've said this before, and I'll say it a million more times if I can...
Thank you for making a nobody from nowhere feel special. Thanks for having a little girl's back as she started to figure the world out and to become a woman. Thank you for teaching me that maybe I'm not as worthless as I constantly tell myself I am.
I love all of you, and I hope my Lord Jesus Christ blesses and keeps you all.
Now, how to officially finish and tie up this series (so I can go write a short story about this series, heh ;^^)?...
Well, I guess there's only one way to do this...
I feel excited and hopeful. Who knows what tomorrow may bring? Well, dear Reader, until we meet again... May your days be filled with Light, and may the Star Power guide you.
And now, for that last little piece of hope, that last little possibility that maybe there'll be more one day, that beautiful last Kirby-standard promise that the story never really, truly ends as long as there are voices and hands willing to share it...
~The End?~