I usually end my stories off with a bonus chapter but I was so satisfied with the ending for Eclipse Child that I just had nothing to conclude it with.
So, as a special treat, for making it this far, I want to show some of my rough draft thoughts about the story and then conclude with a Q&A.
If you have any questions about the stories for the Moon Child series (that includes Moon Child and Sun Child) post them at the bottom. If I answer them, I will include them in this post and then tag you or comment back to let you know I've responded. (Side note though, some of the questions don't really even have to be about the series...I don't care if you ask what my favorite food is honestly...)
So here is a family tree I made of the characters right after I finished the story 'Sun Child'
You can see my revisions (scratched outlines) of when I started working on 'Eclipse Child' and rethought what I originally had planned.
Okay, this is really sad, but I was going to originally make the plot of 'Eclipse Child' about how Lexie couldn't move past her trauma with Cal, so much so that she even names her daughter Callie to reminder her of her horrible past- and 'Eclipse Child' was going to be this huge soul searching story of Soraya (or aka Callie) trying to find out what happened to her mom in the past. But then some events of my own life took over and I started thinking "that's bull, why the hell would Lexie name her child that- and AS IF ATLAS WOULD LET HER"
The letters next to Leo and Vincent stand for their mates. (x- passed, R- rejected)
Hahahaha there is a reason for the symbol that is next to 'Father of Daisy' BUT I WON'T REVEAL THAT YET. See some bombs here that you never thought of? hee hee hee I wish I could be there to see your face when you make some of the connections on this chart.
Also!
This was going to be the original cover for 'Eclipse Child'
(please don't judge okay? there is a reason why we call them ROUGH DRAFTS)
I cringe just looking at it.
I was all YA IT'S AWESOME! And then I slapped myself for thinking it was awesome to put a half-naked woman on a cover...(I am ashamed).
And I realized my other covers for Moon and Sun child had a color/image theme going on with them so I needed to keep that going with Eclipse Child.
(Urgh So glad I had the foresight to change it)
Okay! So, now that I have spilled my embarrassing secrets of how lame I am when I start a story to you guys!
Q&A! If you have any questions- fire away!
* * *
Are you going to write another book or series that connects to this one? About Daisy's dad or Tala? Will Leo get his own story?
I am! I don't see a point in holding out the wait, but I am in fact working on another story right now that is able to tie in the mystery around Daisy's father. This story may not be delivered in a way you expect, and Leo won't be the main character of it, but the formation given in it will definitely help explain all these missing points of what happens to Leo next and who Daisy's father is. So be on the lookout for it!
How is Soraya as a mother?
Usually, I like to leave that stuff to you, the reader. I don't answer ALL the questions so that when you are thinking over the story later, you can reflect back and fill in your own version of how you see the characters, or what you would like their own outcome to be. Personally, for me (don't let this influence you though), I see Soraya as a very gentle but firm mother. I can't lie and say she will cuddle and pamper her child- that's just not her nature. She will protect and love and make leave no doubt in her children's mind that she will be there for them, but she will also train them and make sure they are able to defend themselves and be strong in order to survive. I always have this running film in my head of little Tala going to Orion crying because Soraya pushed her too hard in training, and Orion hugs her, gives her all she needs and wants, but later that night, Tala wakes up to find Soraya asleep in the chair beside her bed, while watching over her to make sure she is okay (thinking of a similar scene in Eclipse Child?). I'm not sure if Soraya tells her children about the reason for the injury on her back...it could be the same with Lexie and how she doesn't want to put that weight on her child's mind, so she has the thought that if they DO ASK, she will sit them down, and tell them the story...starting with explaining about their Uncle... someone they were never able to meet...
Does Lilah find her mate?
No. I'm sorry if that answer disappoints you. I know Lilah is amazing and deserves her own happiness, but that is just her personality. Lilah does not actively seek out her mate, and she never feels as if she is missing out on life or even wants one. I had a realization one day that some people go through life completely without ever getting married, or committing to someone- AND THAT'S OKAY. That doesn't make them sad, or pitiful or even, with less of a future. I know it wasn't mentioned in the story, but Lilah was in love with Lexie (gasp!) You may be able to see it now if you reread and have that new light, but the majority of the reason for why Lilah doesn't want a mate/try to find one, is because she wants to stay by Lexie's side and protect her. It causes some discord between her and Atlas since he can sense that Lilah's emotions run somewhat deeper than loyalty for her Luna (I think these feelings are strongly hinted at when Soraya challenges her father and Lilah has to fight Henry for the Beta position).
When will bonus chapters be on Inkitt?
Um...never? Lol, I don't think Inkitt looks kindly on side bonus stories like Wattpad does. They are very strict about that kind of stuff (they even frown upon author notes at the end of stories or chapters). Though I do plan on maybe, one day, eventually posting Moon and Sun child to Inkit, the only reason why Eclipse Child was there in the first place was because it was chosen/invited to be part of a readers royalty program.
Speaking of bonus chapters, what will they include?
Honestly, I don't know. I don't plan out my bonus chapters, and I get really nervous when I want to post one. I have to make sure every fact aligns with the plot of the story before I post it. Usually, it hits me one day that I want to write this particular scene for this story. So I'll go ahead and write that bonus chapter, and then post it. So the answer I guess can be when inspiration hits me. I do hope in the future, that I can post bonus chapters for Mark/Quinn's meeting, proposals, different births, and marking ceremonies between couples.
Is Soraya's and Orion's second child named after Vincent?
I'm still a bit iffy about that (hence the question mark above it in the family tree), but I had a gut feeling that the last line of Eclipse child, the promise for better, ties into YES, the child is named after Vincent, but it's not in honor or memory of him- it's as a promise almost of a second chance (if that makes sense?) that this time, this generation, will do better. This name, unlike the namesake before, will be loved and cared for. I think Soraya would want to name her child that, simply so that she can create a future that her parents were never able to.
Where do Vincent and Leo go? What happens to Alba Rosa?
As I mentioned in the above question, some of these pressing questions will be answered in another story (however I'm not including that story in the Moon Child series, nor will it be a series on its own- It's a standalone). Rhett is the Alpha of Alba Rosa and honestly, that's it. The pack moves on, and life continues. It's the passing of another time, showing that eventually, all things must come to an end. Alba Rosa means white Rose- and I love that imaging for the pack because you see something so pure and perfect, but even a white rose, casts a dark shadow. So I think it is right that Atlas, Jay and Soraya all leave behind their past to look ahead at a new future. It shows that it is not the pack that makes it home. It's the people.
What is Orion's "origin" story?
Okay, I don't want to get TO into it, since Eclipse Child brushes on this, but since you guys managed to make it this far, I'll tell you some secrets. In MY HEAD, and in the way I had planned it out, Orion's mother is not really to blame per say, but it's really the generations before him. There is just more "wolf" you can say in his bloodline because of his ancestors breeding with "ahem" actual wolves...I don't want to say it in the story because just the thought sorta makes me cringe (so I can't even imagine writing about it). You might then be wondering why his mom is not like him- you have to remember that Orion was isolated by others as a child, so he wholly embraced the wolf inside him. I never explained it well, but Soraya hints at it that the shift is about choices. You choose between fur or skin and Orion chooses with his whole life/heart to embrace the fur. His parents may have...ahem...in wolf...(don't make me type this people!!!) so that also plays a factor, but there is a psychological component too. I really believe (and Orion shows this when Tala is born), that if he wants to, he can let go of the fur side (the wolf) and embrace skin and what it has to offer him. The reason why his shift is "not a shift" is because he had spent so long as a wolf, his body was just reverting back to what it had always known to be its original form. He spent more time as a wolf than a human. Orion was never told as a child (mainly because his mother never really made the connection), so he just made assumptions on his own). I hope that cleared up and made some of you go 'aaaahhhh.'
Why did Atlas choose the name 'Soraya'?
Ah. I'm glad someone asked this (I was secretly hoping for it). Lol go me for mentioning it in the story and then never explaining it HAHAHA. So. The name Soraya has many meanings. You can make a connection to it with Orion (ah so cute how those two names are connected) BUT the name also means 'bright light.' Atlas was in charge of naming the girls, and he took that job very seriously. So when they knew it was going to be a girl, Atlas has this epiphany...This is his first daughter, the first girl really in several generations (Jay's father had two sons, Jay had one son...) I think Atlas agreed to name the girls because he honestly thought THERE WOULD BE NO GIRLS TO NAME. But here she is. And at that moment, I really truly believe that Atlas saw Soraya being the 'bright light' not just for himself but for the future...If you think about it, it did turn out to be true. It's also a play on how he sees Lexie as his sun, so this child is a child of the sun in his eyes. See the connection?
There are many names that mean 'bright light' but I PERSONALLY chose this one out of all the options because I made the connection of how Soraya's name also fits into Atlas'. In Greek mythology, the Pleids are the seven daughters of Atlas. In Arabic, the Pleiades constellation is called 'Soraya'