A Noble Princess Cover Reveal!!

Hello, humans! I bring wonderful news. It could’ve been a surprise without the title, but guess what’s coming this November?

Sure, Thanksgiving, too, but you have one more thing to be grateful for, which is. . .drumroll, please 🥁. . .Saraina Whiteney’s The Goose Girl fairytale retelling! This story will be a part of the SUMMER novellas for the Cornerstone Series, which include Books 5 – 8. Aside from Miss Saraina Whitney, you’ll see the works of authors Rachel Kovaciny, Abigail Kay Harris, and Madisyn Carlin.

And what do I have to do with this? Again, my uncreative title gives that away, but to clarify, I’m aiding in the cover unveiling of the wonderful Saraina’s novella. Without further ado, behold the details!

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What happens when duty and love tear you in two opposite directions?

Full blurb coming soon.

A Noble Princess is an NA Christian fantasy Goose Girl retelling.

Book #5 in the Cornerstone Series

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Release Date: November 5, 2024

Genre: nonmagical Christian fantasy fairytale retelling

Book Length: Novella

Publisher: Bellator de Lux Publishing

Cover designer: Mountain Peak Edits & Design

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About the Author

A devoted Christian storyspinner, Saraina Whitney’s one weakness is poignant stories threaded with hope. That and the color olive green. Her passion is sharing stories of hope finding broken hearts, pointing back to the Greatest Love Story of all. Known as the quietest of her family of fourteen (…except when she’s singing), she’s a homeschool grad and lives in the windy Illinois countryside, blessed with a magical view of sunsets and stars. When not volleying around obscure inside jokes with siblings, she spends her free moments authoring, falling down research rabbit holes, reveling in the musical perfection of her favorite songs, and daydreaming about a wardrobe that could transport her to her characters’ worlds.

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ABOUT THE SERIES

16 Christian fantasy fairy tale retellings filled with faith, clean romance, danger, and courage from authors Laurie Lucking, Kirsten Fichter, E. G. Bella, Jewel Windall, Saraina Whitney, Rachel Kovaciny, Abigail Kay Harris, Madisyn Carlin, Lucy Peterson, Anna Augustine, Olivia Godfrey, Kendall Hoxsey, K. R. Mattson, C. K. Heartwing,  Kendra E. Ardnek, and Katja H. Labonté.

Pre-order the series! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CPS7ZKXK?binding=kindle_edition

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And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for.

Oh, the suspense! Oh, the agony!

Just show the cover already! you plead.

Now, now. Remember, good things come to those who wait.

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I can now type consecutive periods and enter at lightning speed. Very fun. Highly recommend.

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All right, enough of the scrolling.

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Doesn’t that look lovely?

All promising covers, don’t you think? 👀 We have much to look forward to in November through December.

Preorder A Noble Princess: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CQ3BH3CX

Add on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/203694496-a-noble-princess-cornerstone-series

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*clicks Want to Read on Goodreads*

I’m surprised I didn’t do that sooner. If you’ve been here a while, you know I worked on a fairytale-ish retelling of my own, so I can understand a teeny fraction of the diligence you’d need. I have much respect for the author. 😊

Stay on your toes for the upcoming blurb, and let me know what you think! I’ll catch you on the flip side. *salutes and does an Aladdin off the balcony*

*magic carpet whisks me away*

Journal- 4/30/2024: Look What I Did!

Guys! I cheated!

I finished it yesterday with a final WC of 10,022, but the story’s not over yet.

Okay, perhaps not entirely. I wrote 7,980 words out of my supposed 10,000 this month, but I started with 2,042 already written. The sad part is that 10k is half the original goal, but I get this confetti-sprinkled pop-up and a bunch of celebratory GIFs at the journey’s end, so what does it matter?

What Story Did You Win with, You Ask?

Why, thank you for such pleasant nosiness! [Su*cide Trigger Warning] It centers on a pastor’s kid and a girl who tries to jump off from her windowsill to end her . . . self. Surprisingly, it’s not as dark as I thought it would turn out, and the contemporary vibes are AGH. Primarily featuring Christian messages, finding your identity in the rubble, doing the right thing when the boundaries are murky, and, of course, goofy Christian friends.

If I ever doubted that contemporary was my favorite genre, my reaction to the scenes that work has sealed the deal for me.

said reaction:

I conceded to the idea on October 16, 2023—the date the Doc claims I began clickity-clackity-ing toward some semblance of a goal. After two days of minor updates, I left it alone until a random December day. I vaguely remember my dad coming home after saving this couple. The wife and her husband had been fighting, and she tried to k*ll herself, but my dad stopped them before she could and counseled them for about four to six hours.

My sisters and I prayed for them, and my heart went out to the couple. Somehow, it felt like God calling me to return to the story. But my lazy self was hardly consistent in that month. A passable excuse could be the hecticness of the season and my priorities being with school, extracurriculars, and another larger work-in-progress.

Time passed, and when I could’ve forgotten about this, I didn’t. I’m taking that as a sign, small as it might be.

Anyway, though I hit the goal, I’ll keep working on this lump of ideas and see where it goes. I may or may not mention it here since it makes me so darn happy in upcoming posts. Who knows? I would if I planned stuff. I don’t and therefore am as clueless as you. Speaking of planning . . .

I Outlined?

According to recent studies, I’m a pantser. Whenever I put my ideas to parchment, I realize even I wouldn’t read a story with that premise and then promptly lose enthusiasm.

The two lessons I need to learn:

1. Make better premises.
2. Remember that it’s just a rough replica.
3. Experiment!

Yes, I can count. I didn’t consciously take note of the third point of that two-point list, but I still applied it in the outlining process somehow, also unconsciously. I have four Letter-sized scrap pieces of paper to prove it. They might all be hardly a fourth filled, but that counts!

This video by Ana Neu inspired me to at least give it a shot.

As she said in the intro, her guide isn’t exhaustive. Take what may compliment your writing style, and apply it how you please. I used the “brain barf” outline style and place plotting; they’re neat and messy, and I love them. It’s also refreshing to see a young writer (with an extreme yet very authentic Australian accent) being relatable, sharing encouragement and tips openly, and building such a supportive community. She’s Christian, too, and her vlog videos are as aesthetic as they come.

But Back to the Main Topic . . .

Here’s proof, people.

It was inspired by Justin Bieber’s song “Hold On.” How does one translate electric guitar feels into a story? I have no clue, so I opted out of that the first chance I got.

A cool song, nonetheless.

Sure, it says “novella” in incoherent writing on the top-right corner of the page, but will it ever really reach that point? I say no, but we, as always, shall see.

The Place Plotting section looks empty and soulless, but the real one’s on the other page, ye of little faith.

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Okay, That’s Basically It.

Nearly all my academic, extracurricular, and other-ish work is complete. I know, it’s a shock to me, too. I want to say the stress is easing out and making way for a more chill phase, but that would be a lie. A blatant lie.

How was your Camp NaNoWriMo? If you don’t know what that is or didn’t participate, how well did April treat you, and what’s up with writing?

My WIP Updates

You know those moments when you just don’t want to create? The inspiration is uninspiring, and the motivation unmotivating. You just lay motionless, waiting for something to happen.

I’m experiencing it now. Making myself start writing this took a lot of coaxing. It’s hard to combat, and sometimes the answer is stepping back for a bit.

If you assumed that this was a hiatus announcement, think again! You…probably didn’t because of the title. Yeah, I have to work on my subtlety. Next time.

The other sometimes is looking back at what you have done for encouragement. I can’t do that because I haven’t finished any writing projects I’ve begun yet. But I initiated stuff, which is better than nothing, right? Right?

If you’re curious, stick around for glimpses into my less-than-half-formed WIPs.

The ✨Glimpses✨

1. Swan Lake (a novella…hopefully)

Description: 🏹🦢👑🌒🧙🏻‍♂️

Stage: Drafting (Planning isn’t complete yet, so what possessed me to start is beyond me.)

Completed Chapters: 3, currently in 4

Characters

• Main: Prince Siegfried, Princess Odette
• Major: Axel, King Christoph, Queen Uberta, King William

Goal(s): 15+ chapters • over 20,000 words • succeeding in writing from a narrator’s POV • giving Siegfried and Odette’s relationship some much-needed depth (as compared to their The Swan Princess counterparts)

Related: What’s Your WIP? (in which you will find a blurb, a snippet, and other important things)

Extra Info

The moment you realize your so-called “original work” is nothing more than fanfic of a specific Swan Princess movie…

…is not a pleasant moment. My apologies to anyone who thought I could pull that off. Original work. Ha, hilarious.

I’m a baby writer, so I’ll jump for joy if this first attempt at a novella passes 10,000 words. Don’t expect…a plot. Or do expect it and then be disappointed. But in truth, the only reason anyone would read till the end would be for the action, not my sorry, unpolished writing.

Enough self-deprecation for now. Moving on.

2. That One Fantasy Story I’ve Been Planning for Forever (novel?)

Description: 🗺🤝🏻🍂🚢⚔

Blurb:

The village electing her father as chief changed a lot of lives: her father’s, her family’s, and her own. Nothing changed, they said. They were wrong; everything did. An ever-increasing burden of pressure was laid on Alessia’s shoulders—she has to be the best. She has to prove herself. When the opportunity to go on a quest affecting not only her village but the surrounding ones, friend or foe, is presented to her, she grabs at it. So what if her father doesn’t know? She’s assembled her little band of coworkers, the best of the best: Brielle—her sharp, analytical, and strategical best friend, Sienna—the history buff with access to forbidden maps, and Zed—the self-claimed tech whiz with a sense of humor. Everything will fall into the plan, the plan she’s planning to make sometime in the future. So, imagine her dismay to having to work with a stowaway, a spy, from a neighboring tribe, with which they weren’t on good terms. How’d her life become such a mess?

It’s pretty vague, but it’ll become something one day.

Stage: Planning

Characters

• Main: Alessia
• Major: Marcos, Brielle, Sienna, Zed

Goal(s): 30+ chapters • over 30,000 words • developing the individual characters • *gulp* pulling off the hero hating herself and finding peace at the end arc • Enemies to Lov- say what? Who said? Huh?… Ignore that. • and other stuff

Storytime

If you’re like me, you were too lazy to read the blurb. Chunky paragraphs induce headaches.

To summarize, my MC—Alessia—is a troubled girl; she goes on a quest with friends; an enemy was there (a “there” I will not disclose) before they set off and has to come. Gasp. Originality and articulateness abound.

I haven’t got a plot, but, funny thing, I’ve been brainstorming on this since last year. How sad is that?!

And yes, we are equipping children to do such outrageous things. Perfect!

3. Oh my goodness, I still haven’t finished that “Prompt to Paper” anecdote (a short story)

I’m taking this opportunity to apologize for not yet posting this. It’s not professional or ethical.

I have—How do I say this?—given up on it. So, either someone requests me to complete it, or you, my dear reader, refresh this post once or twice to see what the outline was for the rest of it. No, this isn’t an attempt to get more views. I’m being serious. (Do the second one! Do the second one! ~your conscience)

Edit: Never mind, I’ve made it easy.

2. The Clark family is on a kalesa, exploring the walled city. Adam—their charming tour guide with impressive fluency in English—gets along with Dad just fine and regards all sites with respect. He claims they’re ancient, and Thomas can’t help but agree as the carriage’s horse trots past a historically significant Starbucks.

• Don and Angelo sit among other POWs (Prisoners of War) in the stench-filled dungeons of Fort Santiago. If the Japanese officials wouldn’t kill them, they would easily suffocate with such little air circulation. Don worries about Angelo. “That gash won’t make surviving much easier.” But Angelo convinces Don that whatever happens…happens. With nothing else to do but count the segundos till they die, Don shares his cigarette pack with his cellmates. A Japanese soldier calls him to come out and follow him. There was business to be done.

3. Thom and company return after strolling around Baluerte de San Diego. Marie (his sister) thought it was pretty, and he genuinely agrees that the site was interesting, more so after Dad gives some insight. Thom gets jittery after finding out they had one last stop: Fort Santiago. They reach there as quickly as he’d hoped, and Adam tells them all about how American and Filipino soldiers died there due to suffocation and the heat. Thom is moved and asks if his grandpa might’ve died there. Dad says it was his own great-grandpa, Thom’s great-great-grandpa. Thom is silent for the rest of the travel. He asks his dad if they could visit again sometime.

Goodness me, I feel so evil.

4. Some Unimportant Fanfics

Descriptions: 1. 🥼🥽🤦🏼‍♀️🕷🕸 , 2. 🌬🍃👩🏻👻📿🌊

Which begs the question: Should I get an AO3 account? We’ll see.

Share in the comments how you feel about certain platforms where fanfics are regularly published. (AO3, Fanfiction.Net, Wattpad, etc.) Which do you prefer? Which gave you the best experience? The worst? Any advice is appreciated!

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Thank you for reading!

And come back next time oooooooon CKJ!