It's done! I have officially finished my fairy tale trilogy (The Fairy Tale Chronicles). Now it needs some editing and revising (mostly the second and third). But anywho, here are some details.
Like the first two, the title for this third book is yet again based on a quote by Hans Christian Andersen: "'Just living is not enough,' said the butterfly. 'One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.'" (Title: Sunshine, Freedom, and a Little Flower).
Of the trilogy, it has the longest page count (which was an incredible surprise to me). But it's only the second longest via word count (in order of word count length from highest to smallest: book 1, book 3, book 2). But only by a little less than 1000 words, all of which could easily change in the editing/revision process. Out of all three books, this is the one I feel might need the most revisions/additions. We'll see.
So onto the plot summary. This is only a basic summary... I haven't really refined it yet, so it'll probably get updated in the future. First, actually, for those that don't know the first two... Here's the plot blurb of the first book, The Most Wonderful Fairy Tale (which is still ever changing in how I word it):
Charles Perrault, Hans Christian Andersen, and the Brothers Grimm have one thing in common: They wrote their fairy tales into the Book of Tales, brought them to life, gave them a happily ever after... and unwittingly began a war. The Book of Tales allows anything written within its pages to come to life, which makes it as precious as it is lethal. Now the centuries-old war for the Book is reaching its peak, and it’s up to five people to make sure the right side wins:
Alabama Turnkey (for the love of God, just call him Al) is 12 years old and unqualified for anything outside of lock picking… and he’s also the only known person capable of using the most dangerous artifact on Earth. His only problem—how could a misfit like himself be important? And then there’s Clover Lane, a happy-go-lucky girl whose luck is more useful than she thinks. She faces the true issues of what happens when a sunny disposition meets the shadowy side of life. Avalon is an Irishman who claims to be an apple tree… with a strong fear of germs. He’s always up for a laugh, but maybe only to cover the seriousness of his dark past. His partner, Calico, is your average young woman, except for the cat ears, tail, and heightened senses. She’ll do anything to defeat the enemy, but first needs to come face-to-face with her worst enemy: her stoic self. Finally, there’s Al’s sister, Georgia, who is dragged into the conflict with no clear purpose, only to form a bond with the one person who could change the face of the war forever.
Here's the plot blurb for the second, A Beautiful Melody:
It's been three years, and Georgia is finally returning to her hometown of Hunchly, Texas after a lengthy book tour for her bestselling hit, The Most Wonderful Fairy Tale. But when Gottingen Alchemists Marty and Fitz show up in Hunchly to arrest her, Georgia realizes that telling the truth, the complete truth, about the Book of Tales may have been a mistake. She's charged with violence against The Gottingen, and they have nearly two dozen witnesses to back it up. And what's worse, they say that Georgia had also declared she would use the mysterious and frightening Fancy War Doctrines.
But Georgia's never heard of the Fancy War Doctrines. Lina, the leader of The Gottingen, entrusted the Doctrines to a spy more than a hundred years ago, and no one but she knows who it is. With Lina in a coma as a result of the attack, Gottingen Agent Felicia will stop at nothing to make sure Georgia stays in her custody. Fortunately for Georgia, nothing can stop her brother Al from getting his sister out of custody. He teams up with Li and Leah, two renegade Alchemists, to save his sister. Once reunited, the brother and sister team revisit old friends and make new ones as they try to find the spy, find the Doctrines, prove Georgia's innocence, and stop whoever is framing her before it's too late.
And, finally, the plot blurb for the third:
One year has passed since the threat of the Fancy War Doctrines. Georgia Turnkey is on another tour for her newest book, while Al continues as an Agent-in-Training for The Gottingen. But the past is about to sneak up on them once again as an old enemy returns--and he's not alone. A dangerous man named Donovan, who often helped The Blackguard in centuries past, has returned to the spotlight... but for what reason?
Also on the rise is a mysterious and fatal illness attacking only a select few children. One of these sick children is 12-year-old Egyptian slum girl, Zahra Arena, a magical descendant able to animate the inanimate--including her teddy bear, Bes. While searching for a cure and a way to defeat their enemies once and for all, Al and Georgia will need all the help they can get. In this final chronicle, some friends will fall and some enemies will question their previous loyalties, but can everybody pull together one last time and finally achieve their happily ever after?
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It's a much darker book than the two predecessors. There is quite a bit of death, including main characters, which really isn't as easy to do as you'd think. After I wrote the first *major* death of the book, I stopped writing for about 2 months. But also, practically every character introduced (with a few minor exceptions) since the beginning shows up at some point in the book.
That's really about it. It's exciting, having a finished trilogy. Now all I have to do is sell them :P .
