AUGUST 2021 BOOK RELEASES YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT✨

I am thrilled to share these August book releases with you today! There are some fantastic books releasing this month and I’m hoping to read a few of these in the future, including:

- The Devil Makes Three by Tori Bovalino

- A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee

- A Dance with the Elf Prince by Elise Kova in conjunction with Book of Matches Media

- How We Fall Apart by Katie Zhao

teenage boys in young adult novels: greed bows to me. it is my servant and my lever. there was no part of him that was not broken, that had not healed wrong, and there was no part of him that was not stronger for having been broken. it’s shame that eats men whole.

teenage boys in real life: i bet you can’t eat that entire pizza by yourself-

teenage boys in real life: oh yEAH? WATCH ME-

navigation -rules-masterlist

there are tons of different types of governments - mostly, as a pattern in fantasy, the government is either in the form of a monarchy or extremely corrupted. so i’ll be sharing some cool methods to write this, again, its just the way I want, do your own research if you want more in-depth info. (also, not a historian, these are things ive studied in history class!)

#1. Totalitarian states

These governments are extremely right-wing (conservative) usually, and impose strict censorship laws and usually have a very active secret police and intelligence systems made up of informants, militants and spies. A lot of the time, they also tend to brainwash their people into believing them using propaganda and silencing dissenters. They often use terror tactics like making the entire population distrust each other, as no-one is sure who is working for the government. Its using systemic terror and the fear of not knowing who to trust that creates very efficient (and terrifying) government systems. 

#1a. Revolutions & Freedom of Speech

The reason why a totalitarian states rules in the first place is often because of having a great amount of military power, which subdues the people and is an efficient way to take away rights without having a massive protest or revolution. The only effective way for a totalitarian government to be taken down is if the head of state or an important general is murdered, throwing the lower governmental ranks into chaos. That usually culminates in a breakdown of the economy and politics and the chance for a new government to take power.

#2. Monarchies

A monarchy is a form of government where there is Monarch at the head of it. There are a bunch of different ways it can be organized, but usually there is a council of ministers in charge of different things (i.e Defense, Health, Education, etc) that meets and consults with the monarch, who is in charge of all the ultimate decisions. They monarch also deals with important foreign relations - meeting with monarchs or heads of other governments would be their job with advisory from the Foreign minister. Monarchies are more old-school, and also have no democratic election system.

#2a. Puppet rulers

A lot of monarchs in history - and in fiction, have been puppets controlled by a much more powerful person behind them. Whether this be because they’re old and powerless, or are blackmailed into it, they have no actual autonomy and are overridden by the person controlling them. Puppet rulers are especially useful as plot twists in fantasies, because the person who was built up to be the “big bad enemy” was actually being controlled by AN EVEN WORSE ENEMY⁉️

#3. Some questions to ask yourself about your governmental system

• Is it corrupted? To what extent?
• What factions exist within it? (eg: conservatives, liberals, etc)
• What do the people support/think?
• If there was an emergency crisis at the same time as a war was being fought, would the government prioritise its people or its soldiers/territory?
• Who was the previous government? How did the current government succeed it?

Not all of these require long answers, even a couple of lines to understand how the government did xyz would be enough context! hope this helped <3

THE HEARTBREAK PRINCESS » CHAPTER ONE

THE HEARTBREAK PRINCESS MASTERLIST

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Lorelai smacked into the royal blue matts, the cushions within them doing little to nothing to soften her fall. She huffed, her abdomen aching from the aftermath of a punch she hadn’t blocked. The sound of her body colliding against the surface echoed throughout her training room of the Kastilyo.

She saw stars, but not from the blow. Instead, her eyes now faced the ceiling, the rose golden stars that adorned the top of the high walls in her view. She groaned as she sat up, rubbing her head comfortingly. Her vision moved itself from the stars and trim of the walls right before they met the ceiling, and could now see her own tousled state in the mirror in front of her. The wall parallel to the door was one giant mirror, adorned with the same opulent design as the top of the walls.

The Kastilyo was what the Kingdom of Estrelya called their castle. The original designers had been careful and thorough when creating the five story building fit for royals.

Amira stood in front of her, moving on the balls of her feet swiftly, maintaining her stance with her fists protectively placed in front of her chin. She watched as the princess leaned back onto the mat, letting her dark brown hair bunch up just above her shoulders as she laid there silently.

“Giving up already?” Amira questioned, dropping her stance when she got no response.

Instead, all she heard was heavy breathing as Lorelai caught her breath.

Amira stood there with her hands on her hips. “You’re the one who asked for sparring sessions, Lor.”

Lorelai let out a groan, pulling herself to sit up. She moved her hair out of her face, practically slicking it back from her sweat-stained forehead. She looked up at the royal guard in front of her, looking posed.

It was a year ago that Amira had made it to the official ranks, setting the record for the Kingdom of Estrelya ’s youngest member of the Royal Guard. Standing at a heaping five-foot-one, she wasn’t that much shorter than the princess laying in front of her.

Despite being a mere nineteen years old, she was acknowledged as one of the strongest guards in the kingdom. She had begun her apprenticeship at the age of fifteen, skipped the status of Official Guard, and went straight to Royal Guard at the age of eighteen. It wasn’t long before she scaled the ranks once again, entering a special assignment as the Princess’ personal guard and attendant.

Now, she was practically beating up the princess she swore to protect—all with good intentions, though. Lorelai had requested private sparring sessions with Amira.

Amira turned to grab a water bottle from its spot near the mirror. As she stood up facing the mirror, she fixed her silken maroon hijab that was on her head.

Lorelai sat there, wondering how Amira managed to look flawless after a sparring match whilst her own hair was frizzy and untamed. Instead of answering Amira’s question, she let out the one thing that had been on her mind the entire time they spared.

“I think Mom’s still upset with me,” Lorelai sighed, huffing breaths in and out.

“What for?” Amira asked her, turning around and taking a seat across from Lorelai on the mats.

“She had Taylor introduce me to a few more suitable candidates,” the words fell off her lips mockingly, mimicking the posh accent the Royal Secretary had when she spoke. “And in person this time! I told them all it was nice to meet them, but I wasn’t interested.”

Amira chuckled.

“You know she’s not going to give up trying to introduce you to a nice boy,” Amira sighed. “Might as well humor her, let just onecourt you before rejecting them.”

“Why get their hopes up?”

Amira bit her lip and gave her a defeated look, knowing that Lorelai had a point there. She pressed on the floor and stood up. “I’m gonna go shower if you’re done for the day. Princess Daniella and Princess Kavina are supposed to be arriving today.”

Lorelai gave her two thumbs up before allowing her body to fall backwards once again. Amira chuckled as she walked out of the room. Lorelai stared at the ceiling of the training room, attempting to catch her breath as she contemplated her ancestry.

“That’s a good idea,” Lorelai whispered to herself, pushing herself off from the ground yet again. “If I stay in all of this sweat, my eczema is gonna scream at me for it later.”

Not to mention my friends are arriving soon.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Lorelai glanced at herself in the full body mirror that hung from her walls, not flat against it as her room was built in a circle, with a cone roof. She believed her tower-like room might have been one of the few things that made her feel like those damsel in distress princesses from a fairytale—the way it felt like she was in some tower. Only she wasn’t the one who was locked away, kept hidden from the outside world. No, not her. She swayed side to side, fumbling with the satin material of her brown sundress.

The loud sound she heard next was one she found hard to describe. It wasn’t as if the word “shimmer” made a sound, but it was the only adjective that clouded her mind when she heard it. A loud, echoing, shimmer that would ring throughout the Kastilyo.

The sound of the Estrelya Portal Dock being in use. There were six Royal Portal Docks in their land—one in each of the six kingdoms. To use, however, the receiving portal would have to have its Master Key inserted and turned to the correct number on the portal’s dial that corresponded with the portal that was dispatching.

The Estrelya Portal Dock was 1.

Royal Portal Docks weren’t the only form of Portal Docks that existed. Smaller versions of them existed that could only be used for small distances within kingdoms, able to move from city to city, or from different neighborhoods. Because of its short range, they didn’t need a Master Key to operate.

Excitedly, she skipped over to one of her many windows, pulling back its heavy curtains to look up at the bright azure sky. Her bedroom, thanks to its tower-like structure and position on the fifth and final floor, gave her a 360-degree view of the Kastilyo’s surroundings. A faint pink light shot up into the sky from just past the gardens in the back of the Kastilyo—another indicator that the portal’s Master Key had been inserted.

She ran out of her room quickly, breaking out into a slow jog. She descended the small spiral set of steps that had led up to her bedroom door, but she paused at the last step. There, at the end of the royal quarter’s hallway right before her bedroom hung a large portrait that was just a bit bigger than a door.

Her eyes scanned over the painted portrait. They roamed over a familiar pair of golden eyes that was so evidently not those of a human’s. The man, if they could really call him that, had sharp and long pupils that could only resemble a cat. Despite his young facial features, he had long, white hair, and he was standing straight up with a beaming smile on his face. He was in front of the Kastilyo, it’s exterior unmistakable. He was clad in a black robe with rose gold hems, signature to Estrelya. That painting had been in the castle for eons, a reminder of the era when magic still roamed the land. The Mage of Estrelya, as history would come to know him, a hero in history books that became more of a folklore than anything else. It was hard to believe in something people couldn’t see. But for her, staring at the portrait made Lorelai feel a deep sense of connection, as if there was some personal bond between her and the one depicted

Despite being talked about in books and in school, aspects of him became more of a folklore. People found it hard to believe in the things he had done. It was hard to believe in something that one couldn’t see—but the Portal Docks were standing proof that magic once roamed. The last remnant of it. The sole reminder.

There was no longer street entertainment from Mages filling up festivals and events, there was no more barrier surrounding castles, there were no longer magical potions to help with ailments and surgeries. There was no Mages helping with military efforts, helping with construction—there were no Mages. All because of built up prejudice and a mindset that they had an unfair advantage in life. All because some man in power liked being the one to hold it.

She walked towards it, clenching her fists tight, feeling a slight pain in her palm as her long nails dug into them. She stopped right in front of it, letting her fingers trail down the carved wooden frame around the canvas portrait.

Do I have time to go and… she wondered.

“Lorelai.”

Snapping her head around, her entire body turned to face the voice. Amira stood at the end of the hallway in a new outfit from the one she wore during training. She wore the uniform of a Royal Guard in the royal colors of the Kingdom of Estrelya: black and rose gold, with an embroidered rose gold star on the biceps of her long sleeves. The star on her biceps had twelve points with a frilly design, six of the points pointed straight and six curved in a wave matter, and it was known as the royal symbol, or the Estrelya Star.

The broach that fastened the top of her shirt signified her ranking by what kind of star she had.

There were four guard rankings at the Kastilyo. A three pointed star symbolized an apprentice. A five pointed star was an official guard. A ten pointed star, similar to the royal symbol but with straight points, five longer and five smaller meant it was a member of the Royal Guard. Almost the same as the star for the Royal Guard, Special Assignment Royal Guards had one small adjustment in their broaches: a sword would pierce through the star.

Amira proudly wore the highest of the stars on her broach.

The hijab upon her head was black with rose gold trimmings as well, everything about her outfit screaming professional and elite. Amira looked badass in her uniform, and Lorelai was never quite able to get over how in awe she always was with her.

She pushed her glasses up on the bridge of her nose and said, “Callen’s arriving.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

They walked briskly down the Glass Corridor, which was located at the very end of the west wing of the Kastilyo’s second floor. It stretched from both ends of the front and back of the Kastilyo. Since it jutted out further than the main walls of the house, it had a small ceiling that was also made of glass.

From the Glass Corridor, Lorelai was able to see the Estrelya Portal Dock. It was built large enough to look like a door to nowhere when it wasn’t on. Painted black with rose gold hems and frills, it also had a small ottoman sized control panel right next to it. On that panel was a circle dial that ranged from numbers 2-6 with a slot in the middle of the golden Master Key. Now that the key was inserted, the portal no longer looked like a door to nowhere. Instead, a pink glow formed inside of its empty space and shot up into the sky, fading the further up it went. The entire dock was on a white circular platform that had five small steps leading up to it.

Getting to the courtyard, the two briskly walked from the courtyard, out to the garden, around the side of the castle towards the Portal Dock. Lorelai couldn’t help but notice how official everything felt—and yet there she was, in a simple brown sundress.

Guards lined up by the portal, her parents already waiting at the end of the string of guards, her mother’s right hand woman, and a few other members of the royal cabinet. Sakura Icis, the Head of the Royal Guard and Chief Advisor to the Crown, stood at the end of the string of guards, closest to Queen Amor herself.

Queen Amor and King Jeune Bituin were clad in royal attire. Queen Amor in a rose gold dress with black lace and flourished hemlines, her crown sitting upon her curled black hair. King Jeune in a black long sleeve shirt and slacks with a rose gold tailcoat over the ensemble, his own crown upon his gelled back black hair.

Gorgeous and poised, like always, Lorelai believed. She saw the way the sunlight hit her parents’ crowns, the reflection almost blinding. The King and Queen were truly breathtaking in every way to Lorelai.

As Lorelai looked around at those who had gathered, she realized she was the only one not formally dressed. She tried to reassure herself that there was no reason to have gotten all dolled up just to greet her childhood friends at the portal, but there was no mistaking that she stood out like a sore thumb.

A few aides materialized first, carrying suitcases with the Kingdom of Callen’s royal emblem on them: a pastel purple colored outline of a mountain with what is meant to be a laelia orchid growing on top of it. The mountain represented the Callen Mountain, which their castle was built upon. The entire emblem was encircled in a thin, pastel purple line.

The first of the royal family to materialize out of the portal was Princess Daniella Laelia. The smile on Lorelai’s face widened, as did her eyes, as she looked at the princess. Daniella had been one of her best friends all her life, but standing before her, Daniella looked almost completely different.

Her typically long blonde hair was now colored a dark blue. Her attire made Lorelai feel less out of place, as she was dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie, obviously not caring much for appearances. All she had to do was walk through a door, for crying out loud.

She threw up a peace sign with her fingers upon seeing Lorelai, making her way down the stairway to embrace her friend.

“Oh, my! Your hair!” exclaimed Lorelai, reaching to touch it. As she moved it, she realized she also had an undercut. “Damn! Your hair!”

Daniella laughed, motioning to the portal with her head as she said, “They’re not exactly happy about it since it’s ‘right before the Ball,’ but I really couldn’t care less.”

The Three Queens’ Ball, an event held once every decade in honor of the alliance formed between Estrelya , Callen, and Chandrama, signed into place by three queens eons ago: Minorin of Estrelya, Azalea of Callen, and Riya of Chandrama.

It was the Kingdom of Estrelya’s turn to host it at the Kastilyo, though the other two kingdoms were planned to arrive early enough to help with the arrangements.

The princesses and prince had been small children during the last time the Ball occurred; though, the only thing that seven year old Lorelai really remembered from the event was that it was long, loud, there was lots of food, and lots of traffic in the capital city.

The Ball itself was a national holiday in all three Kingdoms. For those who were able to make the journey to the host kingdom were able to attend, admittance free to all of their citizens. Local business owners were even able to request petitions to open booths along the passageway leading to the castles. The Ball always left the castle cities bustling with tourists, traffic filled streets, and every form of lodging fully booked. Despite the actual ball only being a day event, the month before and after was full of celebration. Those who traveled far made vacations out of the Holiday, so the castle cities stayed busy for quite some time.

Daniella linked an arm around Lorelai’s, and turned to face the portal, watching as everyone else came out.

Out came Queen Adalaide and King Barry Laelia, walking down the steps hand in hand, King Barry slightly ahead of Queen Adalaide, helping her on their way down. Like Lorelai’s parents, they were clad in their royal outfits, almost identical to Amor and Jeune’s, but instead, in the lavender and silver of their own kingdoms.

Like her daughter—or at least until yesterday— Queen Adalaide had light blonde hair, while her husband’s was a dark brown; it could be mistaken for black depending on the lighting. Standing next to each other, they looked as if they were day and night.

Lorelai couldn’t help but think about how beautiful they were together.

The guards in the line had bowed down their heads for them as they walked over, and Amor stepped forward with a smile, arms open to embrace Adalaide. King Barry and Lorelai’s own father stood off to the side with one another, pleasant smiles on their faces as they spoke in soft tones together.

“Thanks for the help, Dani,” grumbled a voice from the top of the dock.

Attentions moved to the last person to exit the portal—the crowned prince himself, Elijah Laelia. He was a stark contrast to his baby sister in the same way their father contrasted their mother. His hair was short and black with onyx eyes, which put him aside from his sister and parents who all bore grey-blue ones.

The only similarity between the two siblings was their complexions: both of a light, warm beige. They didn’t look like one another around the face, either. Elijah had inherited their father’s high cheekbones with a rounded face, while Daniella’s was more sculpted like their mother’s.

He was clad in a black button up shirt with lavender buttons, unbuttoned to reveal a silver silky undershirt. His family’s symbol was embroidered on the pocket over his right chest.

It didn’t go unnoticed to Lorelai that Elijah tended to tie in his kingdom’s royal colors into all of his outfits even when he wasn’t dressed up, from the silver to the lavender in his attire, to the embroidery on his pocket. It was so very formal of him for a nineteen year old.

Lorelai almost never wore her family’s royal colors outside of official events and meetings, despite how much she liked the colors black and rose gold together. Nor did she have the Kingdom of Estrelya’s rose gold star embroidered on any of her casual clothes.

But she knew that in Elijah’s defense, not that she would ever come to his defense, that this was just an example of how he oftentimes tried too hard to appear to be a perfect prince.

Elijah was carrying a few bags left behind by the aides when they descended the steps. The way he was glaring at his sister, one could only presume it was her bags.

“What a gentleman,” Daniella teased him, staying stuck in her spot as Elijah wobbled down the stairs and across the path towards them. “Thanks, Eli.”

He put them down with a huff and rolled his eyes. He merely nodded his head in Lorelai’s direction, and the Princess responded in the same manner. Without exchanging any words with one another, Elijah’s attention refocused on the two kings, making his way from the Princesses towards their fathers.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The arrival of the royals from the Kingdom of Chandrama happened only a few moments after Callen’s. Their arrival was almost identical, with the only difference being the emblem on their suitcases. It showcased a golden full moon, which had white craters worked into its design, and a frilly letter C in the middle in white.

Lorelai and Amira had been ordered by Queen Amor to go to the kitchen and see if the meals being prepared were ready, and to meet in the garden for lunch. Lorelai had been disappointed that she had to miss the arrival of the crowned princess of Chandrama, and the last member of her Princess Trio: Kavina Chandra.

“The meal?” Prim Keirnan glanced behind herself. The Royal Chef, with her unruly red hair that was up attempting to stay in its hairnet, stopped paying attention to the steak she was searing in front of her. “I already had it sent to the garden dining table, love!”

“Oh, alright, thank you!” Lorelai smiled, turning abruptly on her heels, Amira in tow.

She glanced down at her dress and back to Amira’s guard attire, a frown forming on her lips.

“Amira,” Lorelai called, snapping her head in her guard’s direction.

“Lorelai?” she responded, raising an eyebrow up at her.

“Am I underdressed?” Lorelai questioned, grabbing fistfulls of her dress and then letting it fall back down into place.

“As the crown princess of Estrelya greeting two allied kingdoms? Yes,” nodded Amira, and Lorelai cringed. Then, she added, “But as a teenage girl waiting for her friends to come over? Nah.” There was a small pause, in which Lorelai smiled at the response. “If only you could be a mere teenage girl.”

Lorelai frowned again and used her elbow to softly nudge Amira, sticking her tongue out at her.

The two of them made their way to the second floor of the Kastilyo, well on their way to the exit out to the courtyard and garden. Their strides were quick paced, the clicks of their shoes echoing against whatever fancy material the Kastilyo floors were made of.

The two made it to the top of the staircase, reentering the Glass Corridor section of the large castle.

“Hey, Heartbreak Princess! Amira!”

The voice came from the other end of the Glass Corridor, and the two of them halted. They stared at the newcomer, waiting for them as they approached.

Actually, Amira stared at them, but Lorelai shot an icy glare in their direction, crossing her arms over her chest at the sound of a nickname that she found ridiculous. She wasn’t a heartbreaker.

Amira bowed her head in respect, and Lorelai tore her attention away.

“Prince,” Amira greeted, pulling her head back up.

“Elijah,” Lorelai acknowledged him, but she didn’t turn her head back in his direction.

Elijah looked away as well, and a stagnant silence fell over them.

Amira glanced between the two of them, letting out an undetectable sigh when she realized the two of them rather stare than say something.

“Heading to the garden, Prince Elijah?” Amira questioned him.

“Yes, ma'am,” he responded with a nod.

“Good, you can accompany us,” Amira said with a smirk, ignoring the glare Lorelai was shooting her. “Chef Prim said the food was already brought out.”

“Wonderful,” Elijah said politely.

The three of them resumed their walk, exiting the Glass Corridor and entering the same hallway that connected to the grand entrance and the entrance to the courtyard. They were met with the romantic architecture of the Kastilyo, with rose gold curtains and long, frilly windows with white gold trims, a white paint coating the interior. There were chandeliers hanging from the ceiling every few feet.

Outside of the grand entrance, which had been left open with guards standing on both sides, inside and outside, they could hear murmuring and see the flashing flight of cameras. Lorelai glanced at Elijah, who already had his eyes on her.

“Should we?” he asked, turning his head towards the door, as if to point at it.

She wasn’t surprised with the change in atmosphere. She oftentimes let Elijah’s attitude towards her dictate the attitude she would give back. He had his moments where he acted like one of her closest friends, but there were other days where he hardly even looked in her direction. She willing danced to his beat, though, deciding just going with it was easier than questioning why he did the things he did.

Like why did he insist of dressing the way he did? Why did he insist on talking so proper even if they were in a casual setting? Why did he insist on never dropping his guard?

“Might as well,” she shrugged, a small smile on her face as she spoke.

Amira watched from behind as the prince and princess stepped into the opening of the Kastilyo’s door, and just like that, the voices intensified into enthusiastic shouts.

There was a small group, likely tourists, standing outside of the gates, more guards stationed in front to keep people from attempting to enter or scale the fences. Still, there were people who liked to take photos in front of the Kastilyo, and others who kept up with the royal news and knew that the Callen and Chandrama royalty would be teleporting in. Most of them had probably seen the pink lights anyways.

Despite being behind a gate that was at the end of a path, they could make out the faces of the prince and princess.

As they were taught to, the pair stepped a few steps past the entrance and onto the entry steps, their best smiles plastered on their faces. Elijah bowed while Lorelai curtsied, the two of them waving before retreating back into the Kastilyo. The crowd cheered as they snapped photos of the two royals.

“We’ll be getting more of that than usual this month,” Elijah stated, smoothing out his shirt as they walked further through the main hallway, making a right at the entryway that led to the courtyard.

“Ah yes, your fangirls will be lined up outside the walls of my house like they always do during your visits,” Lorelai teased him, falling out of her standoffish attitude from the staircase and right into her playful banner.

“At least I’m not breaking hearts left and right, hm, Heartbreak Princess?”

There was the nickname again. Elijah had given it to her when she was fifteen and he was seventeen after witnessing her reject the son of some aristocrat who had found themselves invited to Daniella’s fifteenth birthday party over in Callen.

“Oh please, no one should be heartbroken over me not being interested.”

“You’d be surprised,” Elijah muttered in a whisper.

Lorelai snapped her head in his direction, sure he had said something but hadn’t caught it.

Louder, he added, “You know how many girls in the kingdom would kill to be in your position, Lor?” Lor? “Constantly getting asked on dates by cute men—”

“If you think they’re so cute, why don’t you ask them out, Prince?” Amira cut him off, her tone monotonous even if she was poking fun at him.

Lorelai’s hand went up to her mouth in an attempt to stifle a laugh, but she failed miserably. Elijah’s cheeks heated up as he glared over at the guard, but he couldn’t get mad at her. He, like the princesses, had formed a friendship with Amira over her years of employment at the castle, especially since the two of them were the same age.

“Back to what I was saying,” Elijah grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest, choosing to ignore Amira’s comment. “You get asked out all the time, andyou get to hang out with me. You’re living the dream life for most girls in our kingdoms.”

Amira scoffed out a laugh before covering her mouth, better than the Princess at silencing her humor. Lorelai just looked at him as if he said the most ridiculous thing ever, her mouth ajar but lips curled up in a smile.

“You’re unbelievable!” Lorelai chuckled, shaking her head. “Most girls in our kingdoms may have a little crush on you, but your ego is why you’re single.”

“Or because I choose to be.”

“Oh, so you’re lecturing meabout rejecting people, yet claim to be rejecting most girls in our kingdoms?” she mocked him, using air quotes about the words he spoke. “Are you sure you’re not the Heartbreak Prince?”

“Shut up.”

“That’s what I thought.”

They made it across the courtyard towards the entrance to the gardens. Tropical plants entered their view, and the sound of a miniature waterfall pouring water into a small pond somewhere thin the greenery could be heard from all around.

Their banter ended as they got to the dining tables that were out in the garden. Enough tables and chairs were set up to seat not only the royal families, but their attendants that had arrived, and Estrelya ’s royal cabinet as well. Upon the tables were white table clothes and trays of appetizers, made for a nice light lunch. Kavina was sitting with Daniella at a table with three seats available.

Lorelai squealed at the sight of her friend—and mentally sighed in relief when she saw that even Kavina hadn’t dressed up, wearing a dark green shirt that complimented her darker complexion and ripped loose jeans, her wavy hair up in a bun. She ran over, hugging the other princess.

Amira and Elijah looked at each other at the sight in front of them before shaking their heads and heading over to take the other two free seats. Lorelai couldn’t help but smile, excited for the planning and preparing for the Ball that would be approaching, and for the time she’d be able to spend as a mere teenage girl with her friends.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

A/N: welcome to book one of the original series I’ve been working on for the past year! I currently have 10 of the chapters written, but I want to know your guys’ thoughts before bringing in the rest of the chapters I have ready!

also available on my wattpad

general works taglist:

@yaskna@mariishat@misssugarless@drarrylov3r@luluwiie@laudthingcat@walecznypisarz@bubblywriter0@superhermit@chloflower-blog@dummies-world

THE HEARTBREAK PRINCESS [ BOOK 1 ] MASTERLIST

the masterlist for my original book, THE HEARTBREAK PRINCESS, which is book 1 in my FOUNDERS’ COUNCIL CHRONICLES

SYNOPSIS

Book one of the FOUNDER’S COUNCIL CHRONICLES, THE HEARTBREAK PRINCESS follows the Kingdom of Estrelya’s crown princess, Lorelai Bituin, and her fellow princes and princesses from the other five kingdoms in the land. Lorelai, who is seventeen, continually rejects her parents’ suggestions to allow someone to court her, and diverts her attention to more important things: like the Three Queens’ Ball honoring the alliance between their kingdom, the Kingdom of Chantara, and the Kingdom of Callen. The ball happens once a decade, and it was Estrelya’s turn to host. Lorelai, alongside the heirs of Callen and Chantara, oversee the arrangements for the ball.

When a surprising RSVP comes in from a less-than-friendly kingdom comes in, tensions arrive at the castle as the future heirs find themselves in the middle of political moves their parents wish to make: the reinstatement of an ancient agreement that had ended back when the Mages were still permitted in the land known as the Founders’ Council.

genre: fantasy; young adult romance

you’ll see some enemies to lovers, found family, childhood best friends to lovers, unrequited love, and just a bunch of monarchy bs

CHAPTERS

ONE

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“How’s work?”

“Well, a previously believed to be extinct species reappeared with the murder of a well-respected local political figure… despite that I’ve had more chaotic periods in my career.” 

Do you like YA fantasy books with dragons, family drama, strong friendships and perhaps a pinch too much banter? 

If so, you’ll enjoy my series Dear Dragon. 

The first book will have been out for a year next month. It followed Itazu, a young adult who believed she was the last dragon until she visited her home-town and discovered another nine dragons in hiding. 

My second book is due to come out in a couple of months and it continues her and all the other dragon’s story. 

I haven’t got a definitive cover or name for it yet (apparently I like waiting until the very last minute and stressing myself out with releases), but what I do have is a book ready for reading. 

So, if you’d like to be among the first people ever to read this book, I’d like to invite you to join my ARC team! 

What’s an ARC team you may be asking? 

ARC stands for Advanced Reader Copy, it’s standard practice in the industry where a certain number of readers receive a free copy (in this case ebooks) before release so they can read and review the book. 

If this sounds appealing to you, click here to fill in my ARC application form. 

There’s no obligations attached. Obviously the objective is to get reviews but I completely understand that life happens and gets in the way all the time, so if you receive a free copy and never read it or forget to review, don’t worry, I’m not going to chase you down or anything like that. 

This is basically just another way for authors and readers to collaborate! 

If you sign up to be an ARC reader, thanks so much for the interest, if you aren’t interested, I still hope you learnt something from this post about the book world. 

As usual, have fun writing, have fun reading, and you can find my socials, book and other links of interest:  here.

Well, I’m 24 and haven’t got my life together yet. 

For some reason I didn’t see this coming, always assumed I’d grow up, write my books, publish them and make something for myself. A part of me still assumes one day I’m going to be a profesional (as in I make a living off of) author. 

The more down to earth side of me assumes I’ll more likely end up a university teacher who clearly wishes they’d chosen a different degree but can’t afford the financial strain or time investment to actually change career paths. 

And honestly, I’ll probably be happy either way. 

I wish I had more time at the moment to write and draw and just enjoy life. But given where I live, the financial state of the world, I’m just happy I have the money to get a coffee in the morning, and the resources to self-publish the stories that mean the most to me. 

So, to celebrate another year of moving forward in life even if the direction isn’t the best. 

Dear Dragon (the ebook version) will be on sale Dec 14th at 8 am PST up until the 21st! 

As well as in the UK from the 16th of Dec up until the 25th (why different? Because I forgot I have to program both the US and UK separately. I’m sorry. I’m not good at marketing). 

It’s my birthday sale and also the christmas sale if you’d like to give it to any YA fantasy dragons fans! 

I’ve got another two weeks of just intense exams, will probably be a bit busy for a couple of days after for christmas, but after that I’ve got a bit more time off and about seventeen drafts so expect more posts from me shortly! 

I also just want to thank everybody for being here! For a long time my posts got one or two notes and suddenly I have over three hundred follows and that’s kind of amazing. I’m glas my writing advice has been helpful or at least relatable to so many people. 

If I don’t find time to post again, have great holidays! Hopefully it gives you all some more time to work on your stories. 

Ones I haven’t seen as often but apply myself. 

1.- Bedtimes stories you tell to children, or lullabies. They can be based in location or species. They can tell us about the world, history, beliefs or something specific about a creature. It can be fun to think of their origin, how they’ve changed over the years and both the meaning that was lost and the meaning that was added. 

2.- Fashion choices. I often let fashion be different for different creatures. I usually create a practical outfit that makes sense historically within the context of my world and then evolve it until I get to the present day of my story. Preferably splitting of into branches and allowing more options. It can tell us about a specific species, about their history and about how the climate has changed, or how they moved locations at some point and had to adapt their clothing to a new climate. 

A very simple example of this from my own book would be the mage’s cloak! Link to a longer post about it. Basically, mages would wear a simple one piece fabric that was easy to then set an illusion over, no wasting time mixing trousers and tops. Over time some mages stopped using illusions, seeing the outfit as acceptable. It became a staple, you saw the cloak, that wasn’t a human but a mage. And then younger generations began personalising the material, instead of boring black, white or brown they started using floral patterns, adding in cool sleeves or hoods! 

Initially, it was practicality, but it evolved. 

3.- Think about what each species does for fun! I often read YA fantasy where the stakes are so high there is no leisure, no downtown, no fun, no hobbies. But this is a great opportunity! What’s popular in your world? Books, plays, board games, long walks, playing sport? Seeing characters just chill can be a great change of pace and allow for some insight into their lives and the world they live in. 

4.- What is imported? And why? Sometimes imports are just practical, we don’t have wool here (unlikely, sheep are literally everywhere, but you get the point), wool is good for clothes, we import it. But other times it’s more complicated. 

Perhaps a species moved across the country at some point, but they were accustomed to a certain type of tea, fruit for certain festivities, so on, so on, and habit dies hard, so, importation becomes a thing. 

So those are my four world-building tips for today. I’ve said it before and will say it again, there is no master list, not check list, world-building is something you can figure out as you go in most genres (some epics may requiere more prep time). What’s important is to keep track of what you’ve said and stay consistent, but you don’t need to know everything before going in. 

As usual,  check out my book, stories I’ve written plus other social medias: here.

How’s your world coming along?