Monday, December 11, 2017

The Nether Isle Snippets



Guess what I’m sharing with you guys todaaay?
 (Because I know the title of the post and big graphic above doesn’t give any thing away. I’m always so mysterious.) You can’t guess, right? Then I’ll tell you…


THE NETHER ISLE SNIPPETS!


*gasp* Such a surprise!


Okay but you sweet, precious beans were actually asking for snippets from my messy monster of a NaNo novel. WHICH THRILLS ME AND MAKES ME FEEL SO HONORED AND LIKE WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH ALL OF YOU AND YOUR NICENESS????


I was a little worried I wouldn’t be able to find anything presentable to share, but after scouring through the document I found quite a few that hooopefully won’t burn your beautiful eyeballs out. Just do remember this is all first draft-y things. But all that aside, I do hope you enjoy getting a peek into the thing that took over my brain for all of November.


Quick note, the whole thing was written in Karis’ POV, so all narration is from inside her head. And I feel like all the best parts are major spoilery and I couldn’t share them so…yeah. Hopefully these will still be entertaining!


ALL RIGHT. LET’S GET TO IT.



THE NETHER ISLE SNIPPETS

 

Karis stepped to the back of her cage, pressing herself against the hard bars. When would they arrive on the Isle? It seemed like it had been at least two hours since they had left the High City. The hangar sat empty and dark, no windows in sight. Which was awfully rude. The least they could do was let the prisoners get one glimpse of freedom before dumping them on the Isle. She had always dreamed of flying out across the ocean, the wind in her hair, the rippling water a blue blur below. Her first and—she had to face it—last time to fly and she couldn’t even see anything. The only indication that they were moving at all was the steady whir of the small airship’s steam engine. Its vibrations tingled under her black boots, sending goosebumps across her flesh.

This was really happening. They were getting closer and closer to the Isle and her last days, or maybe even day, lay ahead. She’d never see her family again…

Trying not to think such thoughts, she cut her eyes back over to the brutish prisoner. His meaty fists clung to the bars of his cage. A ring that appeared to be a green and black snake twisted around his right forefinger. What was that? Some sort of gang symbol? Or maybe he was an assassin and had spent his life slaughtering hundreds of people. Really, the horrific possibilities were endless. But the High City wouldn’t have to worry about him now, whatever he did. That was the purpose of the Nether Isle after all, a place to dump the worst of criminals, criminals whose deeds were so heinous they were deemed too dangerous to even be put in prison.

And that’s where Karis was being taken.

She supposed it could be worse. She wasn’t sure how but she’d try to come up with something positive.


~ ~ ~


Karis blinked, and blinked again. But making her eyelids go up and down really didn’t seem to affect her circumstance. It did at least clear her head enough to focus on what stood before her. She pushed to a stand and cocked her head at the thing. It almost looked like a doorway but with no door and no wall. Just a rectangular archway shaped out of some sort of thin bronze tubes twisted around each other. Lattice had overgrown around it. Through the doorway, lay an overgrown forest much like the one she had been in. But it looked different, and she hadn’t fallen that far. She merely tripped on something and fell over. Or…through something.

A crazy idea popped in her head, but it made sense, even though it didn’t make any kind of sense. But if nothing made sense, than the nonsensical thing was the answer, right?

Right.

With this established, she pushed her hand through the archway. Her hand disappeared. She could still feel it, still wriggle her fingers, but she couldn’t see it. It merely cut off past her wrist. She pulled her hand back through and it appeared again, whole and visible.

A giggle bubbled from her lips. The nonsensical was in fact the only thing that made sense. If vines could come alive, why not have empty doorways that took you from one spot to an entirely different spot?


~ ~ ~


“You don’t belong here.”

Karis sucked in a sharp gasp. That was a voice. A whispering, very, very creepy female voice coming from…nowhere. Everywhere? She darted her eyes across the area but not a soul was in sight.

Please, please, please let this all just be my imagination.

She’d honestly rather be losing her mind than that voice be an actual thing. Her imagination didn’t scare her…most of the time.

“You cannot be here. You will die.”

Nope. Not her imagination!


~ ~ ~


She stood atop a wide set of cracking stone steps that descended into a town. Well, what was once a town, but now overgrown and crumbling. And yet, ruinous or not, it was the most wondrous place she had ever laid eyes on. Buildings were built up on tall cliffs that stood to the far sides. Some were tall much like her own townhouse back home, others stood small and round. Lots of the buildings spread out on the surface level were huge, obviously serving as more than just houses. There were two levels, wide bridges connected the two split levels built against the cliffs. Down below, where she stood, a river about ten feet wide snaked its way down the center of town, with bridges placed intermittently across it as well. Vines and moss and even a few trees had overrun the town. Entangled in vines against the cliff sides, hung a few airships of varying sizes. The streets, though cracking, were paved in smooth stone.

This was once a thriving town. And the most peculiar town Karis had ever known to exist. Except she hadn’t know it existed until now.

How was there a town on the Nether Isle?

Wasn’t the Nether Isle simply an island off the coast of Ilderwind that the council sent prisoners to? She had always believed it was some sort of wild rain forest area with savage beasts and large spiders or something. Not a place with living vines and killer butterfly-flower petals and a thriving town and archways that made people appear in different places on the Isle.


~ ~ ~


She studied the camera again, looking at the dials with new eyes. One appeared to be a clock and another had numbers around it, starting at one and counting around to three hundred sixty-five. Another one also had numbers but only to one hundred. The word present sat next to the one on that dial. Realization began to dawn.

Her fingers trembled with excitement as she twisted the tiny arrow on the dial to point at present. Then she held up the camera and snapped. The photograph slid out and on it she saw what she expected, hoped, to see. The room in its current state, it’s present state.

She held up the other photos with the men. What laid before her was past events, it had to be. Which meant… She couldn’t help it, she squealed in excitement.

The camera took pictures of the past.


~ ~ ~


Even in the dimness it was apparent how haggard she appeared. Flyaway hair with leaves caught in it, dried blood on her cheek, dirt smudged across her forehead and arms. Maybe it was the exhaustion, but the sight made her giggle.

“You need sleep and a bath, Missy,” she told her reflection.


~ ~ ~

 

“Thank you for saving my life, Jonah.” She proffered a hand and limped closer to him. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m glad you’re still alive.” Well, that was not a greeting she thought she’d ever do. But she realized it was true. She couldn’t save the other prisoner, but at least this boy was all right. Against all odds, they somehow both made it through the day without dying,

He didn’t take her offered hand. Instead his eyes focused on her bleeding leg and widened. “You’re hurt.” His soft voice rose in volume, and his eyes finally locked onto her and stayed there. “Do you need to sit down?”

In truth, she wasn’t entirely sure how much longer her aching, throbbing legs would hold her up, but before she could answer he was grabbing her arm and helping her lower to the ground. “What can I do to help?” he asked, kneeling next to her.

She blinked, his sudden acts of kindness tying her tongue and stopping her brain like a stuck cog.


~ ~ ~


Wriggling her toes, she basked in their freedom and couldn’t help but take her other boot off as well. The sweaty smell of her socks made her wrinkle her nose, but not enough to put her boots back on. She stretched her aching toes and massaged the sore soles. Remembering the tonic for aching muscles, she scrounged around in her pack, but all the bottles looked the same in the darkness. Better wait for the fire lest she drink the alcohol. That wouldn’t be pleasant for anyone. She did manage to find the water flask though. She didn’t realize how thirsty she was until she took the first sip. It felt like her dry tongue and sore throat sung praises as the water went down. She had jugged over half of it and was still going when Jonah came back with an armful of small branches.

He dropped them in a pile a few feet in front of her, and then cast her a curious gaze, eyeing her sock feet. She pulled them closer to her, unable to stop her sheepish grin.

“I’ve been on my feet all day.” That was an understatement.

He nodded, as if he understood. Actually, he probably did. He was on this Isle same as her. For a moment, he just stared at her, so intently it made her squirm. A horrible thought came to her. What if he was a murderer, and was now plotting the best way to kill her. Maybe he was going to build the fire to burn away her dead body. She slipped her hand in her pocket and grasped the hammer.

After several agonizing seconds, he started, as if he realized what he was doing. He dropped his gaze and rubbed the back of his neck again. “Sorry, sorry,” he mumbled, shaking his head. “I’ve been searching for you all day, but when I couldn’t find you I was terrified something had happened.” He dropped his hand and finally looked back at her, a look of relief flooding his features. “I’m glad you’re alive, too.”

 

The precious, talented Christine Eyre drew this pic inspired by The Nether Isle’s aesthetics and I AM IN LOVE WITH IT.

~ ~ ~


He stood and stepped to the opposite side of the fire and settled down there. “If something dangerous shows up, I’ll be sure to wake you.”

“Oh goodness, I think I’d rather just sleep through it.” She had had enough dangerous things for one day.


~ ~ ~


Jonah stared at her, silent but intense, but he didn’t push her. Just waited patiently.

She ran her fingers through her damp hair. How to start where he wouldn’t find her utterly mad? “I’ve been seeing ghost girls,” she blurted out. Nope, that probably wasn’t the way.


~ ~ ~


Wait. A thought pushed against the morning grogginess, attempting to pull her back awake. How late in the day was it if the sun was that high?

Drat Jonah and his niceness.

She shoved herself up. Sure enough, he was sitting quietly at the other side of the nearly dead fire, looking as if he had no intention of ever waking her up. He merely smiled over at her. Guilt clawed its sharp fingers into her stomach.

“I’m so sorry I slept late. You could have woken me.”

“Why would I do that?” he asked, sounding genuinely confused. “After the past couple of days you had, you needed that sleep.”

“But you’ve just been sitting here waiting this whole time?”

He shrugged. “I didn’t mind. I enjoy just sitting and thinking sometimes.”

“You enjoy sitting and doing nothing for long stretches of time?” She shook her head, chuckling. “That goes beyond me.”

He grinned. “Well, whenever you’re ready, we can move on.”


~ ~ ~


She snapped a few pictures on random years as they progressed, keeping to the far past like the blue-eyed girl said. They found themselves at the destroyed city hall, and she took a picture of it sixty-nine years ago. It stood whole, the town thriving as ever. One person walking down the steps in the photograph made her pause.

“Jonah, look at this.” She tapped the photograph.

He peered down at the middle aged man with long blue robes, dark hair, and a neatly trimmed beard. “If there was ever anyone who looked like a headmaster, I’d say that is it,” he said, voicing her thoughts exactly.

She bounced on her toes, unable to hold in the excitement. “I can’t believe we found him! Oh, oh!” She stilled. “I have the best idea. Let’s continue to take pictures of him and follow him.”

His gaze shot up from the photograph to her, eyes lighting up. “That is brilliant.”

Grinning, she threw the photograph in the camera bag, adjusted the clock from 3:45 in the afternoon to 3:46, then took another picture. As she had hoped, the man was now at the bottom of the city hall steps, turning to the street on the right. “This is so fun! We’re stalking someone from sixty-nine years ago! Let’s go!” She ran down the street the man had headed, adjusting the clock as she went. Jonah followed right behind.

Every few steps, she took a picture to assure they didn’t lose sight of the man, but his blue robes shone clear in the photographs, making him easy to spot amidst the other people on the streets.


~ ~ ~


Karis practically sprang out the door, feeling like a caged animal getting its first taste of freedom. The steady drizzle immediately began seeping through her clothes, but she just jumped into a puddle, helping it soak her. She spun around to survey the town, sloshing water all over her boots. “It feels so good to be out!

Jonah had only just stepped from the doorway of the library into the rain. He held his face up to the sky, blinking as drips splattered across his face. “It does feel nice.”

Biting on her lips to contain her giggles, she slowly crouched down, scooped up some of the water in cupped palms, and thrust it at him. It soaked the front of his shirt.

He jerked his head down to face her, mouth wide open in shock, but his eyes gleamed with mischief.

Now her giggles bubbled out.

Without warning, he sprung forward. She squealed and tried to dart away, but before she got far, a pile of water was poured over her head.

Gasping with laughter, she darted down the street. “No fair, you have bigger hands than I do!” she called over her shoulder. Her boots slipped on the slick streets, making her nearly plunge forward. She staggered, righting herself, and laughing so hard she couldn’t catch a breath of air.

“Are you all right?” Jonah gasped out, his voice shaky and breathless with his own chortles.

She could only nod, trying to regain herself.


~ ~ ~


“I think I might be able to finish translating today,” he said, grabbing one of the cans in front of him. “I’m so close.”

“Really?” The news mad her heart flip. She settled into her chair with one leg underneath her and pulled the can’s lid off. “That’s wonderful! I’ll try my best to be quiet today then and let you work. You’d probably be done by now if it wasn’t for me.” She dipped the can lid into the mushy food.

He looked up from his food, a serious express on his face. “Karis, I’d probably go mad if it weren’t for you.”

Her hand froze midair. His tone was so…intense, as if her knowing this information was vital. For once, she didn’t know how to even respond.

“Sometimes I think I was going mad before you came along,” he continued. “I mean…” He dropped his unblinking gaze. “I don’t wish you, or anyone, to have to be on this Isle, but… If you do have to be here, I…I’m fortunate to have found you.”

This made her laugh.

He flinched, jerking his eyes back up at her. Color drained from his face. She immediately threw her hand over her mouth, realizing what she had done.

“No, wait!” she squeaked between her fingers. Dropping her hand, she shook her head, face warming. “I’m sorry! I’m only laughing because I’ve had that exact same thought, about how I hate you ended up on this Isle, but how I’m also so happy to have you. Not just because you saved my life on multiple occasions now, but because…I’m just…” The right words wouldn’t come. Nothing seemed good enough. Finally, releasing a deep breath, she looked him straight in the eye. “I’m just glad to know you, Jonah.”

His shocked gaze softened into a smile. “Me too.”

 

Another gorgeous aesthetics pic done by Christine Eyre of the rainy library scene. <333

~ ~ ~


With a huff, she focused on the other pictures, on all the people who had walked those now empty streets.

She rubbed her finger over one little girl seeming to be in mid-skip down the street, a book tucked under her arm, probably headed for the library.

“What happened to you?” she murmured to the photograph. “Where do you all go?”

She’d never know. The thought sickened her. She had tried so hard to discover the mysteries of the Isle, and now she’d die with no answers. She continued flipping through the pictures, shaking her head as one crowd of people after the next passed her vision. All these people, these families, lost. Forgotten. Their stories untold.


~ ~ ~

 

She ran down the stairs, but a rush of cold air jerked her to a halt. The great cloud of mist covered nearly the whole foyer and was creeping up the stairs toward her, trapping her. She shot a glance over the stair rail. The room with with the vials was so close.

With rapid clicks, the mist rose toward her, frozen air blasting across her face.

Grabbing the railing with both hands, she vaulted over it. Her boots slammed on the floor below. The force of the hit rattled up her whole body. Gritting her teeth, she sprinted for the door to the alchemy lab. She snatched up the first bottle she saw, squinting at the words in the darkness. Only a single window provided the moonlight to shine in, but the labeling made no sense. Ciphering through the others brought the same results. Nothing in here was familiar.

The clicking drew closer, louder, and the temperature in the room dropped. Mist crept through the doorway. She seized a random bottle with red liquid and threw it at the cloud. It fell right through the mist and cracked, red liquid spilling out beneath the fog.

A burst of flowers erupted from the liquid, their bright red petals raining through the room. Poppies? That wasn’t helpful in the least.


~ ~ ~


Just as Jonah had said, the camera was waiting at the library, right on the table he had used to do his translating. She snatched it up and hugged it against her chest, feeling as if she were reunited with an old friend.

“May we never part again!”


~ ~ ~


After nearly half an hour of it, her back sore from bending and searching the items on the floor, she stood up to stretch and walk the room. Jonah sat perched on the edge of the sofa, seeming to have gotten distracted by one of the books. Smiling, she turned to examine the strange levers on the walls. Unable to resist, she flipped one. Nothing happened. What a disappointment. Age had probably broken whatever it was supposed to do. Another rather long one jutted from the back wall, right next to the one space of wall that didn’t have furniture or papers against it. She shoved the lever down.

A loud grinding, like metal scraping against metal, sounded from behind the wall. She jumped back, just as the wall slid into itself and opened up a doorway. Jonah sprang from the sofa, dropping the book he held.

“Is that what I think it is?”

“Um.” She peered through the new doorway, but it led to absolutely nothing but a small, rectangular room. More like a closet really. Barely large enough to hold three people, and it was completely empty save for another lever on its right wall. “What do you think it is?”

He came up to her and poked his head through. “I think it’s an elevator.”

“Oh!” That made perfect sense. “Let’s try it! Maybe the photo paper is upstairs.”

“Well, Karis, I’m not sure we—”

But she was already pulling him in and pushing the lever up. The door slid close, putting them in perfect darkness. Now her common sense was kicking in.

“Erm. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea?” Her voice bounced off the walls, coming back to her shaky.

Jonah shuffled away from her side. “I don’t think it even works, just the door does. Let’s just open the door back and—”

The whole space rattled and floor jerked. The momentum sent her careening to the side and crashing into him. She clung to him for dear life as they were dragged upward in the deathtrap. Then, just as quickly as it began, the elevator screeched to a halt. After one breathless second, the door ground open. She blinked in the bright light, hoping to goodness it wasn’t the light dying people always claimed they could see.

“Are you all right?”

Jonah’s soft voice snapped her back to reality. Realizing she was wrinkling his vest under her fist and digging her fingers into his arm with her other hand, she jerked away. She pushed a strand of loose hair behind her ears, breathing a trembling giggle. “Oh yes, I’m fine. That was…fun.”

He scratched the side of his head, a hint of amusement in his eyes. “Maybe next time we can try the stairs?”

She couldn’t hold back her grin. “I always like your plans so much better than mine.”


~ ~ ~


I maaay have been a little excessive with the snippet sharing. Whoooops. But I hope you enjoyed it all the same!



What did you think, guys? Which snippet was your favorite? What do you think of my Karis and Jonah bbys? (How many typos did you find? Ahem.) Thank you for reading! Like, seriously. You guys motivate me so much! <3

42 comments:

  1. These are awesome! I think the creepy voice snippet was my favorite. I could feel her freaking out about it. Well done!

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    1. Thank you! ^_^

      I'm glad you liked that part! It was a very early scene in the book and I felt like it really encompassed the way Karis thinks. Lol!

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  2. OH MY STARS CHRISTINE WHEN CAN I BUY THIS BOOK CAUSE IT IS AWESOME!!!!

    I'm literally BOUNCING right now, I'm so excited. Please excuse me while I fangirl for a few minutes.....

    THAT CAMERA...it's even better than what I thought!

    AND YOUR BABIES...OH MY GOODNESS THEY ARE PRECIOUS CINNAMON ROLLS, NOTHING MUST HAPPEN TO THEM.

    Catherine
    catherinesrebellingmuse.blogspot.com

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    1. OKAY BUT I CAN'T WITH YOUR COMMENT. Like...I'M JUST GRINNING AND WANTING TO SQUEAL. YOU ARE SO SWEET.

      I had soooo much fun with the camera and my wittle cinnamon rolls. I won't tell you I wasn't very nice to them though. *COOOUGH*

      BUT SERIOUSLY. THANK YOU! <3

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  3. When I saw the title of today's post, I was like so happy!!!!!!!!!!!! I luv ur snippets. XD X3 They are awesome!!! Keep up all the good work!

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    1. *BEEEAMS* THANK YOU, YOU PRECIOUS PERSON!!! I'm so, so, SO happy you enjoyed them! :D

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    2. YOU'RE WELCOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They are AWESOME. <3

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  4. *bounces in anticipation*

    Okay, I love the last line of the first paragraph. It's like a description of Karis's character and her situation all in a nutshell. I also love the sensory details: the sound of the steam engine, the vibrations under his boots...all great ways to set the scene!

    OH SO THAT'S WHAT THE PORTALS LOOK LIKE, now I can draw them correctly! (Or...at least what that one looks like. :-) ) I'd pictured stone archways, and that's what ended up in the soon-to-be-painted line art! But now I want to try drawing a portal the way you described! Also, Karis's reasoning makes sense...given that nothing makes sense then, haha! (Seriously, her character is so vivid and vibrant!)

    Whoa. That voice paragraph is seriously creepy. And I think I can understand Karis's reasoning, but my perspective would be that losing your mind means that what you hear is imaginary and restricted to your head. An actual voice? Means something is out there that you can't control and that could affect other people.

    I love how you ramp up the suspense in the town paragraph! I mean, I guess the prisoners could have built it...but the whole situation seems more complext than that.

    I LOVE THAT CAMERA IDEA have I said that before?!? (Heehee!) And those details..being able to see/set it to the day and year of the past...that's just awesome!!

    Aw, Jonah seems so sweet!!

    And boy, I love how Jonah is so clearly opposite Karis in personality...his few words and actions get that across.

    Okay, Karis is hilarious (without meaning to be)! Hehe, yeah, probably not the best way to convince someone you're sane...

    Did I mention that Jonah is a sweetie??? :-)

    Okay, the logistics of how the camera works is so cool! Haha, stalking someone from 69 years ago!!

    I really love the tone/atmosphere of these snippets--they clearly have that mysterious, creepy feel you were going for, but I love the lightheartedness in the midst of it. Playing in the rain is fun!!

    Oooh, that's a sweet scene of them starting to open up to each other! And yet, I get the idea there's more going on with Jonah than meets the eye...

    Whoa. The 'stories untold' paragraph is what really chilled me. Not sure if it's because I'm a writer, or because I hate for knowledge to be lost... Oddly enough, this is also my favorite snippet!

    The mist/poppies paragraph made me laugh at the end...I like the realism you bring to all these mysterious events!

    Karis makes me laugh. She's just so enthusiastic and impulsive!! And now I'm *really* interested in your story! Thanks for sharing all these snippets!!

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    1. EEP. Your comments just make me so happy!

      AWK. THAT MAKES MY DAY. Because that's literally EXACTLY what I was trying to do--fully capture Karis' character. Because that's from the first page and I was really hoping to give the readers a good feel of her personality right off. I'm so happy I accomplished that! :D And it thrills me I did all right with the sensory details as well (because sometimes I fail at that...).

      *squeaks* I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOUR DRAWINGS! Glad I could provide a visual for you! (Even if it was on accident. Hehe.) What's funny is I almost DID make them made out of stone. But then, since this supposed to be a steampunk setting, I went with pipes instead.

      I discovered pretty quickly that Karis' thought process is a lot like mine. XD I didn't mean for it to be at all. It just...happened! And yes, you have a very good perspective on that! I think that's more or less what she was thinking--she'd rather deal with her brain than some force she can't control.

      Thank you! The town was one of my favorite aspects to work with. It had a lot of fun things in it!

      And the camera WAS my favorite aspect so THANK YOU!!! It makes me happy other people like it too! It was definitely a blast to work with!

      Jonah is my precious boy. ^_^ I wish I could have included him more in the snippets but his best parts were SO spoilery so I had to refrain. Heh. But yes, their opposite personalities were great! And it wasn't the kind where they're so opposite they clashed, instead they were able to make up for each other's shortcomings and I JUST LOVE THEM! <333

      Karis is a mess. XDDD

      That's wonderful you liked the tone! Again, some of the best parts were spoilers, but I'm glad these little tidbits gave you a feel for it anyway!

      Welllll. They do each have their secrets. *COOOUGH*

      OKAY BUT THAT MAKES ME HAPPY. Because that ended up being probably the biggest theme in the book--about how everyone deserves to have their story told. I didn't even mean for that to BE a theme. My themes usually always crop up on their own. Lol. But yeah, I'm glad you liked that, because that was more or less the core of the story!

      Karis randomly throwing elixirs around ended up being quite the venture. XD

      AAAAHHHHHHH!!! I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO SAY. Just...THANK YOU!!! My favoritest thing in the world is when people like my characters! It's like you're complimenting my children. LOL. BUT YES. JUST THANK YOU SO MUCH! <33333

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  5. I'm glad you put lots of snippets! I love these two! They are so sweet and have such an interesting dynamic. I'm so intrigued by this story, the island and all the mysterious things happening.
    My favorite was when Karis found out the camera took pictures of the past.

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    1. Well that makes me happy! Because I was worried it was a bit of an overload there. And THANK YOU SO MUUUCH!!! I love them too and it thrills me others are intrigued by them and the story. ^_^

      Her discovering the camera was SUCH a fun scene to write. I'm glad you liked it! :D

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  6. SNIPPETSSSSSSSSS YAY! :D

    The first one is so intriguing! It makes me wonder what she did (or didn't do) to get sent there!

    I love the doorways idea!!

    "Her imagination didn’t scare her…most of the time." OH MY GOODNESS. XD

    I'm intrigued by the ruined town too!

    THE CAMERA. :O :O :O COOOL. I'M SO EXCITED. I WANT TO READ ABOUT IT SO BADLY. <3

    JONAH IS PRECIOUS.

    And oh, I love Christine Eyre's art for it! :O SO COOL!

    “If something dangerous shows up, I’ll be sure to wake you.”
    “Oh goodness, I think I’d rather just sleep through it.”
    ^ I love themmmm. XDDDD Karis is hilarious. :P

    "Jonah stared at her, silent but intense, but he didn’t push her. Just waited patiently.
    She ran her fingers through her damp hair. How to start where he wouldn’t find her utterly mad? “I’ve been seeing ghost girls,” she blurted out. Nope, that probably wasn’t the way."
    ^ THIS ONE. MY FAVE. XDDD

    "Drat Jonah and his niceness." <-- AHAHAH. XD
    (YES, JONAH IS SO NICE THOUGH, AWK.)

    “This is so fun! We’re stalking someone from sixty-nine years ago! Let’s go!” <---Oh my goodness. XD (I LOVE THE CAMERAAAAAA!!!)

    “Karis, I’d probably go mad if it weren’t for you.” <--THIS WHOLE SCENE. D'AWWW. THE CUTIES. <3333

    I love libraries, so I want to read about this library, please and thank you. o.o

    So curious about what happened on the isle. O_O I WANT TO READ THIIIISS! *flails*

    :O THE ONE WITH THE MIST AND THE VIALS AND POPPIES LIKE WHAT. I'M SO CURIOUS AND IT'S EXCITING AND HALP.

    So cute that she loves the camera. ^_^

    The elevator!!! XD *dying*

    Eeeee, these were so fun! Just these little glimpses are making me so curious about the story. I want to know MOAR! Thank you so much for shariiing! ^_^ Your stories are always so intereresting and original and fun and pretty and mysterious. I WANT IT. :D

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    1. YOUR COMMENT THO!!!!!!! <33333

      Tehehehe. That's the point. It's quite a mystery why this girl got sent to such a place. *wriggles eyebrows*

      Thank you! The doorways were SO fun to work with. I probably overused them actually. *sheepish grin*

      I'M JUST LOVING YOUR REACTIONS. I keep reading over your comment grinning to myself. I did have SO much fun with my silly Karis girl and precious Jonah. (Which you know, since I've been talking about them for like months now. XD) BUT I'M SO HAPPY YOU LIKED THEM TOO.

      And the camera, yes! :D It was soooo much fun! One of my favorite parts was when they were stalking someone from the past. Like...I want this camera to be REAL! *flails*

      Isn't Christine Eyre's art FANTABULOUS??? I love it so very much! *huggles pictures*

      Confession: The library scene was my faaaaave! I wanted to include more snippets from it, but some were spoilery and I already has so many snippets as is. Heh. But that section of the book spanned for a few chapters and was when Karis and Jonah's friendship REALLY started to grow. Plus it's more or less a magic library. *COUGH* SO THERE WERE JUST FUN THINGS! But...yeah. I think we're both suckers for any library scenes in fiction. XD I mean, obviously. Because LIBRARIES.

      Tehehehe. All the mysteries of the Isle. *smile, smile*

      THAT SCENE WAS FUN. Karis discovered some magic elixirs and started using them willy-nilly and...yeah. It was funnn. *grins*

      I'M JUST SO HAPPY YOU ENJOYED ALL OF THIS. I can't stop reading over your comment! LIKE WHAT EVEN AM I GONNA DO WITH YOU???? THANK YOU SO MUCH, CELTI!!!!!!!! <3333

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  7. Oh my word, these snippets are AMAZING!!!! I absolutely LOVE this story. It is so unique and whimsical and deliciously eerie and just ACK! I love it so much. I need this book in my life like yesterday, please and thank you. ������

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    1. ALSO! (Forgot to put these XD) I think my favorite snippet was when she discovered the camera took pictures of the past, AND the one where she was reunited with her precious camera. (Because seriously, that camera is amazing and I need one.) OR maybe it was the one where the happy little girl was trotting off to the library?? Karis' sadness about the untold stories just really hit me harder than I expected, and now I'm curious as to where all these people went?? I LOVE A GOOD MYSTERY.

      ALSO! KARIS AND JONAH ARE WAY TOO PRECIOUS AND SMOL TO BE ON THIS ISLAND I LOVE THEM SO MUCH HELP. Jonah is such a precious cinnamon roll who I must protect at all costs, I can't even. <333 XD

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    2. EEEEEP! KENZIE! *YOU* ARE TOO PRECIOUS FOR THIS WORLD. I'M SO RIDICULOUSLY HAPPY YOU LIKE MY STORY IDEA!!! <3333

      It's so much fun that others like the idea of the camera. It was just a BLAST to work with! And I love that you liked the snippet where she's looking through the photographs! Because that's kind of an important scene. A BIG theme, really the core theme, of the story ended up being about how everyone deserves to have their story told. So just YES! It makes me happy that part came across well and intrigued you! :D

      AAAAHHHHHH!!! It's my favoritest thing when other people love on my characters! I LOVE THEM SO MUCH AND I'M SO HAPPY OTHERS DO TOO. I CAN'T STOP GRINNING. (Except I won't tell you I wasn't very nice to them at all. *COOOUGH*)

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    3. O my word!!!!! <3333 (you honestly have no idea how much that just completely lit up my day!!!) YOUR STORY IDEA IS AMAZING!! I've never heard of anything like it!! Rest assured that if you ever publish this story sometime in the future, I will definitely be preordering it.

      That camera is pretty much the coolest thing I've ever heard of! It sounds like it!!!! Karis' excitement over stalking the headmaster from the past was hilarious and pretty much had me grinning. XD Her personality is the cutest thing ever!! XD OH!!!! So we might possibly get to find out what happened to those poor untold stories, then???? Please??? *wants to read this book more than anything now*

      WAIT WHAT. YOU HAVE HURT MY SMOL PRECIOUS CHILDREN? Well, I suppose that as long as they both SURVIVE I can deal with torture and mass amounts of misfortune. XD (please tell me they live...)

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    4. NOW MY DAY IS LIT UP. LIKE BLAZING SUNLIGHT KIND OF LIT UP. Just...YOU! <333

      It makes me sooooo happy you like my Karis bby! She's such a mess. XD
      You maaaaaay find out the Isle's secrets in the story. *wriggles eyebrows*

      I'm saying nothingggggg. *smile, smile*

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    5. AWWWWWWW!!!! <333

      She is so adorable and smol!!! I often find that the messiest of people are my favorites. They have the most quirks. XD OOOH!!! I THINK THAT MEANS YES. XD

      NOOOOOOOOO!!! TELL ME! Please??? I'll give you cookies???

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    6. The messiest people are my favorites too! They're so fun to read/write about. ^_^
      *grins*

      Cookies? Why must you offer me cookies?!?! I must stay strong and not spoil anything! *forces self to resist cookies*

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  8. I'm so glad you finally posted snippets!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now I want to read your whole book and find out what happens!!!!!!!!!!!

    My favorite snippet may have been the camera one, but I loved them all!

    Jonah and Karis are adorable. <3

    I only noticed one typo. ;)

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    1. *flails happily* THANK YOU!!! Took me long enough, right? XD

      I'm so happy you enjoyed them! And wow, only one typo? That's pretty good for me! LOL.

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  9. This is fantastic! I love the mystery of the Isle, the darling characters, and that camera! Can't wait to have this story in print!
    (I also enjoyed Christine Eyre's beautiful illustrations)

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    1. Thank you, Blue!!! You are so sweet to say that!
      And isn't her art gorgeous? I love it so much! <3

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  10. I'm getting some Narnia vibes??? AND I LURVE. ESPECIALLY MY SMOL SHY JONAH. *squeezes him forever*

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    1. Narnia vibes? Really? HUH. It's...really nothing like Narnia. XD That's funny these gave that feel!

      AND THANK YOU!!! Jonah is my presh. <333 I wish I could have included more of him. I feel like these didn't quite capture his personality but all his best parts involved spoilers. *pouts*

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    2. Oops??? To be specific, it reminded me of The Silver Chair. You know, the mist and the stone streets and the ruined city and the bridge with the gaps in it and all that... it just had a similar vibe. Or I'm just imagining it???

      It's always that way... But what we did get to see of him was fabulous.

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    3. Ahhh, I see! No, no, I TOTALLY get what you're saying now. I think the city DOES kinda have that vibe. Which I am perfectly okay with, because The Silver Chair is my favorite Narnia book! :D Who knows? Maybe I accidentally copied some of it. I think I do that a lot. XD

      Awww! I'm so glad! ^_^

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  11. The whole novel is in one POV?! That's so cool! That is something I've yet to accomplish in a novel so I really admire people who can do that. :)

    That first snippet is so eerie! And I really like the one about the doorway.

    THAT CAMERA SOUNDS AMAZING AND I WANT ONE. I love the concept of following someone from the past like that. Seriously: that is an awesome idea!


    “I’m just glad to know you, Jonah.”
    His shocked gaze softened into a smile. “Me too.” <-- Awwwww. That's so sweet.

    I love the drawings! As always, your snippets were so much fun to read and make me want to know even more about this story!

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    1. I TOTALLY GET WHERE YOU'RE COMING FROM. Because this was my FIRST third-person, single POV story to write! EVER. Once I wrote a first-person novel that only had one POV. But otherwise allll my stories usually have tons of POVs. So this was a new one for me! And, actually, I kind of wanted it to have multiple but there were so few characters it just worked out that Karis was the only one. But it was fun sticking to her head. ^_^

      Awww, thanks!

      Tehehe. The camera was soooo fun! I want one too. *grins* But seriously, THANK YOU! It thrills me people like the idea of it! :D

      They're my precious bbys. <333

      The drawings are so pretty! Christine Eyre did such a good job!

      You are the sweetest, Jameson. Thank you! <3

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  12. These are so intriguing and so well-written!! I'm seriously impressed. Not sure I can pick a favorite, they're all awesome. :D And I love the characters. I can't wait to read the whole thing! Please keep me in mind if you need a beta-reader.

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    1. Thank you! :D So glad you enjoyed them! I do love my little Karis and Jonah and it makes me so happy that others seem to as well!

      I will absolutely remember that. That's so nice of you to offer! Thanks, Kyle!

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  13. I thought I'd commented on this, BUT NO I had not! Such an awesome post!!!! SNIPPETS!!! I love this story and I just need to read it right now
    Aand Karis and her camera...ahhhh she's like a mother!!!
    And Jonah and his niceness :)
    I just love this :)

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    1. Lol! Sounds like something I'd do. XD But THANK YOU!!! I'm just sitting here grinning at your enthusiasm. Karis is totally like a mother to that camera, you're right! LOL. I love that image!

      Thanks so much, girl! <3

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  14. I enjoyed every. single. one of these!!! Like, I'm about to start HYPERVENTILATING because I SOOOO want this book in my hands and on my shelf right now!!! SERIOUSLY.

    And also, I ship Jonah and Karis SO. HARD. *heart eyes* <3 <3

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    1. OH MY GOODNESS. What am I going to do with you???? I can't with your comment! YOU ARE SO NICE. EEP. THANK YOOOUUU!!!

      D'awww! So fun! (Pst. I may ship them also. *cough, cough*)

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  15. GAH I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THESE. *eagerly gobbles them all down*

    OH MY GOSH CHRISTINE I LOVE. <333

    “If something dangerous shows up, I’ll be sure to wake you.”
    “Oh goodness, I think I’d rather just sleep through it.” <~ THIIIIIS. XD

    “You don’t belong here.” <~ SO. CREEPTASTICAL. O_O

    And those drawings by Christine Eyre!!! *gazes* SO BEAUTIFUL.

    Basically I need to read this story very very muchly. XD

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    1. YOUR COMMENTS! THEY ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS MAKE ME SMILE. Just... *flails happily* THANK YOU SO MUCH! It thrills me you enjoyed these! And aren't Christine Eyre's drawings beautimous? I love them so much!

      Thank you for everything, girl. You make my day every time! <3

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  16. SNIPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEETTTTTSSSSSSSSSSSS! I was hoping you'd post some! And oh my goodness, the pics you chose for Karis and Jonah make me love them even more, and I haven't even MET them yet! <3

    "She supposed it could be worse. She wasn’t sure how but she’d try to come up with something positive." *laughs* Oh Karis, she's a sweetie! Thinking of something WORSE is POSITIVE. xD

    But oh my goodness gracious, the whole FEEL of this setting is delicious! Airships and transporting archways and ruinous towns and killer butterfly-petals?! SIGN ME UP. Well, I mean, I doubt I'd actually wanted to be carted to the Isle like Karis, but SIGN ME UP TO READ ABOUT IT FROM MY SAFE LITTLE CORNER OF THE COUCH.

    And dat camera. O.O

    Oh my! That fanart is soooo pretty! *can't stop staring*

    "Oh goodness, I think I'd rather just sleep through it." LOL, I already love their interactions!!

    Stalking someone from 69 years ago with a camera that takes pictures of the past. OKAY. IT'S OFFICIAL. I AM HOOKED. SOMEBODY GIVE ME THIS STORY RIGHT NOW. That part made my heart jump just a little!

    The elevator scene! XDDD

    OKAY, CHRISTINE SMITH, I DON'T CARE HOW MESSY IT MIGHT BE RIGHT NOW, THE NETHER ISLE IS A FANTABULOUS STORY. I looooove Karis and Jonah's interactions (they're so opposite and yet suited for each other, eek!) and the whole aesthetic just calls to me! <3333 Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing some glimpses into it!

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    1. EXCUSE ME WHILE I FLAIL FOR HALF AN AGE OVER YOUR PRECIOUS COMMENT. I CAN'T WITH YOU!!! <333

      I'm glad you like the pics! I felt like their expressions in those pics fit them PERFECTLY. I couldn't help but make a collage. *grins*

      Karis is a mess, and half the time I didn't know what to do with that child. XD

      EEP. I'm so happy you like the setting! Because that was seriously one of my favorite aspects. It was so much fun to work with! Just thinking about it makes me already miss it! But yeeeah, you might not want to be taken to the Isle physically. XDD

      The camera was so fun! ^_^

      Isn't the fanart the best? I LOVE IT!

      I wish I could have shared some more of their interaction but spoilers. >.>

      It made your heart jump? OH MY GOODNESS. Best compliment ever! I literally don't even know how to handle this comment!

      I declare half the life-threatening situations in this book were from Karis' own recklessness... *shakes head*

      AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!! TRACEY. THANK YOU!!! I was actually not sure about these snippets. All the good parts were so spoilery, I had to share some more mediocre scenes. BUT I'M SO HAPPY YOU LIKED THEM AND JUST...I HAVE NO WORDS. THANK YOU TO THE NETHER ISLE AND BACK! <333333333 (Ya know, instead of to the moon and back? XD)

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  17. Okay, so I haven't read any blog posts in forever and this comment is soooo late but here I go....

    First I'd just like to say thank you for so generously sharing! Way more snippets than I was expecting and just the right scenes to make me curious about what is going on.
    Through this entire post I had chills!!! Like the name Nether Isles just gives me (good) chills! And you vivid descriptions are just the best and again, chills.
    I'm so glad I got to read more about this camera! Which may be on the top ten list of most amazing things ever written into a book! It's really the coolest thing ever
    To close I'm just going to say that I loved the line about the nonsensical thing being the right answer! Just perfect. It reminded me of something a certain Hatter would say ;)
    I really really hope one day I can read this story from beginning to end!

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    1. VARVARE! *tackles* It made me so happy to see your comment pop up! And EEP. YOUR WHOLE COMMENT HAS ME GRINNING SO BIG!

      Lol! I was worried I shared TOO many. And, really, all the ones I WANTED to share were spoilers. Heh. But it makes me happy you enjoyed reading these and that the Nether Isle gives you good chills. That's PRECISELY what I was going for, so I couldn't be more pleased! :D
      Okay, but your comment about the camera just has me grinning and squealing to myself because skdjflsjdfljsldjfsdf. THAT IS SO NICE. THANK YOU! I did have such a blast with the camera concept!
      Hahaha! I love writing slightly mad characters. One of these days I'm gonna write an Alice in Wonderland retelling and it's gonna be SO FUN! :D

      MEEEEEP. THANK YOU! You've made me so happy, you just have no idea! <333

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