Introduction
Name: Janna/ Mockingbirdflyaway (usual Screenname) /Quillsaresharp (name used when MBFA doesn't fit)
Genre: Action / Fantasy / Sci-fi
Story/World: I have two. :) 1) Saving Nicholas 2) Silence of the Gods.
Challenge: I'll probably go with something chocolaty
Website: www.fictionpress.com/~mockingbirdflyaway , http://mockingbirdflyaway.deviantart.com
Except not really.
About Me
Woot, I write. Though since I'm posting here, you probably figured that out already. My name is Janna, which is what people usually call me on the net because my screennames tend to be mouthfuls, though I answer to "Mockingbird" and "MBFA", if you're in a pinch ;). I'm a college student in Vancouver, Canada, I can bullshit in four languages and I'm a complete research whore.
About My Stories
I have two main ones at the moment. Saving Nicholas and Silence of the Gods. I think I'll colour-code them for you guys, so you're not too confused. Hmmmm... SN will be navy and SotG will be.... huh... let's put it as dark red. Hopefully those colours won't screw up anyone's layouts. If they do, just give me a shout or highlight the offending sections.
I started Saving Nicholas about four years ago after being inspired by several conversations with a friend/classmate about nerds, learning disabilities and self-worth. Somehow, it blossomed into a cross-continental thriller ala Bourne IdentityxThe Night WatchxBorn Confused. Don't ask me how.
Silence of the Gods started as a response to Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Cycle, as in, I wanted to write a book with human/dragon bonds that wasn't a patchwork of other authors who had done the same thing and have it have decent dialogue and characterization and such :P . However, as stories are wont to do, it went completely mutant on me, swallowed another story I was working on and now is sitting as a four-book megalith somewhere in my head, waiting for me to sit down and deliver it. Poor Zeus.
About the Worlds
Saving Nicholas is pretty straight-forward - It's in "our" world, with the possibility of several telekenetic people running around. Action from this story mostly centers in Massachusetts (Shrewsbury, Worcester, Boston), Finland (Helsinki) and Russia (St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg).
Silence of the Gods takes place across a sweeping continent that is inspired by and looking to be the same size as Asia. I'm thinking very seriously to make this world a parallel of our own, but haven't figured it out exactly. The local of action is based on an area much like south and central Asia - taiga forests to the far north which transition into steppes and deserts, which rise into high grasslands, which transition into a very tall mountain range, intersected by many wide and deep glacial valleys which aid crossing the range, but still give people a pretty hard time. On the southern highlands coming out of the mountain range is a temperate rainforest that follows the north western coast and a central, fertile plateau. I have a hack-job of a map somewhere, but in my head, everything is getting pretty detailed.
Across this continent, there's various groups of people, most of whom fall into the boundaries of a large kingdom and several smaller independant and democratic states. Later, these all end up in some sort of large empire and the transition is sort of part of the stories. :D
About The Characters
Corinne Lewis - A half-Marathi(Indian)/half-white high school senior with the add complications of a severe learning disability, Cori has already been dismissed by half of her mixed family as a "pretty but useless" face in the crowd and unconsciously acts the part. Her carefully detached and ditzy persona is shattered when she witnesses a violent raid on classmate Nikolai Krichevstov's house. On the run for their lives and fundamentally unequipped to deal with the stress of a cross-continental man-hunt, Cori is forced to rely on only her own resources in order to survive, bringing forth a sense of inner strength, practicality and compassion that she never knew she had.
Nikolai Krichevstov - In hiding since the murder of his father by a vengeful Russian businessman, Nikolai is trying to keep a low profile, at least, until he gets through school. Stubborn, quiet and blisteringly intelligent, Nikolai has little patience for the flighty whims of the classmates beyond his small circle of friends and keeps his secrets carefully to himself. He has to - as a wayward son of a telekenetic enclave in the Ural mountains, Nikolai has limited telekenetic powers and more than a few people would - and have - killed to control them.
Katya Krichevstova - An adventurous and independent spirit, Katya tries to lighten the load on her older brother's shoulders by reminding him (all too frequently for his liking) that he is merely human. Often by annoying him to the point where he cannot speak straight. It's the only thing she feels she can do - too young to remember Russia, and the problems they had there, a globe-trotting existence is all Katya knows and she's adapted to it like a ship to water. However, the breezy calm she projects hides a deeply confused soul within, one who's unsure of where she came from or where she's going next. With a brother like Nikolai, no one can really know.
My brain hurts.... I'll fill in the rest of these some other time.
Riyan - A powerful magician studying to become an Machiologist (Think a combination of Astrology, Archaeology and Anthropology) , Riyan is not someone who you'd be expecting to become the future Princess-Consort. Hell, she didn't expect it herself and is quite put off by her oldest friend's unorthodox proposition. She'd much rather be studying Realmgates and strange corners of the universe.
Mendel - Crown Prince Amendelivan entered the Royal Magician's Academy under an assumed name and gained some friends he would never give up. Completely assured of his self-importance, unfailingly prideful and generous and a burgeoning academic, Mendel is assured to bring his Kingdom into a new era of wealth. That is, if he doesn't die first.
Tieryn - A solid, bourgeois and broody lieutenant in a military full of aristocrats, Tieryn is not someone to be trifled with. When his sister's family is murdered in a coup and she is held hostage, Tieryn is forced to flee for his life. Guilt-ridden, he becomes obsessed with freeing his sister from the clutches of the tyrant who is slowly bringing his country to it's knees.
Alexandra Salvatore - A cheerful young musician from our world who came across a Realmgate at an inopportune moment, Alexandra is used to people not believing her. Latching onto Tieryn after he saves her from a raid, she becomes his (often undesired) companion.
Mackelien - A young Speaker from the northern village of Anzenna, Mackelien has grown up outside the sphere of their all-importance. Something of a maverick and about as subtle as a bull in a china shop.
Junya - Mackelien's sister
Derasineh
Genre: Action / Fantasy / Sci-fi
Story/World: I have two. :) 1) Saving Nicholas 2) Silence of the Gods.
Challenge: I'll probably go with something chocolaty
Website: www.fictionpress.com/~mockingbirdflyaway , http://mockingbirdflyaway.deviantart.com
Except not really.
About Me
Woot, I write. Though since I'm posting here, you probably figured that out already. My name is Janna, which is what people usually call me on the net because my screennames tend to be mouthfuls, though I answer to "Mockingbird" and "MBFA", if you're in a pinch ;). I'm a college student in Vancouver, Canada, I can bullshit in four languages and I'm a complete research whore.
About My Stories
I have two main ones at the moment. Saving Nicholas and Silence of the Gods. I think I'll colour-code them for you guys, so you're not too confused. Hmmmm... SN will be navy and SotG will be.... huh... let's put it as dark red. Hopefully those colours won't screw up anyone's layouts. If they do, just give me a shout or highlight the offending sections.
I started Saving Nicholas about four years ago after being inspired by several conversations with a friend/classmate about nerds, learning disabilities and self-worth. Somehow, it blossomed into a cross-continental thriller ala Bourne IdentityxThe Night WatchxBorn Confused. Don't ask me how.
Silence of the Gods started as a response to Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Cycle, as in, I wanted to write a book with human/dragon bonds that wasn't a patchwork of other authors who had done the same thing and have it have decent dialogue and characterization and such :P . However, as stories are wont to do, it went completely mutant on me, swallowed another story I was working on and now is sitting as a four-book megalith somewhere in my head, waiting for me to sit down and deliver it. Poor Zeus.
About the Worlds
Saving Nicholas is pretty straight-forward - It's in "our" world, with the possibility of several telekenetic people running around. Action from this story mostly centers in Massachusetts (Shrewsbury, Worcester, Boston), Finland (Helsinki) and Russia (St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg).
Silence of the Gods takes place across a sweeping continent that is inspired by and looking to be the same size as Asia. I'm thinking very seriously to make this world a parallel of our own, but haven't figured it out exactly. The local of action is based on an area much like south and central Asia - taiga forests to the far north which transition into steppes and deserts, which rise into high grasslands, which transition into a very tall mountain range, intersected by many wide and deep glacial valleys which aid crossing the range, but still give people a pretty hard time. On the southern highlands coming out of the mountain range is a temperate rainforest that follows the north western coast and a central, fertile plateau. I have a hack-job of a map somewhere, but in my head, everything is getting pretty detailed.
Across this continent, there's various groups of people, most of whom fall into the boundaries of a large kingdom and several smaller independant and democratic states. Later, these all end up in some sort of large empire and the transition is sort of part of the stories. :D
About The Characters
Corinne Lewis - A half-Marathi(Indian)/half-white high school senior with the add complications of a severe learning disability, Cori has already been dismissed by half of her mixed family as a "pretty but useless" face in the crowd and unconsciously acts the part. Her carefully detached and ditzy persona is shattered when she witnesses a violent raid on classmate Nikolai Krichevstov's house. On the run for their lives and fundamentally unequipped to deal with the stress of a cross-continental man-hunt, Cori is forced to rely on only her own resources in order to survive, bringing forth a sense of inner strength, practicality and compassion that she never knew she had.
Nikolai Krichevstov - In hiding since the murder of his father by a vengeful Russian businessman, Nikolai is trying to keep a low profile, at least, until he gets through school. Stubborn, quiet and blisteringly intelligent, Nikolai has little patience for the flighty whims of the classmates beyond his small circle of friends and keeps his secrets carefully to himself. He has to - as a wayward son of a telekenetic enclave in the Ural mountains, Nikolai has limited telekenetic powers and more than a few people would - and have - killed to control them.
Katya Krichevstova - An adventurous and independent spirit, Katya tries to lighten the load on her older brother's shoulders by reminding him (all too frequently for his liking) that he is merely human. Often by annoying him to the point where he cannot speak straight. It's the only thing she feels she can do - too young to remember Russia, and the problems they had there, a globe-trotting existence is all Katya knows and she's adapted to it like a ship to water. However, the breezy calm she projects hides a deeply confused soul within, one who's unsure of where she came from or where she's going next. With a brother like Nikolai, no one can really know.
My brain hurts.... I'll fill in the rest of these some other time.
Riyan - A powerful magician studying to become an Machiologist (Think a combination of Astrology, Archaeology and Anthropology) , Riyan is not someone who you'd be expecting to become the future Princess-Consort. Hell, she didn't expect it herself and is quite put off by her oldest friend's unorthodox proposition. She'd much rather be studying Realmgates and strange corners of the universe.
Mendel - Crown Prince Amendelivan entered the Royal Magician's Academy under an assumed name and gained some friends he would never give up. Completely assured of his self-importance, unfailingly prideful and generous and a burgeoning academic, Mendel is assured to bring his Kingdom into a new era of wealth. That is, if he doesn't die first.
Tieryn - A solid, bourgeois and broody lieutenant in a military full of aristocrats, Tieryn is not someone to be trifled with. When his sister's family is murdered in a coup and she is held hostage, Tieryn is forced to flee for his life. Guilt-ridden, he becomes obsessed with freeing his sister from the clutches of the tyrant who is slowly bringing his country to it's knees.
Alexandra Salvatore - A cheerful young musician from our world who came across a Realmgate at an inopportune moment, Alexandra is used to people not believing her. Latching onto Tieryn after he saves her from a raid, she becomes his (often undesired) companion.
Mackelien - A young Speaker from the northern village of Anzenna, Mackelien has grown up outside the sphere of their all-importance. Something of a maverick and about as subtle as a bull in a china shop.
Junya - Mackelien's sister
Derasineh