The Light In Our Eyes — it is finished!
• Well, at least the overhaul of rewrites and editing is finished. • What a thing to feel accomplished over. I’ve spent three years with this manuscript - longer with the flakes of this story in my head. And I don’t even know if you’re going to like it. I don’t know how many people outside of my family will read it. How many hours of wrestling out words and overthinking concepts and begging for inspiration have I spent on a handful of collected sentences and ideas? • But I didn’t write this for success. I am remembering that constantly. When the pressure of “what happens next” builds up in my chest, I have to remember what I promised at the beginning of this project. I wrote: “I surrender this story and myself to You.” I know that I can’t control the reception of this story. I know that in the end, I may not get a publisher to accept this, or a reader to pick this up, or that these mere words would make any difference at all. It’s not up to me. Writing this story has taught me that much. But writing this story, I found that God was teaching me through all the life surrounding the making of this book, and also through the actuality of the story. I don’t know where most of this book came from. I won’t pretend that it’s some magnificent work or a life-changing story. But maybe this will show you what God is teaching me, what He has placed on my heart, and how He has decided to reach me - maybe He’ll reach someone else too. I would be so honored and humbled if that is the case. • For now, as this story is complete, as I dare to show some others a story that I pray makes them think - I don’t ask for more than that - I want to surrender this too. I surrender the response. I surrender any ounce of success or failure. If nothing else, may The Light In Our Eyes merely be an act of faith and obedience. I know the time spent in this story was not a waste, because it shaped me and challenged me and turned me toward the only One who is worth everything. • Praying that even this is an act of faith and obedience.
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The Realms Series is out and kicking, so now is the time I wanted to share the base-line inspirations for these characters. You can't have a Fairy Tale Retelling without the Fairy Tale, after all! And I want to pay credit where credit is due, or else give some story-time recommendations for you to delve into during this time of shelter-in-place. So here it is, The Realms Series Ultimate Fairy Tale Key! (As a helpful note for all you who dislike spoilers, this is by order of appearance / mention in the series. So if you're reading the series, and if a character name pops up that you haven't yet been introduced to, you can stop there! Or else read on and enjoy looking forward to meeting some more wonderful characters and fairy tales!) (Also, anyone with a fairy tale inspiration is mentioned. Any character who did not have a fairy tale basis is not mentioned.) The Realms Series Ultimate Fairy Tale Key Alice Pleasance Liddell – Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll; Alice Pleasance Hargreaves (1852 - 1934) Lorna Liddell – Lorina Charlotte Skene (1849 - 1930) and Edith May Liddell (1854 - 1876) Wendy Moira Angela Darling – Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up and Peter and Wendy by J. M. Barrie Captain James Hook – Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up and Peter and Wendy by J. M. Barrie; James Matthew Barrie (1860 – 1937) Peter Pan – The Little White Bird, Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up, and Peter and Wendy by J. M. Barrie Tiger Lily – Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up and Peter and Wendy by J. M. Barrie Tinker Bell – Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up and Peter and Wendy by J. M. Barrie John Darling – Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up and Peter and Wendy by J. M. Barrie Michael Darling – Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up and Peter and Wendy by J. M. Barrie The White Rabbit – Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll Tweedle-Dum – Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll; “Tweedledum and Tweedledee,” an English Nursery Rhyme Tweedle-Dee – Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll; “Tweedledum and Tweedledee,” an English Nursery Rhyme Remus / The Mad Hatter – Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll The March Hare – Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll The Blue Caterpillar – Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll The Cheshire Cat – Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll Helena / The Queen of Hearts / The Red Queen - Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll Jack Caldwell – “Jack and the Beanstalk,” an English Fairy Tale; “Jack the Giant Killer,” an English Legend; “Jack and Jill,” a Nursery Rhyme Kai Ødegård - The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen Red / Rubina Ellen Daim – “Little Red Riding Hood,” a European Folk Tale Gerda Vår – The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen The Snow Queen – The Snow Queen and The Ice Maiden by Hans Christian Andersen Fang – “Little Red Riding Hood,” an English Folk Tale Celeste / The White Queen – Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll The Duchess – Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll Jill Silver – “Jack and Jill,” a Nursery Rhyme The Knave of Hearts – Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll The Dormouse - Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll Dinah – Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll Mary Anne – Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll The Jabberwock – “Jabberwocky” and Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll Boojum – “The Hunting of the Snark” by Lewis Carroll Bill – Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll Jane Margaret Hook – Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up and Peter and Wendy by J. M. Barrie The Ticking Crocodile – Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up and Peter and Wendy by J. M. Barrie Slightly – Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up and Peter and Wendy by J. M. Barrie The Twins – Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up and Peter and Wendy by J. M. Barrie Tootles – Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up and Peter and Wendy by J. M. Barrie Nibs – Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up and Peter and Wendy by J. M. Barrie Curly – Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up and Peter and Wendy by J. M. Barrie Bagheera – The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling The Chief – Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up and Peter and Wendy by J. M. Barrie Mister Smee – Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up and Peter and Wendy by J. M. Barrie The Neverbird – Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up and Peter and Wendy by J. M. Barrie Bill Jukes – Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up and Peter and Wendy by J. M. Barrie Noodles – Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up and Peter and Wendy by J. M. Barrie Kaa – The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling Sylvia Hook – Sylvia Llewelyn Davies (1866 – 1910) Long John Silver – Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson Jim Hawkins – Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson Anney – Anne Bonny (1697 – 1782) Cookson – Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up and Peter and Wendy by J. M. Barrie Mister Starkey – Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up and Peter and Wendy by J. M. Barrie Calico – Calico Jack (1682 – 1720) Mullins – Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up and Peter and Wendy by J. M. Barrie Mister and Mrs. Darling – Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up and Peter and Wendy by J. M. Barrie Liza – Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up and Peter and Wendy by J. M. Barrie Nana – Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up and Peter and Wendy by J. M. Barrie Porthos – Porthos (1894 – 1901) Skylights – Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up and Peter and Wendy by J. M. Barrie Carabosse – Sleeping Beauty by Charles Perrault; The Sleeping Beauty by Marius Petipa Zoë – The Golden Touch by Nathaniel Hawthorne; King Midas from Greek Mythology Lupa – “Little Red Riding Hood,” an English Folk Tale; Big Bad Wolf Character in European Tales and Fables Bluebeard – “Bluebeard” by Charles Perrault King Thrushbeard – “King Thrushbeard” by the Brothers Grimm; “The Princess Who Never Smiled” by Alexander Afanasyev; Sleeping Beauty by Charles Perrault Queen Euna – “King Thrushbeard” by the Brothers Grimm; “The Princess Who Never Smiled” by Alexander Afanasyev; Sleeping Beauty by Charles Perrault Jim Hawkins / The Woodsman – “Little Red Riding Hood,” an English Folk Tale; Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson Aurore / Briar Rose – Sleeping Beauty by Charles Perrault; Aurore and Aimée by Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont Ingénu – Sleeping Beauty by Charles Perrault; Aurore and Aimée by Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont Clopin Trouillefou – The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo Esmeralda – The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo Quasimodo – The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo Gretel – “Hansel and Gretel” by the Brothers Grimm Hansel – “Hansel and Gretel” by the Brothers Grimm Phoebus – The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo Isbjørn / The Bear Wizard – “East of the Sun and West of the Moon” by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe; “The Princess Who Never Smiled” by Alexander Afanasyev Fenrir – Norse Mythology Lycaon – Greek Mythology Nozrok – “Jack and the Beanstalk,” an English Fairy Tale Cormoran – “Jack the Giant Killer,” an English Legend Cormelian – “Jack the Giant Killer,” an English Legend Blunderbore – “Jack the Giant Killer,” an English Legend Gogmagog – “Jack the Giant Killer,” an English Legend; Gogmagog Welsh and English Legend Alba – Gogmagog Welsh and English Legend Galigantus – “Jack the Giant Killer,” an English Legend Yldaa – “Jack and the Beanstalk,” an English Fairy Tale Golden Goose – “Jack and the Beanstalk,” an English Fairy Tale Thunderdell – “Jack the Giant Killer,” an English Legend Spider – “Little Miss Muffet,” a Nursery Rhyme; “Itsy Bitsy Spider,” a Nursery Rhyme Brann – “Jack Be Nimble,” a Nursery Rhyme Cat – “Hey, Diddle, Diddle,” a Nursery Rhyme The Fiddler – “Hey, Diddle, Diddle,” a Nursery Rhyme; “Old King Cole,” a Nursery Rhyme Liesel – “Hickory, Dickory, Dock,” a Nursery Rhyme Blue – “Little Boy Blue,” a Nursery Rhyme Tom – “Little Jack Horner,” a Nursery Rhyme; Tom Thumb from English Folklore Crooked – “There Was a Crooked Man,” a Nursery Rhyme Madame – “Baa, Baa, Black Sheep,” a Nursery Rhyme Ms. Marie – “Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary,” a Nursery Rhyme Balthaz / Shep – “Baa, Baa, Black Sheep,” a Nursery Rhyme Bleddyn – “Hey, Diddle, Diddle,” a Nursery Rhyme Gruff – “Three Billy Goats Gruff” by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe Frost / Rudy – Jack Frost Legends; The Ice Maiden by Hans Christian Anderson The Finnish Witch / Taika – The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen The Lappish Witch / Noaidi – The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen Häxan – The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen Mr. Crow – The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen Mrs. Crow – The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen Bae – The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen Inga – The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen Tjuv – The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen Babette – The Ice Maiden by Hans Christian Andersen Latham – The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen Lovisa – The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen Bonus Stories Briefly Mentioned in The Realms Series “The Story of the Three Bears” by Robert Southey Cinderella; or The Little Glass Slipper by Charles Perrault “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves” by the Brothers Grimm Beauty and the Beast by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve “Molly Whuppie” by Joseph Jacobs / “Maol a Chliobain” by John Francis Campbell “The Little Mermaid” by Hans Christian Andersen Sword Kladenets from Russian Fairy Tales Hope you enjoyed that not-so-little list of fairy tales! As always, I highly recommend reading the originals in order to truly appreciate a retelling (but that may also be the fairy tale geek inside me).
Much love to you all! Stay safe, stay hopeful, maybe read a few fairy tales. With Love, Emory R. Frie Wow, can you believe it's here? The end of an adventure, which for me has lasted over six years! I can hardly believe it myself, but here we are. I'm so excited to finally share Snow Queen with all of you! I've been anticipating this very moment since day one (or at least when I figured out the overarching plot of the books). I think this book is the one I'm most proud of. My writing has grown and improved significantly since Wonderland (college will do that to you), and though I've always known where this series was headed, Snow Queen ended up becoming more than I ever expected. All questions are answered, all your favorite characters are back, and no one is safe. No one comes out unmarred. This is the end. Are you ready for the last adventure? Book Synopsis:
Stand in the Sun, The Cold Beckons. Kai Ødegård never expected to become a hero. All he’d ever wanted was to save the woman he loved. But now the freedom of the realms rests heavily on his shoulders, on his friends’ shoulders, and he can’t be sure the responsibility isn’t misplaced. Five people shouldn’t be responsible for saving worlds. He’s made too many promises. War is on the horizon as Kai and his friends struggle to protect all that they love, bear all they have lost, and finally discover why their fates have led them to the Realm of the Snow Queen. Kai is determined to set things right – but where does that leave Gerda? Home is behind them, an uncertain future ahead, and the choices they make will change everything. Their journey ends here. Order your copy by clicking here! I hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it! Thank you for taking this journey with me. With love, Emory R. Frie After about 3 1/2 years, Heart of a Lion has returned with a new face on! I'm honestly super excited about this second edition because I've wanted to revamp the cover and design of this book for a while now, and somehow this happened much sooner than I could've anticipated. I loved the old cover, and I definitely wanted to incorporate the old lion head image into this one, but I love the professional quality that this one has about it maybe a bit more than the last one. Namely, the only difference is in appearance. The content is exactly the same, save for a few paragraph breaks that I caught during overviews. The cover is different in that I got to design all sides, including the spine, to my wishes; and the size is shorter but enabled the formerly 194 page novel to be 246 pages, which makes the overall size more proportional. The pages themselves are also cream instead of white while the cover finish is matte instead of glossy, which is how The Realms Series books are finished. All this to say, Heart of a Lion was my first book. It was the test-child of the bunch because I hardly knew what I was doing when I published it - I still hardly know what I'm doing. The entire design of the book was a what-not-to-do as far as proportions, page color, and finish. By the time Wonderland came along, I'd done enough research to know the basics of cover design and size. So since then, I've been wanting to revamp Heart of a Lion, give Sam and Will's story the face they deserve. And I'm really happy with how it turned out. Revisiting this story was incredibly nostalgic for me. As I mentioned, this was the first story I really got to explore. This taught me a lot about writing and storytelling, not to mention patience and determination (Writing a book is hard, guys), and these characters are very near and dear to my heart. Sam popped into my head when I was nine years old. I had a prologue and the first few chapters, with Will tagging along soon after Sam. I still remember being in the car with my mom, my sisters, and one of my sisters' friends to drop her off at home when some of us kids started writing stories. I'd already dabbled in storytelling. I had a lot of ideas and a Peter Pan adventure book I'd made with crayons under my belt. During this particular car ride, I wrote the prologue about this orphaned girl who saved someone's life and was then adopted by a childless king because he saw a goodness in her that little else could see. My sisters liked it, the friend loved it. And after introducing Will to the story and establishing a tournament, I put the notebook away and didn't see it again for a few years.
Eventually, of course, I rediscovered the story. I typed it up and added a few more pages, then forgot about it again. I think this repeated itself again before I picked it up at fourteen and actually decided to finish the book. Whew! I'd done it! Or at least I thought I did. I didn't really know the definition of "First Draft" yet. But after my family read it, and my parents chipped in with their personal Spell Check, I was ready to try the publishing game. Pro-Tip: Always always always do your research. I wanted to try out the big-dogs in the publishing industry (Fourteen-year-old girls can dream!), but I quickly discovered that I qualified as one of the Unsolicited Submissions that these big publishing houses didn't accept. I also didn't know the first thing about book agents, so I got this impression that I couldn't be published unless I was already published - kind of like how you need experience to get a job, but you need a job to get experience; a paradox. Of course, there's a lot more to it than that, but I didn't know at the time. Then I tried this smaller publisher that did happen to take Unsolicited Submissions. Lo and behold, they accepted! I was so excited about the whole thing! Someone besides my family liked my story enough to publish it. But then there was the catch: I would have to pay so much money to have it published. Like an investment. Now, as a fourteen-year-old, I had no money. So there was that problem. My parents would've helped, but they were also suspicious about the situation. After a polite email to the publisher, they did come back with a much better offer with a lower price tag. Dad looked into it some more (Always do your research!) and after talking through the whole situation, we decided to decline the publisher's offer. They were very gracious about the whole thing, for which I am thankful, and they said that if I changed my mind, the offer would still stand. So then I found another publisher that was free and also accepted my manuscript. However, I did not consult with my parents about it, I didn't research it, and I didn't know the definition of SCAM yet. Thankfully, my parents are rational and great at research, so we declined this offer as well. If you haven't caught the common thread yet: Always Do Your Research. Shortly thereafter, we met this woman named Sunshine who was one of our milk customers (Yeah, my family owned a micro-dairy of three Brown Swiss cows for a few years) and happened to be a book editor. Over the next year, she helped me edit both Heart of a Lion and Wonderland manuscripts thoroughly. She was kind but she was honest, and she not only helped these stories to become the best they can be, she helped me to push myself as a writer and an editor. I really learned the importance of rewriting and editing. Today, this is my favorite part of the writing process. I'm forever grateful to her for that. Eventually, I did decide to undergo the self-publishing route through Kindle Direct Publishing and CreateSpace (what used to be the paperback publishing branch before Amazon combined it all into KDP). I've enjoyed the freedoms of it, as I've had complete say in what goes on with the book, aside from the rules and stipulations of KDP. So it's kind of spoiled me. One day I'll reach out into the world of book agents and publishing houses, but as I've been a college student for the entirety of my published-author career thus far, self-publishing has been convenient for my own scheduling and stress levels. Now here we are three and a half years later! My dad is still begging me for a sequel to Heart of a Lion - an idea I'm not entirely opposed to, but the only issue is that I can't for the life of me think of a conflict for such an endeavor. For now, I'm satisfied with the story as is. Thank you to all the readers who've loved on Sam and Will as much as I have over the years. I'm glad for everything they've taught me and everything I've gone through with them. And I thank God for giving me this story of love, courage, and adventure at such a young age, for giving me something to work towards and share with those around me. With Love, Emory R. Frie Wow, it's been over a year since I've updated this blog.
Giant Country has been a thing, and I'm trekking through Realm of the Snow Queen - this may be the hardest manuscript yet. I've got one more semester at Berry now, which is incredibly frightening and pretty exciting all at once. Recently I've been wrestling with my future a lot. I'm not sure exactly why I picked up the blog mantle now of all times; maybe it's to give a life-update, or maybe it's because I've accepted the fact that I may be the most inconsistent blogger on the planet. Or maybe I just need the space to hash out some thoughts. Maybe God wants me to hash them out here. Maybe someone else is in the same spot I am. See, I've never been an avid social media connoisseur. I'm incredibly inconsistent in posts, and the act of actually posting or communicating over SM or most any technology is mentally draining for me. I have some SM platforms, mostly I use them to keep up with friends' lives, or for promotional purposes. And I only text or DM in the most necessary instances, whether to answer questions or briefly catch up with a friend or let my roommate know that I'm out getting groceries. Point is, I've got no idea why I'm blogging right now. But I figure, it's my blog, so I don't really need excuses or explanations. So, here we go... As I said, I've been wrestling a lot with my future lately. The After-College Stuff, you know? College may be stressful, but it's comfortable, and growing up (like, REALLY growing up) is exciting and brimming with opportunity, but it's uncomfortable. Unstable. Uncertain. Basically all the really scary things that cause me the most anxiety. I've always been like that with change, though. I was this way when going to college as a freshie. I remember crying on my parents' shoulders the night before moving because I was so scared that I wouldn't like it, or that I would be alone, or I wouldn't be as good in the Creative Writing classes as other students, or because I didn't know ANYONE going in. Looking back, I know it was all just fear. And it turned out Berry was exactly where I needed to be, or more importantly, where God wanted me to be. I did (do!) love it, and I was really only alone for a whole of two minutes, if that. I was blessed with a roommate I adore and friends I still have and hold dear. Though I'm still pretty shy about my work in my CW classes, I've grown so much alongside many talented peers in the department. So yeah, nothing to be afraid of, right? I guess the fact that I know everything will be okay after college doesn't stop the fear and worry from welling up, though. I had a bit of a breakdown with my dad a few weeks ago while we were walking around Nashville for my sister's graduation (Shout out to Madison who is an incredibly talented, well rounded make-up artist, and you should all go check out her stuff on Instagram @facesbyfrie). My mind was overwhelmed with so many maybes and potentials and goodness-gracious-I-don't-know-what-to-dos. There is 1) The Grad School Plan (which I would've avidly denied doing this time last year, but things change, and minds change, and here I am undoubtedly confused). But the Grad School Plan is tricky, because for one, very few schools actually offer the book publishing / editorial program I'd be wanting, and for another, grad school is EXPENSIVE. I'd have to take out a loan if I didn't get scholarships, and since the book business seems to primarily be in New York, Sydney, and London, those would be the places to look for if I'd want to get an internship alongside the program. NY is the most expensive of the three. So that would leave Australia or England, which would be great considering my travel-bug. But then that comes with all sorts of other issues too, like super early applications and long distance moving and let's not forget that AU has year-round Scary Spider Season. And then there's the fear of not getting accepted, or getting accepted but the cost might not be worth it, or going and discovering that I didn't like publishing after all... The worries are literally endless. And that's only the first plan. The second plan, 2) The Launching Career Plan, is to try getting an editorial job right out of college. This would be astoundingly ideal! After all, that's the job I've been aiming for all this time, right? But this plan is SO shaky. For one, no job is guaranteed. I've applied for internships and been denied for those internships, same as jobs, so who am I to assume that will change with a diploma? Mind you, rejection is part of life. I don't blame the jobs for rejecting me, and I'll keep applying for them - but of course, this is Worry Lane we're going down. Because rejection is a thing, and very few people land their dream job right out of college (I'm just being realistic here), least of all in the oh-so competitive publishing business, there's high likelihood that I won't land an editorial job right out of college. On top of that, what if this dream-job isn't all it's cracked up to be? What if I end up hating it? What if I get creatively exhausted because of it? Then we've got 3) The What If Plan. As in, what if I don't go to grad school? What if I can't get an editorial job? What if I do something completely different with my career? What if college was a waste of time? What if my degree choice was the wrong one? What if I disappoint myself and my family because I've been aiming for this dream for years, and either because of circumstances or choice, I failed to achieve it? What if I think I know what I want, but I don't? What if I'm not doing what I'm supposed to do? What if God wants me to do something else, be something else, and I can't or won't listen? I guess the What If Plan comes down to this: What if I fail, and What if I disappoint? Somehow I confessed all of this to Dad along our walk around Nashville. He talked through things with me honestly, helping to put things in perspective. But mostly he reminded me of a few things: For one, my family will never be disappointed in me. My parents know that I'm not one to sit around and do nothing; they know that I actively pursue jobs and opportunities, that my sisters and I are driven. We try. Which is the whole point, I guess. We try for something fiercely, and if it doesn't work out, we try it again or try something different. As much as we might want to, we're not the kind of women to wait around for things to be handed to us. Things happen, plans change, but it's almost always for the better in the end. Point being, I shouldn't be kicked out of the house any time soon. For another, in the end, a degree is a degree. I made the choice a long time ago to go to Berry as a Creative Writing and Business student, and I don't regret that choice. Even if I did regret it, I can't take it back. But a degree does provide opportunity, and I shouldn't belittle that. The training I got will come in handy no matter where I go next, and the reality is that many employers like degrees no matter what major they're in. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my CW major. Just laying it out there. Something else Dad helped me realize was that in my worrying I had forgotten the REAL endgame. I haven't been going all this time in order to land a book editor position at a publishing house, or to get a masters in publishing in Australia. The real dream is to be a full-time author and freelance editor by the end of all this. When I think about that, everything that I do to get there isn't as important or hectic. I can let go of the After-College Stuff stress. I can give it up to God and not be disappointed. Because the ultimate endgame, even bigger than a career, is Him. So even getting to this dream isn't as important. And that makes things not so hazy. I don't mean to say that I'm scrapping all the potential plans. But I think I'm letting them become more like options. I don't HAVE to do one thing or another, but I CAN. I can apply to grad schools and internships and editorial jobs. But I can also apply for other jobs I've been interested in, jobs that can be balanced with the author / editor dream. Lots of writers take up non-writing careers. Maybe I can feed my travel bug by being a flight attendant. Maybe I'll learn to fly the whole plane. Who knows? I certainly don't. But the not-knowing is settling better in my mind, I think, even if it's still terribly hard. It helps to picture an older me surrounded by bookshelves in a cottage somewhere, plants lining the windowsill, a Newfoundland dog at my older-me feet - and I'm still figuring things out, but I'm a little wiser and a little braver with some world-trips under my belt and so much Jesus that it shines. So in the end, I'm still figuring things out. I think we all are. But it's nice to know we're not alone in that. Let me know if I can pray for you, and I hope your worries about the future may be calmed. Trust God. He's got everything in His hands. With Love, Emory R. Frie P.S. If you'd like some encouragement, these songs have really helped me: "Sailboat" by Ben Rector "Walk on the Water" by Britt Nicole "Oceans" by Hillsong "Fall on Me" by Andrea and Matteo Bocelli "Burn the Ships" by For King & Country Here it is: the Cover Reveal of Giant Country (The Realms Series, Book Four)! It's still in beginning editing stages, but I can't wait to dive into Jack's character, dig up his past, and show you the world he despises (yet is bound to). Get ready for fast-paced adventure, gut-wrenching revelations, and characters who crawl from your childhood nursery rhymes. In a place where gold is curse or cure, and fear is dangerously tangible, Jack will do anything to save the friend he long ago left behind- even as the Master's identity is finally exposed.
Hope you like the cover! I'm looking forward to releasing this story to you all this summer! Hopefully I'll get the synopsis finished up within the next month. Thanks for Reading! With Love, Emory R. Frie It's here! Enchanted Forest is officially published and ready to order! I'm so excited to share this adventure's next installment with all of you.You can order Enchanted Forest in paperback and eBook on Amazon and CreateSpace now! I hope you enjoy the new twists and revelations woven into this new installment. Synopsis: The worst Monsters Live under your Skin. Red Daim is a girl who shrouds herself in mystery. She won’t let anyone pass the walls she’s built, and her worst fear has been those walls’ destruction. When Red and her friends show up in the Enchanted Forest—a place of monsters and magic—she is confronted with events that threaten to expose her past. No matter what she does, she knows that it can’t be hidden forever. Her secrets are ripped open. Stakes raise as the group discover more about the unknown master behind every struggle and blessing they’ve gone though, and what plans are in store. Villains lurk around every corner. Everything lives and breathes magic unlike anywhere else. Trust is a rarity in the Forest, and for Red, her ghosts are crawling from the depths of her past. She is forced to shine a light on her darkness and face what waits there. All answers lie in their past. New fairy tales, new characters, new discoveries, new questions; there's a lot going on in this book and you don't want to miss it! You can order "Enchanted Forest" now on Amazon: www.amazon.com/dp/0997435437/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1504403306&sr=8-2&keywords=enchanted+forest+the+realm+series and CreateSpace: www.createspace.com/7400022 Thanks for reading! Emory R. Frie P.S. If you have yet to embark on the adventure, the first installment of The Realms Series, "Wonderland" is available to order here: www.amazon.com/Wonderland-Realms-1-Emory-Frie/dp/0997435410/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= Hello! I'm so excited to announce the third book to The Realms Series, Enchanted Forest, as well as its beautiful new cover! I can't wait to reveal new incites into these beloved characters, and I'm excited to introduce new ones as well. Though this is still being sculpted in its editing stage, I hope to release Enchanted Forest in the fall of this year. Keep an eye out for updates! Here's the synopsis and cover:
I hope you enjoy it as much as I am!
Thanks for Reading! With love, Emory R. Frie It's finally here! I'm so excited to announce that "Neverland", the 2nd installment in The Realms Series, is now available to order in ebook and paperback formats on Amazon and CreateSpace. I can't wait to hear what you all think about the adventure as it continues to unfold in this next book. Synopsis: Never Forget. Never Grow Up. In Neverland, it's difficult if not impossible to do both. Dreams come true. Time is irregular. But to remain frozen in mind, memories must fade. For Wendy Darling, she never grew up. That doesn't mean she never grew old. When Wendy returns to Neverland, her friends in tow, it becomes apparent that the Island has other plans before she can return to the Lost Boys. But things have changed since she's been gone, things that should've never been possible. And in hunting for a mysterious power threatening the realms, Wendy and her friends find that some things are not as they seem. Are they ready for what comes next? I hope you all enjoy the new characters (including Peter Pan, Captain James Hook, and many more), the new discoveries, the new adventures, and the new world of "Neverland". You can order "Neverland" now on Amazon: www.amazon.com/dp/0997435429/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1486321574&sr=8-2&keywords=neverland+the+realms+series and CreateSpace: www.createspace.com/6397353 Thanks for reading!
Emory R. Frie P.S. If you have yet to embark on the adventure, the first installment of The Realms Series, "Wonderland" is available to order here: www.amazon.com/Wonderland-Realms-1-Emory-Frie/dp/0997435410/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= P.P.S. The 3rd book in The Realms Series is estimated to be released late 2017 Hello everyone! I'm thrilled to announce my upcoming addition to The Realms Series, Neverland, and the completed cover! I absolutely adore these fantastic characters, and I can't wait to continue to share them with you as well as introduce you to new ones. Though the book is still in the editing stage, I am hoping to have Neverland released by January 2017 at the latest. Keep an eye out for updates! Here's the synopsis as well as the gorgeous cover:
I do hope you love it as much as I do!
Thanks for Reading! With love, Emory R. Frie P.S. If you have yet to delve into The Realms Series, check out the first book, Wonderland, here: www.amazon.com/Wonderland-Realms-1-Emory-Frie/dp/0997435410/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1475552356&sr=8-1 |
"Stories help us remember what we never want to forget" - Neverland (The Realms Series, Book Two) AuthorEmory R. Frie is the award-winning author of Heart of a Lion and The Realms Series, and has works published by The Journal, Darling Magazine and Ramifications. She is the founder of Life Lights Copywriting for social businesses and nonprofits, has a bachelor's in creative writing at Berry College and currently lives in Boone, NC. |