Date: 14 Sep 2013 20:08 Title: Chapter 1
Quite an adorable slice-of-life piece. The little cultural bits were wonderful to read, too; also, the hints of something like a civil rights shift, or at least an awakening. Subtle, but lovely. I liked the interactions, too, and Mistra's observations. Wonderful stuff!
Author's Response:
Thank you! This one is a couple of months after they had what was essentially a petticoat revolution. :)
Date: 02 Nov 2011 19:50 Title: Chapter 1
That was a beauty. Very home-like. I can see why Mr Reed would want to visit.
Author's Response:
Thank you - I love to write children (possibly because I have none - here's where the maternal instinct ran off to!). And a naughty child, ah, it was fun. :)
Date: 01 Nov 2011 04:00 Title: Chapter 1
Oh, my...what a bold little girl Inta is! I think she takes after her mother... ;-)
It's interesting to see that even that other family, which didn't have any ties to Arnis' family that I knew of before, has drawn some inspiration from them and clearly is willing to learn from them. I'd really feared that family would end up as pariahs, so I'm glad to see that's not the case.
There is one thing I wonder, though: was Arnis put to death for his crimes? He's still not back, so that did have me curious.
I see they still haven't figured out "barefaced humans" might not be the best thing to say. ;-)
I also hope that eventually, things will move towards allowing the girls to choose more of what they want to do with their own lives. At least it's good to see that there hasn't been a crackdown.
Author's Response:
The other family (two, actually - Jamae comes from a different family than the other two) has seen Arnis disgraced on TV, and Mistra acquitted. Plus there's Dratha, the trendsetter. But I think the girls were friends before. It's just, the attitudes are evolving.
I'm not sure what happened to Arnis (still working it out for future storytelling). I know Doctor Rechal is in the prison. Things to think about.
And yeah, the barefaced humans - there's still a lot of casual prejudice. Words are important. They can sting or they can heal.
What I also wanted to show is that they are (except for baby Inta) a little TOO polite and TOO gentle. And, as Laurel Thatcher Ulrich said, "Well-behaved women seldom make history."
So maybe Inta will make a little history ...?
Date: 31 Oct 2011 11:38 Title: Chapter 1
Nice cover :D
Naughty Inta, naughty! The image of smuggling cookies and crumbs in her pouch made me laugh out loud. Clever little girl; she knows what she wants and she knows how to get it.
It's good to see that the society is slowly changing. The girl spending time together regardless of their castes is a very good start. Respect shown to someone older, even if of a lower cast, is another good sign.
It was a warm, adorable picture :)
Author's Response:
Thank you!
I read the (mostly completed) draft out loud to my husband, and when I got to the crunchy part, he yelled out, "Busted!"
I wanted it to be a study, not only of their lives, but also of some very small changes. Sometimes change seems to move at a glacial pace. But little things DO matter. When Kathalia says "sister" instead of "half-sister", it's that affection is more important than status. When she defers to Mistra and shows respect (as you noted), it's a victory. The fact that the girls spend time together at all (which you also noted) - these are probably, originally, Morza's friends - but Kathalia comes along anyway. She is a bit of a Queen Bee (and they do defer to her quite a bit), but she makes an effort to include them and to not take charge so much or so obviously.
Also, Inta's naughtiness is something of a breakthrough. She CAN be naughty. If Arnis was still there (and this is a few months after his arrest), what would have happened to her? A tongue lashing to a child who really can't even talk yet? A beating, perhaps? Instead, it's a teachable moment - Inta is made a part of the cleanup not only because it has to be done, but also so that she will learn to be a bit more considerate. Although at the end, that's a bit in question. Hey, kids aren't always well-behaved (and I wanted Reed lamenting not being with Declan to kind of contrast to that, e. g. be careful what you wish for).
I also, I admit, wanted something fluffier (with a puppy as my cover girl, well, of course!) after the darkness of the first two stories. It's kind of a middle school girl's day (Cria is 13 years old). You finish your homework, your friends come over, you play Mad Libs and joke around, you do each other's hair, talk about the boys you like, and then have a snack. :)