Beautiful People Linkup--April

Cait at "Paper Fury" is co-hosting a linkup called "Beautiful People." Each month she announces a new set of questions to answer about your characters so you can learn more about them. This month's theme is siblings! I love family dynamics, especially sibling dynamics, in books (and movies and TV shows). This meme made me realize that I actually don't have a lot of siblings in my stories, though. I'll definitely have to fix that.

Anyway, I couldn't decide between answering the questions for Cassandra and Cindy (unicorns from my MG fantasy trilogy) or Lane and Becca (from Beneath the Moon and Stars, my YA contemporary romance), so I'm bending the rules and doing both. ;)



1. What is the first memory they have of each other?

The first memory Cindy has of Cassandra is actually right after Cassie was born. Cindy, being only two at the time and not realizing how fragile newborn unicorns really are, tried to play with her by tackling her. Cassandra wasn't hurt, though, and thought it seemed like fun. It didn't take long for them to bond.

Cassandra remembers being scared of everything that was going on in Fantasya when she was about two. Giants, trolls, and elves invaded Prosperity Border (their home), and their dad told Cindy to take Cassandra and hide somewhere safe. Cindy stayed with her for a long time.

Becca's four years older than Lane, so her first memory is holding Lane on the couch, surrounded by lots of concerned adults giving her different instructions about how to hold his head up and keep the blanket wrapped around him. She remembers his huge poof of black hair, which never really went away as he got older.

Lane was always running after Becca when he was little, the two of them finding their own entertainment during their mother's boring dinner parties by causing mischief. When Becca was eight, she had Lane keep watch while she dumped clear alcohol into the sink and replaced it with water. Their mother screamed at them afterward, but Lane remembers feeling immensely proud of the two of them while they were actually carrying out their plan. He felt like a spy, standing at the door, peeking through the crack for anyone coming.

2. Describe their relationship in 3 words.

Cassandra and Cindy's relationship: Lots of love.

Lane and Becca: Ups and downs.

3. What kind of things do they like to do together?

Cassandra and Cindy, when they aren't fighting for their lives, love games. Even as adults, they jump in and play tag with their kids or hide and seek. They have energy to spare, so running around is the perfect outlet for them.


Lane and Becca tend to bond over exasperation at their mother's petty antics. They hated it as kids, they hate it now. But it's fun to whisper and crack jokes behind their parents' backs, both of them trying to make the other laugh first. Mostly, they just like to talk. They may not have a whole lot in common, but they can count on each other for stimulating conversation when everyone else around them is more concerned with the paint choice for the room they're sitting in.


4. What was their biggest fight?

Cassandra and Cindy rarely fight. They know all too well that they can't accomplish as much alone as they can together. Their biggest fight lasted for maybe a day. Cassandra accidentally let slip that Cindy was pregnant, when she and her husband were waiting to tell everyone all at once at a nice dinner. But after realizing it wasn't that big of a deal, they both apologized and went back to being friends.

Lane and Becca are unpredictable. Sometimes they're both in fantastic moods, the next day they could be screaming at each other. Overall, their relationship is really good, but they fight like normal siblings.

5. How far would they go to save each other?

Pfft, Cassie and Cindy have literally risked their lives for each other from the time they were toddlers. I don't think there's anything they wouldn't do for the other.

Lane and Becca have each other's backs, for the most part. It's kind of necessary for survival when they're both living with their mother. Becca hates to see her little brother get hurt or picked on, but she's willing to slap him into shape if the situation requires it. Lane is generally willing to do all sorts of favors for Becca, too.

6. What are their pet peeves about each other?


Cindy likes to tease her little sister in front of other people, which is funny at first, but quickly becomes irritating for Cassandra. Cindy hates it when Cassie chews with her mouth open.

Lane thinks Becca is too uptight, Becca thinks Lane can't take anything seriously.

7. What are their favorite things about each other?

Cassandra and Cindy love their inside jokes. Whether they're whispering and giggling late at night or cracking each other up in the middle of a boring event, they're constantly laughing.

Though he'd never admit it and risk constant teasing from her, Lane thinks Becca has good advice. She's the first person he goes to when he's in a pinch because he knows he'll listen. Becca likes the way Lane balances her out when she's feeling stressed. He's always up for a game or a night out.

8. What traits do they share? Mannerisms, clothing, quirks, looks, etc?

Cassandra and Cindy are both energetic, outgoing, fun-loving, happy, and funny. Their coats are pure white.

Lane and Becca are both extremely sarcastic and smart. They're both eye-rollers and share the same loud laugh.

9. Who has the strongest personality?

It's a tough call, but Cassandra probably wins. Cindy's a little worn out from her little sister's energy.

Lane, definitely Lane. He is a strong E while Becca's an I.

10. How does their relationship change throughout your story?

Cindy wasn't around for much of Cassandra's childhood, as she was separated from her during the war in Fantasya, but when the two reunited, it was as if nothing had changed. If anything, their bond strengthened.

Lane and Becca fought with each other more at the beginning of the story, sick of the other's antics, very much needing their own space. They soon found a common cause to unite them. I won't spoil what happens at the end.

Tell me about the siblings you've written! Or, even better, linkup with Cait and talk about them on your own blog. Who are some of your favorite fictional families?

Query Letter Rejection Celebration!

I got my first personal rejection today. :) It wasn't a form letter. Let me tell you the (short) story.

I submitted to "Nancy Gallt Literary Agency" about a month and a half ago by using their online form, the very same agency that currently represents Jeanne DuPrau (The City of Ember series) and Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson and the Olympians series). After it sent, I crossed my fingers, held my breath, and tried to forget about it so I wouldn't be obsessively refreshing my Inbox every few days.

Today the rejection was in my Inbox, but it looked kind of weird when I opened it. Ah, that would be because it was longer and they . . . actually used my name? No "Dear Author" or "We're sorry to say . . ."?

Nope! It was a personal rejection, meaning it wasn't a form letter, that the agent I submitted to (Marietta Zacker) had actually written it out and taken the time to respond to me, something most agents don't do and don't have the time for. Here's the letter she sent me:

Ms. (My last name here):

I am so impressed with your drive and your fortitude.  Congratulations on what you've already accomplished.  Writing a novel is no easy feat.

I have to pass on FANTASYA, but I'll be rooting for you, hoping that you continue to be as passionate as you are now.  I also recommend that you stay as dedicated to the craft of writing as you are at the moment. You have an amazing future.

Thank you for your query ~ I wish you the very best.

Sincerely,
Marietta

Marietta Zacker
Nancy Gallt Literary Agency

----------------------------------------
Updates From MV:

Giving away three books for the price of absolutely nothing (click HERE).
Waiting on six literary agents to respond to my query (EEP!!!).
Loving THIS shirt.

(If you have something you'd like me to share in "Updates From MV" please send me an e-mail at themagicviolinist(AT)gmail(DOT)com. Thank you! :D)

I Should Be Writing

But I'm having way too much fun on this website! :D You paste some of your writing (a blog post, article, novel, short story, poem, etc.) and it shows which author matches your writing style!

I put in my last blog post and got Stephen King. (Yippee)!

I put in The Sorceress and got L. Frank Baum. (Nice . . .)

I put in Fantasya: A Giant Problem and got Margaret Mitchell. (WOO HOOOOOO)!

I put in Secrets and got . . . (drum roll please . . .) J.K. ROWLING!!!! (*Does a happy dance*)

Who do you write like? Leave a comment! :D

Before and After--The Process of Creating a Query Letter

As requested by my mom, I have decided to write a post about my query letter. The first draft and the final draft (at least I think it's the final draft) will be posted below. But first a few tips that I've learned:

1. Go to this site for everything you need to know about query letters. The woman doing this is brutally honest, but very effective and helpful. She definitely knows what she's doing.

2. Start your query letter with a bang. You need a nice hook that will get an agent's attention.

3. Be specific. Don't use words like "some" or "very." A sense of mystery is okay, but you don't want to be too vague. The agent will be left feeling clueless!

4. Thank the agent for their time and consideration. Apparently a lot of people neglect to do this. You can't just hand over a query letter without thanking them for taking the time to read it. Then you'll come across as cocky and entitled.

And now for the query letter finale:

BEFORE

 To Whom It May Concern,

Cassandra Day is a unicorn. She lives in a world called Fantasya where magical creatures from royal Pegasi to tiny elves live in peace. Well, they used to live in peace. Gargamouth, a giant with a hot head, wants to take over Fantasya and rule all of the creatures living in it by killing off the unicorns and Pegasi using his army of trolls and elves. Cassandra knows she must she must stop Gargamouth, and her best friend Cornelia, who is also a unicorn and is a bit better about plan-making than Cassandra, wants to help her.

But before either of them can do something about this gigantic problem, they are both whisked away to Earth where they must blend in with the humans. Cassandra and Cornelia disguise themselves as humans and search for a way to get back, meeting all kinds of danger along the way, such as nearly getting captured by trolls and exposing themselves to the human race. Can they defeat Gargamouth and bring Fantasya to peace once again?

I would love it if you could represent my book Fantasya: A Giant Problem. It is a complete 23,541-word manuscript and the first book in a fantasy trilogy intended for middle-grade kids, but I think all ages will enjoy it.

I am a twelve-year-old homeschooled girl who loves to write. I won our local library’s poetry contest in 2010, I write for our local library’s newsletter, I won an honorable mention for the Hershey Story Contest, I have a blog (themagicviolinist.blogspot.com), and I write a monthly post for The Write Practice (thewritepractice.com).

Thank you for your time and consideration and I hope to hear from you soon!

Sincerely,

Kate XXXXX
XXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXX



AFTER

To Whom It May Concern,

If someone doesn’t defeat Gargamouth the giant, all of the unicorns in Fantasya could die.

Cassandra Day, a unicorn, needs to defeat Gargamouth if Fantasya, a world full of magical creatures, will ever be at peace again. Cassandra and her best friend, Cornelia, another unicorn, devise a plan to conquer the hot-headed giant. But when they accidentally touch an Earth Flower they’re whisked away to Earth where they must blend in with humans to survive.

How will the unicorns hide from humans, escape from the trolls who threaten their lives, and return to Fantasya to defeat Gargamouth? If they don’t, will Fantasya fall into ruins? Will all of the unicorns die?

Fantasya: A Giant Problem is a 23,500-word middle grade novel intended for children ages 7-12. It is a story of how friendship and teamwork can conquer any task.

I am a homeschooled girl who loves to write. I post at my blog themagicviolinist.blogspot.com two to three times a week, and am a monthly contributor at thewritepractice.com, a blog for writers. The Write Practice has over 6500 subscribers and nearly 30,000 monthly readers and was voted one of the Top Ten Blogs For Writers in 2012. I write for the Annville Free Library’s newsletter and won a poetry contest at the Lebanon Community Library in 2010.

Thank you for your time and consideration and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

Kate  XXXXX
XXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXX

I'd like to give a little shout out to our family's friend Dave and also to Michelle from Random Writing Rants. Thanks so much for helping me out! :D

So be honest. If you were an agent and saw this query letter would you ask for more pages? Would you even be interested at all? Would you think I'm not experienced enough and have no idea what I'm doing? Leave a comment! :D

An Interview With Cassandra Day and Cornelia Moonstone

Please give a warm welcome to Cassandra Day and Cornelia Moonstone, the protagonists of my completely edited novel Fantasya: A Giant Problem. A Giant Problem is the first book in the Fantasya series. I wrote it in 2010 and have only recently finished editing it. I'm currently trying to find an agent to represent me, so if you know of any really good ones, let me know. ;) Cassandra and Cornelia have traveled here all the way from Fantasya (with a little pinch of pixie dust each). And here to interview them, their friend Cecilia!

Will you please introduce yourselves?

Cassandra: No way!


Cecilia: ...


Cassandra: Just kidding.


(Cassandra winks).


Cassandra: I'm Cassandra Day, as you already know, I am ten-years-old, which is the age you are officially an adult as a unicorn, I am a unicorn, and I have the ultra-rare golden horn that only three unicorns in history have had. In legends that means that I'm destined for greatness, but having a golden horn didn't seem to help my sister Cindy, who has been either dead or missing for years.


Cornelia: My name is Cornelia Moonstone, I am also ten-years-old, and I'm a unicorn. Oh, and I have a silver horn, which is semi-rare.


Tell us about your families.

Cassandra: Well, I'm an orphan. Both of my parents died in the war. My sister Cindy went after my dad and hasn't been seen since. A kind unicorn with a white horn, which is the most common and almost every unicorn has, named Caroline has adopted me. She and Cornelia are all I've got. And Cornelia's not even related to me!


Cornelia: You and I both know that it's possible we're sisters and just don't know it.


Cassandra: True.


Cornelia: My dad died in the war, but my mom is still alive. They both have, or had, white horns. I have no siblings.



Please tell us more about your hobbies. 


Cassandra: I love to fly, run around, goof off with Corny, and eat.


Cornelia: Yes, everyone knows you love to eat.


Cassandra: What are you implying?

Cornelia: That you're (*ahem*) bigger than most unicorns?

Cecilia (as Cassandra opens her mouth to argue): Please, let's get back to the interview.

Cornelia: Right. Sorry, Cece. My hobbies . . . hmm. I guess mostly the same as Cassandra. I like doing anything with her, really.

Who do you think is more in control: Yourselves or Kate?


Cassandra: It's a mix. Kate already had most of the story planned when she started writing it. Well, mostly the beginning and the end.


Cornelia: We were pretty much in control by the middle, though.

Cassandra: Yeah.

Who is your greatest enemy and why?

(Cassandra and Cornelia shudder).

Cassandra: Gargamouth the giant. He and his wife Gorgina want to take over Fantasya! The Pegasi and unicorns are fighting against Gargamouth's minions, which are the trolls and elves, but we're really fighting a losing battle. Corny and I want to stop him, though.

Cornelia: Mostly you. I'm not too keen on the idea of fighting him by ourselves, but I'll help Cassie out when it comes to saving Fantasya.

(Cassandra smiles at Cornelia and Cornelia smiles back).

Who (or what) do you think inspired Kate most when she was creating both of you?

Cassandra: Fantasy novels. Harry Potter, Fablehaven, you name it! Listening to music and filling out the NaNoWriMo YWP (Young Writer's Program) folders really helped, too.

Cornelia: And I think Kate, without realizing it, patterned Cassie and I after herself and her best friend Kirsten! I find a ton of similarities between my personality and Kirsten's personality. And Cassie could be Kate's twin, if it weren't for the wilder bits of Cassie's personality and the fact that she's a unicorn.

Cassandra: The funniest part of all that, though, is that Kate didn't even notice the similarities until 2012 when she finished editing the book!

(Cassandra and Cornelia laugh).

Thank you guys for being on my blog!

Cassandra: It was a pleasure!

Cornelia: Anything for our creator!

(Cassandra and Cornelia wink).

Coming up next, an interview with my most recent character: Cosmo Moonshine! She's a human living in NYC. She's the protagonist of my first realistic fiction book: Cosmo.

Part 4 of My Story

Cassandra
Quintuplet Weirdoes

“Oof!” I landed on some grass. What had happened? All I did was poke that flower with my hoof.
“Ouch!” Cornelia had landed next to me. She whimpered in pain. I stood up and walked over.
She had a little bruise. Nothing big. She stood up and looked at me, a little annoyed.
“What’d I do?” I asked. “All I did was touch that flower and now we’re in some other place in Fantasya, or something.”
“Or something,” Cornelia said. “That was an earth flower! It sent us to earth!” She told me all about the earth flower and the magic rock.
“Whoa,” I said. “So, this is Earth?” I looked around. There were things that I had heard about in legends passed down from unicorns that had claimed they had been to Earth. There were cars, and supermarkets, and humans walking down something called a sidewalk.
“Yup,” said Cornelia. “Now what?”
I looked around at all the humans walking with their kids. It must’ve been summer here too. The kids weren’t in human school.
“I think we had better disguise ourselves as humans and start our search for the magic rock.” We both used disguising magic. I disguised myself as a tall, skinny, teenager that had light brown hair, dark brown eyes, and a something called a yellow tank top with blue shorts. I had heard Cornelia’s mom say something about the human clothes here.
Cornelia had disguised herself as a teenager too. She was tall and skinny, but her hair was red and her eyes were green. She had on a lime green skirt with a blue t-shirt. She looked very pretty.
“Let’s go,” she said. We walked down the street looking for a place with lots of rocks. According to Cornelia, the magic rock was boulder sized so we didn’t have to look very hard.
We were walking for a while in silence. I could tell that Cornelia was annoyed with me. Just then, there was a rustle through the hedges that we were passing. We both froze. We turned our heads slowly.
Five kids about the age of 12 jumped out through the bushes.
There were three girls that looked exactly the same. They all had long, straight red hair with blue eyes. Then the boys had the same straight, short black hair with the same dark, brown eyes.
They started doing a little jig right in the middle of the sidewalk.
“I’m Mary!”
“I’m Carrie!”
“I’m Terrie!”
“I’m Larry!”
“I’m Gary!”
They stopped dancing and said at the same time,
“We’re quintuplets!”
“Okay,” I said. “This is weird.”
“We’re not weird!” said Mary.
“Maybe we are!” said Carrie.
“I don’t smell weird,” said Terrie.
“Do you?” said Larry.
“No,” said Gary.
“We’re not weird!” they all said at once.
“Cassie,” said Cornelia.
I ignored her. She was just nervous because they kept acting weird.
“Do you know where we are?” I asked. Maybe even if they acted weird we could get some answers as to where we were.
“Sanfransico of course!” said Mary.
“In California!” said Carrie.
“In the USA!” said Terrie.
“Which is located in the world!” said Larry.
“Which is located in space!” said Gary.
“Cassie,” said Cornelia again. “Can’t you smell them?”
I hadn’t really paid much attention to the smell. I just paid attention to the dancing and the weird answers.
I sniffed.
“Eww!” I said covering my nose.
I stopped.
“Trolls!” I whispered.
“In disguise!” said Cornelia.
“Run?” I said.
“Definitely!” answered Cornelia.
We turned and ran in the opposite direction. The trolls came after us. The trolls weren’t that smart, but they weren’t that slow disguised as humans. It’s a good thing that disguises didn’t change their intelligence.
“Corny!” I said as we ran past passerby staring at us.
“What?” she hissed.
“Let climb up that tree ahead.”
“What!”
“Trust me on this one!”
We ran for the tree and climbed up as fast as we could. The trolls obviously didn’t notice and ran right by.
Cornelia looked at me with a surprised look.
“Weirdoes,” I said. We both laughed.

Part 3 of My Story

Gargamouth
Anger

I was sitting on my throne impatient with one of my troll helpers when a terrified looking troll walked in.
He bowed and stared at me looking very nervous.
“Well?” I growled. I was getting hungry and I was half tempted to gobble him up if he didn’t tell me why he was here. It was very rude to show up in my throne room without an invitation.
“Um, sir, the troll who was keeping an eye on Cassandra the unicorn, the one with the golden horn . . .”
“Yes?” I said. This couldn’t be good.
“Well, she has been accidentally sent to earth with the unicorn Cornelia from an earth flower. Now, well, the only way to reach her is to gather up more trolls and send them to earth by teleporting magic. And you know how trolls or unicorns can’t teleport anywhere without magic dust from a pixie . . .”
I roared. There was no way that I could get near a pixie to get magic dust. Pixies only like girls unless it’s a boy pixie. Now I needed to take control of a unicorn and that meant more work for me! I either had to get a troll to do it or I had to do it myself! Unless . . .
“Tell Gorgina I would like to see her,” I said to the scared looking troll. Gorgina, my wife and queen of Giants, was in a separate throne room giving orders to the girl trolls and elves. I was giving orders to the boy trolls or elves.
“Yes, sir!” said the troll, bowing out of the room and scuttling off.
I settled back into my seat smiling a little. Cassandra and Cornelia wouldn’t stand a chance. Not with me around. I closed my eyes for a little nap while I waited. Those trolls were so slow . . .

Part 2 of My Story

Here is part 2 of my story:

Cornelia
Summer and Secrets

“The first day of summer! Goodbye school, hello adulthood! I can’t believe we are finally adults! Now we can sign up for the war!” said Cassandra to me.
“I know!” I said. “I’m still kinda nervous though.”
“We’ll get used to whatever they tell us to do. It’ll be so exciting and cool to fight the trolls and elves!”
“Don’t forget the Giants!” I said.
“They don’t actually fight. Although you do know my lifelong dream is to defeat Gargamouth and Gorgina!”
“I thought your lifelong dream was to be the one to eat the most unicorn leaves in five minutes!”
“That too!”
We both cantered off laughing.
“Caroline said that you could come over for lunch if it’s okay with your mom. We’re having Unicorn Delight!” said Cassandra. She was smiling. Her eyes sparkled and her horn shimmered in the sun reflecting her pure white coat. She was very pretty.
“Sure! I’m sure that my mom would say it’s okay.”
We both walked over to where my mom was eating grass in a pasture for lunch.
“Hey, mom?” I said.
“Yes, sweetie?” she said looking up. She had a white horn. Very common, but I’m sure Cassandra told you already.
“Can I go over and eat lunch with Cassandra? They’re having Unicorn Delight!” Unicorn Delight is a hot soup with Unicorn Tree leaves and bark in it.
“Sure! You’re an adult now that you’ve left school. You can make most of your decisions now. I’ll see you at dinnertime! We’re having Unicorn Tree bark!” she said as we trotted away. She raised a hoof in farewell. Little did she know that she wouldn’t be seeing me at dinnertime.

··········

After we both ate lunch, we played outside for a while cantering and getting the neighbors to play tag with us using a sort of magic that makes your horn feel like a pillow so everyone could tag other people. Then we lay down for a while and watched the other unicorns graze or play or trying to get newborn unicorns to walk. It was a beautiful sight after years of terror. Of course, everyone still had to take precaution but it had been a month since the trolls last attacked. I looked over at Cassandra and saw her blushing. I was confused at first. Something hardly ever embarrassed her. Then I saw what she was looking at.
Caleb the unicorn was grazing and laughing with a couple of his friends.
“What’s with the red cheeks, Cassie?” I said smiling a little.
“What?” she said turning looking a little nervous. “Nothing! So, how’d you like lunch?”
I rolled my eyes.
“Lunch was two hours ago, Cassandra! I’d like to know what’s going on between you and him,” I said jerking my head towards Caleb.
“Oh, uh,” she said turning scarlet rapidly. “Nothing, really, nothing’s going on with me and him!” she said laughing nervously. “Why, why did you want to know? Heh, heh.” She was really looking red now.
“You like him don’t you?” I said grinning triumphantly now.
The color drained from her face. She looked scared now. She turned her head away from me and nodded slowly.
“Ha!” I laughed and stood up and pranced around in a circle. “I knew it! I knew it! I knew it!”
“Okay, okay!” she said now grinning a little. “You don’t have to announce it to the world! It’s just a little crush and Caleb doesn’t know so shush!” She stood up and we walked toward the flower field absentmindedly.
“I thought that there was something weird going on here!” I said.
“Okay, okay! You caught me!” She said. “Now let’s let this go, okay?”
“I am so going to remember this for the rest of my life!” I said grinning really big now.
“I said let’s let it go, okay?” she said sort of grinning. We both sat down. “Please, Corny?”
“Okay, I won’t talk about it but you can’t stop me thinking about it!” I said.
“Enough!” she said. We were in tears from laughing.
“Hey look at this,” I stood up and walked over through the field of Unicorn Flowers. Unicorn flowers are flowers with white stems and golden petals.
“What is it?” she said standing up.
I had noticed a peculiar flower. It had a blue stem and green petals.
“Whoa,” Cassandra said stepping back. “That is one creepy flower.”
“It’s strange.” I said. “I never noticed before.”
“We should look it up first,” Said Cassandra. “Before touching it.”
Just then the braniac Cecilia came over to us.
“What’s up?” she said smiling. She had a white horn too.
“We just noticed this flower,” I said turning to her. “We were wondering what it was.”
“Oh, that’s an earth flower. It’s the colors of the earth when you see it in space.”
“Cool!” said Cassandra. She looked at it more closely.
“Legends say that if a unicorn touches it, it will take it to earth and the only way to get back to Fantasya is to find the magic rock.”
“What is the magic rock and what does it look like?” I asked out of curiosity.
“The magic rock does the same thing. If a unicorn touches it, it takes them back to Fantasya. The Pegasi created both these things in case unicorns had to hide from the war in an emergency. But they are always disappearing and reappearing in a different place in Fantasya or the world. The magic rock is boulder sized with a big red circle in the middle,” Cecilia said.
I turned to look at Cassandra. She was staring at it. She raised her hoof. My stomach lurched. She hadn’t been listening.
“Cassandra! Don’t touch it!” I leaped forward to knock her out of the way. It was too late. She had touched it the exact moment I touched her. The last thing I saw was Cecilia staring at us worriedly. She was running forward. There was a flash of gold light and we disappeared. We were going to a different dimension.

My Story

Hi everyone!
I'm going to post my entire NaNoWriMo story on the blog. Here is the first chapter:

Cassandra
Meet Me

There is no “once upon a time” in this book. No. This book tells you the truth about unicorns. Not those myths and legends you humans talk about.
Hello! My name is Cassandra. And, yes, I’m a unicorn. My best friend Cornelia is a unicorn too. Let me tell you a little about unicorns.
Unicorns control the magic of wind. We can make ourselves fly, control the breeze, and many other things. We are hurt by fire and water magic. Fire is hurt by water and wind magic. Water is hurt by wind and fire magic.
Unicorns live for thirty years. When a unicorn reaches ten, they are an adult. If they are ten and they are a female, they are an adult and their horn is fully grown.
A unicorn’s horn is very sharp. They are as sharp as what you humans call knives. When a unicorn is an adult, they can produce magic, even without a horn. Unicorns cannot produce very strong magic until they are an adult. Only female unicorns have horns.
There are three different types of horns. There’s the common white horn that almost every single female unicorn has, there is the rare silver horn, which there is always one or two unicorns in a herd that has it, then there is the super, ultra, rare, golden horn, which, almost no other unicorn has. I have that horn. In legends, a unicorn who has a full grown, golden horn, is destined for greatness. I am the third unicorn in the world that has ever had that horn. The first unicorn in the world had that horn and so did my long lost sister, Cindy. (She disappeared in the war. Some say she died, some say she got taken hostage. Nobody really knows.) Golden horns can produce gold out of water. This can be very handy when trying to persuade someone to help you.
UNICORNS ARE NOT SHY! That is an old myth that humans still believe. They also like boys just as much as girls when it comes to humans.
Now about where unicorns live, they live in a land called Fantasya. It is hidden in a different dimension. No human will ever find it. And if they did, the magic would kill them as soon as they touch the ground.
There are three parts to Fantasya. There is the good side named “Prosperity Border”, the bad side named “Miserable Margin”, and the middle is named “Elf Interior”.
Pegasi rule Prosperity Border. Pegasi are royalty. Prosperity Border is currently ruled by the queen Aleena, the king Adam, and the princess Abigail. Prosperity Border is where all the unicorns and Pegasi live.
In Prosperity Border, the unicorns eat grass, Unicorn Tree bark, and Unicorn Tree leaves. They also drink water.
Miserable Margin is where the evil Giants rule. The Giants rule the Trolls and they plan to take over Fantasya. The unicorns are trained in magic where they can help stop the Giants. The Giants look like Cyclopes in human myths except they have two eyes. The king, Gargamouth and the queen Gorgina rule Miserable Margin. The trolls do whatever they say. The trolls and Giants control the magic of water.
Elf Interior is ruled by elves. All elves are equal there. Although, there is one elf named Edward who is the Treasurer. When an elf is named Treasurer, they are in charge of who they work for depending on the amount of gold that is offered. Elves are not good, nor, bad. They are only mischievous and will only help different creatures if they get gold in the deal. The Giants currently control the elves since they have stolen almost all the unicorn’s gold. They control the magic of Fire.
That sort of wraps it up about Fantasya. I will let you know of anything important if it comes up.
Now about me.
I’m Cassandra as you know. I am ten, tall, and I have a full grown golden horn. I am friendly, Cornelia says I’m very pretty, but I am also funny and quick-tempered. My temper is my bad point. I’m skinny and I have a long white mane. I’m good at running and flying in races and my favorite food are leaves from a Unicorn Tree. A Unicorn Tree is a tree that has white bark and gold leaves. I’m good at magic and plan to fight in the war. Bullies make me angry, and one of my quirks is I stamp my hoof when I’m angry or scared. My eyes are blue and Corny’s (that’s Cornelia’s nickname) is green. My bed is a bed of leaves and grass. My pet peeves are dirty hooves. I also bite my lip when I’m scared or angry without realizing it. My lip has a lot of small cuts. My deepest darkest secret is that I have a crush on this unicorn named Caleb. He has a dirtiesh whitish coat and a long flowing mane. Cornelia doesn’t know this so shh!
I’m an orphan since my parents died in the war when I was two. A friendly and kind unicorn named Caroline took me in. My best friend Cornelia’s mom is named Catherine. Cornelia is ten like me.
Now about Cornelia.
She has a grayish mane with a silver horn. She’s very pretty, tall, and friendly but shy. I know I said unicorns are not shy, but every once in a while you get one that is. She’s mostly shy because people pick on her for having a silver horn and she’s scared easily. I’m scared of one thing. Water creatures. Water can really hurt a unicorn if used in the right way. Most unicorns die because of water magic. Unicorns are getting scarcer because of water magic. Anyway, Cornelia is brave and friendly. Just shy. Her favorite food is Unicorn Tree bark and she is scared of the dark. She has her horn light up as a night-light when it gets dark out. She also lights her horn when angry or scared when she doesn’t notice it. She can get easily scared or upset. The dark, bullies, and yelling upsets her. Her deepest darkest secret is that she’s afraid of the dark. I’m the only one besides you who knows that. Both of our dream vacations are earth. I’d really like to see what it’s like there.
I think that’s everything. On with the story!