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Update and Fictober!

Hi everyone!

I know I haven’t been here last week, but life hasn’t been easy these past few weeks. I might take some more time off, sorry about that. But the good news is: I’m doing Fictober this year! Or, well. I’m trying to keep up! I decided I was doing it on October 2nd so it was quite a sudden idea that came to me!

I made this character aesthetics over at my The Greatest Showman sideblog some year ago and I decided that, yes, I was going to write this Alternate Universe! It’s a Haunted Mansion! The Greatest Showman AU. I’m writing my Fictober out of order and out of pure fun! So if you want to join, come along!

The link is riiiiiight here.

Stay inspired!

Marianne E. Plasse

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Quick update and call for help!

Hi everyone!

Quick update this week: life has been chaotic lately and I probably won’t be able to post weekly anymore. Sorry about that :( I don’t know when I’ll be back on schedule.

Before I go, though, I want to give a piece of advice I really should’ve followed years ago:

Don’t be afraid.

Specifically: don’t be afraid to write new things. Not very specific, I know. What I mean by “things”: new genres, new techniques and new types of storytelling. You want to write a novel? Great. Do that! You don’t want to, even though everyone does NaNoWriMo and you feel the pressure? Then don’t! Try out something new, maybe. Short stories? Episodic fiction? Writing chapter books when you thought you wanted to do middle grade? YA instead of New Adult? 

Do what YOU want for once. Don’t force yourself to write what you THINK you should. Not because everyone else does it. 

In my case, I may or may not be in the process of plotting an episodic fiction/chapter books series about time-travelling agents trying to stop a crew of immortals from creating time-paradox monsters. It’s kind of a thing that has nagged at me for years. It’s not going to be one novel, but many, many novellas that could be amazing. 

Unpublishable? Perhaps.

Not if I self-publish.

So as someone who’s always wanted to be traditionally-published in middle grade fiction, now I may be working on a self-publishing chapter book series?!? What the???

Yeah. I know. I surprise myself too!

But I’m doing this for fun. It’s fun to plot my characters meeting famous people I learned about in class and in my spare time over the years. It’s fun to think about all those time periods they’ll visit. It’s fun to think that as self-contained short books (give or take 12 000 words or about 50-60 pages maybe, I haven’t decided about that yet) written with a formula based on beloved cartoons I’ll stick to, they’ll be short and sweet and easy to edit. So easy to edit! It’s fun to think the worst isn’t to come. 

Anyway, enough of my rambling. I’ll update on this story if it ever comes to fruition, and may even make a new round of WIP introductions and OC introductions! Who knows!

SO! Call for help? What’s this about a call for help?

Well, it’s about that story, actually.

It takes place in France, Paris to be precise. But other European countries are allowed - Venice during the Renaissance will be a period we will visit. Any time period is accepted, up to the Pleistocene/Last Ice Age.

I’m open to suggestions!

If you love History, I’d love to hear what time periods you think should be more present in time-travelling stories. Thank you in advance!

Stay inspired!

Marianne E. Plasse

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Writing Advice: Plus size characters

Hi!

Before we begin, my posting schedule has started to change from Thursdays to Fridays because of school. So yeah. That’s that. 

All right. Plus size characters. Why now, you ask? Because I felt like talking about it. And because I’m pretty sure my friends and family were tired of me talking about it, so now I put my ideas down on paper (or more appropriately, on screen!). I know this is something we don’t talk about much, but the amount of fatphobia I find in children’s fiction is staggering. Later in this post that has become an essay, I will be giving advice that could apply to virtually any plus size character, in any genre, but I will be talking from the perspective of someone who, these days, reads mostly in her main writing genre, A.K.A. middle grade fiction. Stay tuned for a few pieces of advice on writing plus size characters at the end.

First of all, why middle grade fiction? 

I blame J. K. Rowling for this. I know, I know. It’s easy to critique J. K. Rowling nowadays, with Fantastic Beasts, Cursed Child and the History of North America being terrible for representation of any kind. So let me say this beforehand. Harry Potter is a staple of the genre (this book series is mainly what made the middle grade fiction genre in the first place) and is, unavoidably, one of the most important book series in modern literature. Full stop. I’m also a Harry Potter fan, Hufflepuff through and through. I have to admit though, I mostly watched the Harry Potter movies growing up and haven’t read all the books. 

Okay. With all that out of the way. From what I remember in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone... 

*Sigh*... It’s bad, you guys.

Whenever the Dursleys are mentioned as being evil (which, of course, they completely are!) it’s in relation to their weight. Dudley is a pig (and gets transformed into one by Hagrid, traumatising him for life probably) and Vernon becomes purple like a plum, because of his round face. He also looks like a walrus, because of his weight and his silly moustache. Sure, Petunia looks like a horse because she has a long, slim neck and a weird-looking face, but Petunia will also become the most important character out of the three Dursleys, being Harry’s biological aunt and Lily’s sister. She gets a full on backstory and character development.

You see where I’m going with this?

I’m not saying that plus size people can’t be villains (in real life or books!). Of course, they can be! There are evil people everywhere. And JKR definitely wanted to contrast Harry’s small stature (being underfed, malnourished and abused) with Dudley’s (who is loved and spoiled rotten by his parents). But in fiction, you have to be careful with the words you choose. Be sensitive. Characters can be hated, but the point of view (omniscient or first person) doesn’t have to always correlate their weight with their evilness. 

To mention another example that doesn’t have anything to do with HP, remember Augustus Gloop in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? He’s basically dehumanized (he’s just a boy, after all) BECAUSE he eats all the time and gained weight because of it. Of course, all those kids are treated terribly by Willy Wonka to, again, show how privileged they are compared to poor little Charlie. But see how it’s because of his weight that Augustus, the only “fat kid” of the bunch, gets hated, though? I’m only referring to Augustus because, well, Roald Dahl in 1964 played a part in putting fatphobia in children’s fiction. Fatphobia in children’s fiction has deep roots. It’s just unfortunate that in 2019, it’s still a problem. 

To go back to JKR and the Dursleys (because OH BOY is there a lot to say about the Dursleys)... It’s bad. And it doesn’t get any better. Especially when it’s only after Dudley loses weight (he goes on a diet in Goblet of Fire because he, according to Wikipedia because I haven’t read the book, COULDN’T FIT IN HIS SCHOOL UNIFORM!!!) that he gets a redemption arc (in Deathly Hallows). What do you think that did to a generation of kids who, like me, had/have trouble finding clothes their size? Especially school uniforms that were never flattering? I may not have realized that when I was younger, but that still seeped under my skin. Not just because of the Dursleys, but also society at large.

Now, as an addendum to this section and to be fair to JKR, there are other plus size characters in her books. Neville (who was thin in the movies), Mrs. Weasley and Hagrid come to mind. But then again, I don’t think that’s good in any way. Most of the characters are thin, for the most part. Enough has been said about Neville, Hagrid is his weight because he’s half non-human and Mrs. Weasley is always described as “pleasantly plump” from what I remember. So if you’re nice, you’re “plump”. If you’re mean, you’re “fat”.

Okay. Deep breath. Rant mostly over.

Second of all, why is Harry Potter so important now? It’s been over for years!

Well, no, it hasn’t. Fantastic Beasts is still going, for one. And though I love Jacob, the fact his weight can’t be disassociated with the fact he’s a baker who also worked in a sardine factory beforehand (really?? food?? again???) and CAN’T FIT INSIDE NEWT SCAMANDER’S SUITCASE EVEN THOUGH A MAGICAL RHINO DOES rubs me the wrong way. Besides, JKR’s fatphobia has also seeped into fandom space and you can’t read a HP fanfiction without encountering fatphobia. But that’s a matter for another day. 

What’s really important here is legacy. As I said before, Harry Potter is one of the most important works of fiction in modern literary history. It paved the way for modern children’s fiction, notwithstanding 20th century books (The Chronicles of Narnia and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory come to mind) that aren’t getting any younger. Nowadays, it’s hard to find a middle grade book that doesn’t have an ounce of fatphobia. It’s become… casual. Accepted. In a book I opened not long ago (I’m paraphrasing here), one of the villains was described as “obese” and his mastermind plan was, instead of plotting to take over the world or something, to eat everything in his path, including the heroes ON THE VERY FIRST PAGE. I closed the book, never to be read again.

Which is a bummer. Because I want to read more books. Especially in middle grade, because I adore this genre. But because fatphobia is so pervasive to this genre, after a while, it gets difficult to stop caring. At first, you wrinkle your nose. Then, you get angry. And it really starts to hurt. And I’m not even the target audience! Children are! This is the reason why I want to be a sensitivity reader, one day.

Third of all, the advice for writers. How can you avoid this?

1. On terminology: I hate the words “fat” and “obese”. Some people don’t. I do. Those words have been used as insults against me. And sometimes, not even on purpose, but on accident! I prefer “plus size”, “chubby”, “overweight” (use that word with caution, though, sparingly, and please, not as a negative but simply as a descriptive word), “plump” (remember Molly Weasley? That was good, but don’t do what JKR did by making her plum and the Dursleys “fat”). “Stout” or “corpulent” are also good.

2. Don’t associate overweight = evil. It’s okay to write plus size villains (if you must), but be kind to them. Give them a personality other than “““glutton”””. Give them a fully-fleshed out backstory that doesn’t have anything to do with food (see: Jacob in FB). What works with villains works with heroes, but be even more extra careful. 

3. Everybody gotta eat, right? If you show your characters eating, show them all (or more than one) eating at the same time. Probably around the table (as a nice ritual of sorts!). But don’t let your ONE plus size character eat and eat and eat in the background, never talking (that’s a mistake I saw in the anime Little Witch Academia, which is to say, fatphobia is present in all genres).

4. This relates to the last point, but don’t have only one plus size character. In one of my favourite movies, The Greatest Showman, I didn’t care that one of the characters was “the fattest man on Earth”. Why? Because KEALA SETTLE IS RIGHT THERE. She has a fully-fleshed out backstory that doesn’t have anything to do with her weight. Or food. (Though it could’ve gone a different way; the Bearded Lady is thin in concept art, after all, I’m eternally happy they reconsidered for Keala). And BTW, you don’t need to give a supernatural explanation for their weight (see Hagrid). If you do have non-human plus size characters, let there also be human plus size characters.

5. Don’t use “fat jokes”. Those are boring and cliché. Like with Dudley and the pig tail. Or… Ha, ha. The “fat guy” is too big, so he gets stuck in a ventilation vent. A thin guy has to get him out! How pathetic. Bleh. And it’s not just in books! They pop up in movies and TV shows, too. Don’t. Just don’t.

6. Last but not least, if you need help figuring out if one of your characters is insensitive, ask sensitivity readers! Ask your friends. Or your family! Just be kind when you’re asking. Explain the situation and if they say they’re not interested, don’t push.

Thank you for reading this (if anyone’s still reading this mess of an essay). 

Stay inspired!

Marianne E. Plasse

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Are there other anthropomorphic creatures that we’ll meet in the story besides Frank? It sounds like an interesting aspect of the world. Also, why is Frank nervous when he’s hungry?

There are! Most of the others are anthropomorphic animals from Greek and Scottish mythologies. Why? Because they’re some of my favourite mythologies lol. There’s a sphinx librarian, a harpy who works on skyscrapers, Shellycoats, selkies and a salamander who drives a train!

I think I didn’t make myself clear about Frank, oops! He talks a lot, when he’s hungry, or nervous, or afraid. Kind of like his own version of being hangry!

Thank you for askin!

Marianne E. Plasse

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So, why exactly did Rapunzel's fam want the crystal in the first place?

Why, indeed! 

At first, it started because they wanted to find it. The thrill of finding a hundred year old treasure that no one had been able to find. Then, as they researched the crystal and learned that some nefarious folk were searching for it, they realized were it to fall into the wrong hands (it was, after all, rumoured to be the most powerful crystal on the planet), everyone could be in mortal danger.

TLDR; at first they wanted the glory, but after researching the treasure more they decided they wanted to keep it out of the wrong hands. 

Thank you for asking!

Marianne E. Plasse

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OC Introduction

And finally, we’ve reached the end of my OC introductions for a while! I’m working on some new story introductions (still in the VERY early stage, but I’m so excited!) and some writing advice :)

Fairy tale: Red Riding Hood

Age: 6, moved in with Gothel when she was 5 (1 year ago)

Hair colour: Black

Skin colour: Warm brown

Eyes colour: Dark brown

Any striking characteristic: Hair in two braids, red hooded cloak

Magic ability: Cloth magic

Personality: Alyssa is bubbly, like any other child her age. She always asks questions, her curiosity prompting her to understand everything about the world around her. She also gets caught up in Jack's pranks like Frank and Cindy, finding them hilarious. Brave Alyssa is caring and unafraid of whatever life can throw her way. She'll act despite her fears and will follow her friends to the ends of the world if need be.

Backstory: Alyssa grew up in a small cottage in Skadi's Woods with her mothers, Sophia and Isabel, and her grandmother, Margaret (a.k.a. Grandma Midge). They were always friends with the local Big Bad Wolf family, though they were mostly left alone by the rest of the villagers. Alyssa was especially friendly with the family's youngest son, Frank. When Frank and Alyssa's families disappeared and the Big Bad Wolves were wrongfully accused of eating them by the other forest folk, Alyssa and Frank were sent to Mother Gothel's, where they would be safe and sound.

Hobbies: Pranks, card games, tabletop games, sewing

Stay inspired!

Marianne E. Plasse

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OC Introduction

Hi everyone! Sorry I'm a bit late, life has been hectic this week! 

Fairy tale: Red Riding Hood

Age: 10, moved in with Gothel when he was 9 (1 year ago)

Hair colour: Grey-black

Skin colour: None (fur)

Any striking characteristic: Yellow eyes and very big teeth, but rather small for his ageMagic ability: Super strength, strong bite, sharp claws

Personality: Frank is a jittery but soft-spoken young wolf who doesn't like violence. He always tries to break up fights and is very diplomatic. He also always tries to keep Jack and Alyssa out of trouble, which is easier said than done. He also talks a lot when he's nervous - which is whenever he's hungry, afraid or anxious. Which means most of the time. He also knits a lot when he's nervous. So most of the time, he can be found knitting and talking, all at once.

Backstory: Back home, Frank grew up without his parents, but what little he remembers of Albert and Annelise is that they were loving people. He always felt overshadowed by his older brothers and sisters, who were all stronger and fearless, compared to him. Frank found kinship with Alyssa, a human girl who also lived in a cottage in the Woods. When Frank and Alyssa's families disappeared and the Big Bad Wolves were wrongfully accused of eating them by the other forest folk, Alyssa and Frank found their way to Mother Gothel's, where they would be safe and sound.

Hobbies: Drinking tea, knitting

Stay inspired!

Marianne E. Plasse

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Me writing a piece of advice on plus size characters has turned into an essay on fatphobia in middle grade fiction and I’m... not mad tbh.

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OC Introduction

Fairy tale: Cinderella

Age: 11, moved in with Gothel when she was 8 (3 years ago)

Hair colour: Strawberry-blonde

Skin colour: Pale, white

Eyes colour: Bright blue

Any striking characteristic: Always wears an apron with a few deep pockets. Always.

Magic ability: Can shapeshift objects into anything she wants (except... it always turns into a pumpkin). Baking magic, potion-making

Personality: Cindy can mostly be described as a "cry baby". She is eager to please and cares so much, she can even care about the smallest pumpkin she just transformed. But Cindy's past means she becomes quiet when something goes wrong or someone yells at her; it was her defence mechanism when she lived with her stepmother. But don't mess with her family. She'll borrow a trick or two from Jack's book if necessary. Be scared what she might put in that cake she baked if you wronged her.

Backstory: Cindy's father, Charles, was a merchant who re-married a powerful witch named Lady Varanella shortly after her mother died. Her stepmother and stepsisters were cruel to Cindy, making her sleep in the attic and do all the chores when her father was on his trips. After years of trying, Cindy's fairy godmother managed to break through the magical barrier Cindy's stepmother built around their mansion and took off with her. When news came that Cindy's father had disappeared, she was sent to Mother Gothel's.

Hobbies: Cooking and baking cakes and pies (pumpkin mostly)

Stay inspired!

Marianne E. Plasse

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OC Introduction

Here is #2 in my series introducing the characters from my novel!

Meet Jack :)

Fairy tale: Jack and the Beanstalk

Age: 12; moved in with Gothel she was 7 (5 years ago)

Hair colour: Black

Skin colour: Deep brown, with cool undertones

Any striking characteristic: Hair braided at the base, then poufs out in a cloud of curls behind her head, or natural hair loose and tied with a colourful bandana, golden glasses. Jack has mechanical prosthetic legs, from her toes to her knees. She can remove them and there is a silicone liner underneath.

Magic ability: Can imbue magic in objects easily; affinity with Novite crystals

Personality: Jack is a troublemaker. Never call her "Jacqueline" or she'll unleash her wrath (mainly honey in your hair) upon you. Pranks are her specialty and she has a witty sense of humour. She always has another trick up her sleeve (or inside her endless backpack). When the time comes for seriousness, though, Jack can definitely put everything aside to concentrate on the right thing. Jack has a brilliant mind. As a mechanic, she loves her machines and takes care of them with pride. 

Backstory: Jack grew up with her woodcutting fathers, Frederick and Daniel. Fred loved potion-making and Dan shared his love of magimechanical engineering with his daughter. They were kind men who encouraged her curiosity and told her to never stop creating. One day she went to the market to sell a cow and came back with magic beans. After accidentally planting one in the ground, Jack ended up in the flying city of Caylmo, where she met the King of the Air Giants, King Gret, and who she befriended. 

Every once in a while, she sends her machines to Caylmo by hot air balloon and receives payment in exchange (though, at her core, Jack would do it even if she weren’t paid). Jack's fathers disappeared one stormy night.

Hobbies: Tinkering, pulling pranks

Stay inspired!

Marianne E. Plasse

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QUICK UPDATE!

I FINISHED MY FIRST DRAFT!!!!! I'm so happy (with a good dose of relief too)!!! I never thought I'd be able to get to 80 000 words, and yet I crossed right by that mark and reached 90 000!! Now all I need to do is let it sit for a while, and after that starts the editing part (which scares me, but hey, that's part of the job!)

(I'll still upload my next OC Introduction tonight!)

Stay inspired!

Marianne E. Plasse

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OC introduction

Hi! Today I’m starting a new series of posts about the characters in my latest novel, The Grimm Crystal! Hope you enjoy!

Fairy tale: Rapunzel

Age: 13, moved in with Gothel when she was 5 (8 years ago)

Hair colour: Black

Eyes colour: Black

Skin colour: Deep beige

Any striking characteristic: Her long, so long hair, braided from forehead to the back of her knees

Magic ability: Garden magic

Personality: Rapunzel is curious and though she mostly follows the rules, she can break them if necessary. Amongst her siblings, Rapunzel is a leader. She never gives up without a fight; if you come for her family, there's gonna be hell to pay. Though, underneath that façade, Rapunzel also quite underestimates herself. She’s been having issues with her magic, something most of her siblings can do effortlessly, and therefore, she thinks she's useless at times. She will learn to trust in herself and that magic has a mind of its own.

Backstory: Rapunzel's parents are Wilhelm and Henriette Grove, members of the secret Order of the Twelve Dragons. When Rapunzel was 5, her parents disappeared, leaving her with their oldest friends and her godmother, Gothel. Nowadays, Rapunzel lives with Gothel and her siblings in Westernvale.

Hobbies: Puzzles (crossword puzzles tangram puzzles...), taking care of her plants (especially her sentient carnivorous plant, Jeff!)

Stay inspired!

Marianne E. Plasse

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Advice: THAT part of your novel

You know what I’m talking about.

Specifically, you know what PART I’m talking about.

The one you’ve been working towards for days, weeks, months. 

Recently, I reached one of those parts in my WIP, The Grimm Crystal. It’s one of the few parts in the novel that were always crystal-clear (no pun intended!) in my mind about that story. I knew I had to include it and I knew I had to work my story around it. (I know I’m being vague, but I’m being purposefully vague!)

Then when I got to it, I was terrified. 

Before talking about that part, I’d like to talk about another part. Another part I was looking forward to: the inciting incident. When the main character has her world shattered and is separated from the mother she’s ever really known. I could feel myself shaking, brimming with emotions as I wrote. It was insane. I wanted to cry, roll into a ball and keep writing, writing, writing.

But it wasn’t the same when I reached the other part. 

No spoilers, but the characters are in deep, deep trouble. It’s suspenseful and exciting and it’s not just a mushy middle because things are happening! Yay!

But it also, as I said earlier, terrified me. I believe it was a by-product of saying to myself, “can I put the part that’s been bugging my brain for so long down on paper?” Or “what if I don’t do it justice?” What if I didn’t write it right? How could I convey it all? I sat there at my keyboard, unsure how to start. Opening Twitter and Facebook and Tumblr and anything else to get my mind off it. I didn’t want to write it down.

Then I remembered it was a first draft. And I started.

In the end, I just want to give you this advice: if you ever feel scared about writing THAT part, that’s okay. If you fear getting it right, remember that whatever you do put down on paper in the first draft isn’t set in stone. You will tweak it in revisions, or even maybe rewrite that part entirely! But when you get to write it down for the first time, if you feel fear or excitement or joy or sadness, that’s very good. It means you’re emotionally invested in your stories. 

You’re invested in the good and the bad.

Stay inspired!

Marianne E. Plasse

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WIP INTRODUCTION

THE GRIMM CRYSTAL:

Status: First Draft

Current word count: 71k

Word count goal: 80-89 000

Genre: Middle Grade, steampunk, fantasy, fairytale

First sentence: That night, the Twelve Princesses gathered one last time as a united family.

Plot summary: One hundred years ago, the Twelve Princesses of the Kingdom of Luvoria hid the Grimm Crystal, the most powerful magical crystal in existence. Rapunzel, our protagonist, has lived with her adoptive mother, Gothel, and her adopted siblings (Jack, Alyssa and Frank and Cindy). Rapunzel and Gothel live in the secluded town of Westernvale since they were outlawed by the Premier Witch, Madeline Halliwell, after Rapunzel’s parents and Gothel tried to find the Grimm Crystal for themselves. But when Madeline Halliwell discovers Rapunzel and her siblings, they flee and Mother disappears. Now, they have to travel to the ends of the world and follow clues left, like breadcrumbs, by the Twelve Princesses. Many obstacles are in their way, including sky pirates, secret societies and vengeful witches. They need to find the Grimm Crystal before it falls into the wrong hands.

What I love about it: The humour, the sibling dynamic (as an only child, it makes me think about my best friends, sisters really, from my childhood), the adventures, the mystery and that little (read: HUGE!) spark of magic you can find throughout!

Dream goal: Finishing the first draft by the end of summer (I’M SO CLOSE!!)

Stay inspired!

Marianne E. Plasse

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New Writeblr Announcement!

June 25th, 2019,

Hi everyone! New writeblr announcement!

Main blog: thevictorianghost

My name is Marianne (she/her). I’m white, Aro/Ace and a plus-size gal! I’m a fan of Marvel, Disney, The Greatest Showman, The Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter and a lot of other things, including Middle Grade fiction, my main genre! I’m currently reading the Book Scavenger series. I grew up believing in worlds of magic and adventure.

I’m finishing my Bachelor’s in History this fall and I’ll be soon doing an Art History Minor. After finishing at Uni, I’m considering becoming a freelance writer, editor/proofreader and maybe even sensitivity/authenticity reader! My dream is to be traditionally published. 

I’ve been lurking around Tumblr for a couple of years and I’ve finally gathered the courage to create a writeblr of my own! It helped that today; I beat Camp NaNoWriMo! Yay!! I’ll be posting about my projects, writing advice, bullet journalling, my experiences as a writer in general and… maybe memes! Who knows?

I have a Reddit, thevictorianghost, where I post mostly about Inkarnate, the map-making tool I used to craft my world’s maps. One of my sideblogs is where I’ve gathered everything over the years that inspire me on my blog: wonderfulforinspiration. My second sideblog, prrrettyphotography, is where I reblog only photographs of things I find on Tumblr. Finally, my third sideblog is dedicated to the movie The Greatest Showman called thegreatestshowstopper, if anyone’s interested!

Country: Canada 

Language: French, English 

My projects:

THE GRIMM CRYSTAL: A Middle Grade steampunk-fantasy novel, THE GRIMM CRYSTAL is also a fairy tale mashup. One hundred years ago, the Twelve Princesses of the Kingdom of Luvoria hid the Grimm Crystal, the most powerful magical crystal in existence. Rapunzel, our protagonist, has lived with her adoptive mother, Gothel, and her adopted siblings (Jack, Alyssa, Frank and Cindy). Rapunzel and Gothel live in the secluded town of Westernvale since they were outlawed by the Premier Witch, Madeline Halliwell, after Rapunzel’s parents and Gothel tried to find the Grimm Crystal for themselves. But when Madeline Halliwell discovers Rapunzel and her siblings, they flee and Mother disappears. Now, they have to travel to the ends of the world and follow clues left, like breadcrumbs, by the Twelve Princesses. Many obstacles are in their way, including sky pirates, secret societies and vengeful witches. They need to find the Grimm Crystal before it falls into the wrong hands. With a diverse cast, THE GRIMM CRYSTAL is a standalone with series potential.

Short stories. I’ve never really tried my hand at writing short stories, apart from fanfiction one-shots, until a few months ago. My first short story was a flash fiction about a little bird who gets attacked by a wolf and found by some peculiar tiny friends. My second is written from the point of view of ghosts who haunt a typical mansion in a horror movie - with a happy twist! They can be fantasy or sci-fi, but I don’t really write contemporary. I write whatever hits my inspiration at the moment.

Stay inspired!

Marianne E. Plasse