#is this you Draston?

[littlerose13writes]

Have you ever thought what it was like in that alternate time line where Voldemort rise to power in TCC? How would Drastoria got together in that time line and had Scorpius? I didn't like the book but I am intrigued by that time line.

Okay so I’ve been thinking about my answer to this ever since you sent it last week. Sorry for taking so long to answer, this is such a good question! The dark timeline is absolutely fascinating. (Although sad because my baby Albus doesn’t exist)

So we are to assume that everything happened as we thought, except when Harry came to face Voldemort, he still had a horcrux in tact (Nagini, because Cedric killed Neville), is that right? I suppose so many other things could have been different too but for argument’s sake, let’s go with that…

The war’s technically over but Harry’s dead and the Order have gone underground. Draco is protected by his name in this new world, although some death eaters know what he did during the Battle of Hogwarts and there are rumours he’s switched his allegiance. He met Astoria in the same circumstances and she knew there was more to him, just like she did when she met him in the regular timeline.

She was still a muggle lover but not stupid enough to shout about it. She actually spent a lot of time in disguise in the muggle world, just allowing herself to work out what to do next. She speaks to Draco more and more, because she’s scared and he’s one of very few people she feels safe around these days, even though he’s supposedly a Death Eater. He’s being shunted around the Voldemort-run ministry because of his name and he’s living with pain and regret every day. In fact he’s downright depressed. Astoria is also starting to lose hope. The revolution is being killed off quickly, not much of it remains and Astoria comes this close to going underground herself, but Draco has fallen in love with her, as she has him, and they vow to do what they can from the inside. Marrying Draco will protect Astoria (because sacred twenty-eight or not, people are starting to talk about her ‘muggle-loving’ ways) and they can put on a front as a perfect, pureblood couple who live with Voldemort’s regime. Really, they are looking for ways to bring it down. They’re clever in the way they bring Scorpius up, teaching him why he has to behave in a certain way at school/in public. (Because I refuse to believe that Astoria could have raised her son to be anything but kind, even in a world with Voldemort)

I don’t think I’ve done your question justice, this was definitely out of my comfort zone (like, give me parenting fluff any day) but there you have it! My take on how Drastoria still ended up together in the dark timeline :)

[thenobleartist]

Fantasy book covers: The Hunters and The Hunted

Wow, things have been busy lately. I’ve worked on a load of book covers several board games and spent a lot of time designing and producing my own artwork for my own board game Hero Master: An Epic Game of Epic Fails.

I finished this book cover yesterday. It’s one that I’m really pleased with. I love working with Knights of the Northwest, they’re a professional and friendly outfit, and I really hope our work continues into the future. I’ve been working on their Dragonband series for some time now and love the style they are putting out there.

In this scene the publisher asked me to produce a scene similar to that of the Dragonlance and old school Dungeons and Dragons novels.  I am really pleased with the scene, as it feels dynamic and exciting. I used a new colouring technique, and have more recently been working a sketch up to almost finished in black and white and colouring over the top. Before I tried to colour each individual layer separately, but it becomes very difficult with light, as it tends to bleed across all colour in real life. So I have been trying to think more naturally about light. Also trying my best to avoid getting into minor details before finding the basic lighting on shapes. I think this sped I my process and made for a better outcome.

I previously worked on book one, The Crossroads of Draston that you can see here.

from Fantasy book covers: The Hunters and The Hunted

[healthwithouthype]

Not the best picture I know, but allow me to brag on these young authors fulfilling a dream, one of them being my daughter! Great first published novel. Check them out on Amazon and order your copy now! Synopsis: In the Age of the Dracon-esti, darkness and war ravage the continent of Draston. The dragons that once ruled the skies have died off and other horrors have since taken their place. To the south, dark rumors have surfaced of armies being massed, led by the Wicked Eye. The elves are slowly dying off, refusing to change with the winds of time. The dwarves have sealed themselves beneath their mountain, battling creatures from the depths. In this broken land, with the oncoming tides of evil, adventurers still search for lost treasures, companionship and a chance for their names to be put into songs of legend. These untold tales will introduce you to the bright and vibrant world of Harthx and its adventurers: a curious gnome reads a forbidden book; a nord endangers himself in an attempt to unite the five clans; a vampire searches for a way to regain his soul; two sisters search for a murderer in a forgotten city. Eleven exciting short stories, four talented young authors, one epic start to the Dragonband Saga! #goodreads #books #dragonband #harthx #published #read #annawarkentin #aaronwulf #jackgabriel #joelnorton #crossroadsofdraston

[littlerose13writes]

Hey I’m back :) We meet Astoria pretty late but what do you think what kind of personality she had ?

Yay you’re back!! Hello Drastoria anon :) I will name you Draston! This got a bit long so most of it is under the cut :)

I think Astoria was very brave from a young age. She was only a toddler when her family found out she had inherited the ancestral blood malediction and as a result, she was treated with extreme caution. And she hated it. She hated being made to feel so fragile and breakable when her big sister Daphne was allowed to play outside (to an extent, she wasn’t allowed to get to up to too much either because that would be unfitting for a proper, pureblood girl). As soon as she was old enough, she would sneak out of her bedroom and climb trees and roll down hills and do all of the wonderful things her little heart desired while her parents thought she was quietly reading in bed. She made friends with a muggle girl whose garden backed onto hers and she was fascinated. She brought Daphne too a few times, when she wasn’t at Hogwarts.      

They caught her and tried to scare her into behaving by telling Astoria she was going to die if she didn’t stay well-rested. Astoria wasn’t scared, in fact she made it her mission to make the most out of her short life. She continued to sneak out and play with her muggle friend, but she wasn’t stupid enough to tell her parents. They might not have been Death Eaters, but they were very firm in the idea that muggles were not to be mixed with or even talked about.      

When she got to Hogwarts, her sister was a third year and was supposed to look out for her little sister and make sure she stayed indoors and out of trouble. Daphne did no such thing. Astoria adored the freedom she had at school to be just like every other child her age. She threw herself into her lessons and the whole experience. She even tried out for the Slytherin Quidditch team as a first year, although as she’d never been allowed to ride a broom (and the family didn’t have a broom shed she could steal from like Ginny) she didn’t get on.      

She had always been exceptionally kind because she wasn’t allowed to mix with that many children growing up. Any chance she had to make friends, she took very seriously and always made sure she was very nice to anyone who could be her friend. This meant that at school, she was well-liked and the younger Slytherins looked up to her. She loved taking care of and being a big sister to the little Slytherins. (She would have been made a Prefect if such things had existed in her fifth year)       

She was very good at Potions and Slughorn collected her when she was a fourth year. Some of the teachers treated her sympathetically and cautiously like her parents, but Slughorn saw her talent and full potential. Here’s an extract from my Scorbus fic where Slughorn talks to Scorpius about Astoria:    

 “Not yet! It’s too hot to test.” Scorpius hurriedly grabbed the spoon from Cole’s grasp before he could taste a drop like the instruction recommended at this stage.       

“Just like your mother, she was always careful with her potioneering. I always said she’d make a wonderful Healer if circumstances had been… well, you’re very alike in a lot of ways.”       

“That’s what I want to do, sir,” Scorpius said eagerly, hoping Slughorn would tell him more about his mum in class. “I want to be a Healer when I leave school.”        

During her fifth year (so Deathly Hallows year), she took it as her duty to protect the younger students. Not necessarily in the way Neville and Ginny did, but in the way her Slytherin cunningness allowed her to use her untouchable status as a Sacred Twenty-Eight to keep them safe. And she taught her friends how to brew some healing potions she’d been making for herself for years, essentially creating a little mini Healing army of Slytherins. When the Battle arrived, Astoria was too young to stay and fight, and Daphne went with her because she knew her sister and she knew that if she didn’t go with her, Astoria would have found a way to sneak back into the Battle.

So to sum up, she was fearless and fiery and strong, but also soft and kind and caring. Oh and, in school, she thought Draco Malfoy was an arrogant, overly-cocky bully ;)