INTO MAY: Snippets and Aesthetics from Pentegreens Books 2 and 3!
Hello, everyone! I'm just here to scream from the rooftops that I WON CAMP NANO!!!!!!!
That means that I've conducted a full rewrite of books 2 and 3 in the Pentegreen series so far this year. Y'all are probably getting sick of me screaming about my novels, so I promise that after this post, I won't say anything else about them for a while. I have lots of awesomeness in the works for this summer! You'll love it (hopefully.)
But for now, I'm going to rant about my favorite children one last time for this season, and then probably won't do much more screaming about them until the fall, when I'll be preparing to write book 4 for NaNoWriMo. *screaming hysterically* Enjoy this little tidbit!
~About the Books~
I've already shared blurbs in past posts, so here's just some general info about these books of mine:
~The General's Children~
Some stats:
127,174 words (I cut three thousand whole words! Whoa!)
second draft (full rewrite! yikes)
72 chapters +epilogue
475 pages
23 plot threads or so
23 plot threads or so
328 occurrences of the whole fire-vs-ice thing
3 torture bits (why am I like this)
3.5 major character deaths
1 stabby family dynamic where your sister will kill you if your father doesn't first
6 POVs
1 massive plot hole
Finished at the end of March
~The Winter's Chill~
Some stats:
120,015 words (with probably 13k more to be added once I address the subplots I glossed over :P)
first draft
73 chapters
0% plot
0% plot
456 pages
13 snowstorms (ish)
0 major character deaths (Hey, I've gotten better!)
42 smirks
3 OP villains
2 ships that the villains are aware of and the heroes are Firmly Denying
7 POVs (help)
Finished April 24!
And with those stats out of the way, I'll give you some snippets! BUT. There's a catch. I'm giving snippets from both books, WITH NO CONTEXT and with no indication as to which book they're from. They're not in chronological order; they're not even divided by book. I just threw them in here in the order I felt like using. *smirks* I also tried to find one per character. All of this is so that we'll be avoiding the big spoilers: who are the 3.5 characters who died in book 2? XD (Also, the lyrics and pictures are just There because they are. They don't really have anything to do with the snippet above or below them.)
~Snippets~
“I’m going to crush that city. I’m going to kill your friends, every last one of them. I’m going to destroy Misue, and your princess will be mine, and you’re going to watch as I do it. And then, in the end, I will kill your precious Kariana. Oh, yes, I know about her.”
He clenched his fists. Not if he had anything to say about it.
“And here’s the best part, Derek. I’m going to tell them as I do it that it’s your fault. You couldn’t save them. Remember this, boy. You can’t save everyone.”
He woke up in the tent, trembling.
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| A new character; credit to Pinterest |
When all of our friends are dead and just a memory//and we're side by side//it's always been just you and me//for all to see///Bastille
"We were told you were crafty, Miss Winslet, but I can't say I needed that warning." Burashna spoke in Venarian now, as though testing her abilities. He towered over her, like he thought his height would intimidate her. He would be dead wrong. "I've heard a bit about you in the past from some of my best men. Despite your impressive resume, they spoke more of your as-impressive failures."
Kariana's brain translated it with a bit of an effort. Venarian was a very foreign language to her, even as of now, and she needed a moment to reply. "What, are you referring to the times I couldn't kill your son? It wasn't for lack of trying."
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| Credit to Pinterest |
There's some things I should've said//I was too afraid//it was just so hard to let you know//and now it's all too late//Lindsey Stirling+Christina Perri
“How old are you?” the boy asks.
She smirks. “No one cares. I pay them money and they give me alcohol. You’re not old enough to drink yourself.”
No, he isn’t, but that hardly matters. The boy tosses a wad of money at the burly man. “As much as that will cover, and pay for Miss Rinaldi’s drink as well.”
She gives him a coy smile. “You must be confident.”
“I have my reasons,” he says, and picks up the hand he’s offered by the setter.
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| Someone who really shouldn't have died in backstory because if she hadn't died...the current events might not be happening. Credit to Pinterest |
Knew I was a robber the first time that he saw me//stealin' hearts and runnin' off and never sayin' sorry//Taylor Swift
“You’re so cold,” he murmured, and stroked her hand in the sling.
“I know,” she said back just as softly, but she didn’t mind anymore.
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| Credit to Pinterest |
Lookin' at the city like I already own it//standin' on top cause I own this moment//I took what was mine, now I won't let go of it//Zayde Wolf
Esma paced in the entryway. It was dark. Almost everyone had retired, leaving only a handful of people in the dining room. The door to that room was open; light spilled out, illuminating the otherwise dark front room. Esma walked back and forth, back and forth, until her head spun from dizziness.
“Are you going to keep walking forever? I’m getting dizzy watching you.”
Elensha’s voice was soft in the darkness, although Esma could not see her amongst the shadows cloaking the corners. The chandelier overhead was shrouded in darkness.
“I’ll walk as long as I have to,” she snapped back.
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| Credit: pinterest |
I don't believe men are born to be killers//I don't believe the world can't be saved//how did you get here and when did it start//an innocent child with a thorn in his heart//12 Stones
“Where did you dig up that hat?”
Martin chuckled and put his hand on his head. His messy brown hair was nearly all hidden by the hat, but it was a truly horrendous one, in a hideous shade of gray with dark stains coating its edges. It had no brim and was practically shapeless, providing only a vaguely head-shaped piece of fur that covered the top of his hair. “Your mother gave this to me, actually. A very long time ago. I can’t imagine you were more than a couple of years old.”
“Mama gave that to you?” And here Esma had been thinking Bernathel was the only person in their family who had any sort of fashion sense. “Where in Firma did she get it from?”
“She made it.” Martin laughed apologetically.
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| Another new character; credit to Pinterest |
If I could tell you now I'd tell you how the world is dark now that you're missing//for KING AND COUNTRY
“I think this is Lord Dauthang we’re dealing with, and that Esma’s safety is crucial, and that we sure as grime aren’t going to let him have her!”
“Does it matter?” Esma repeated again. If everything was lost—if what he had said was true—
“You’re supposed to be the hopeful one here, Esma. Pull yourself together and remember that you have the Mighty One on your side and they don’t. He’s not going to abandon us.”
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| there's too many assassins in this series; credit Pinterest |
Without the mask...where will you hide?//Can't find yourself...lost in your lie//I know the truth now//I know who you are//and I don't love you anymore//Evanescence
Only a few more minutes remained before her father finished his swordplay and came in. He spent two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon practicing; Rishatta had always spent two hours a day working out and two hours honing his skills in Common. Sometimes, Anna wondered if she was secretly the child of a different family, as she had no drive to acquire or perfect any skill.
But she bore far too much resemblance to her father, both physically and in demeanor, to be adopted. She was very much the daughter of Burashna Woods, heart, body, and soul.
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I don't care, go on and tear me apart//I don't care if you do//'cuz in a sky full of stars...I think I saw you//Coldplay
He wore a literal mask.
The version of himself that he watched reached up and took ahold of the mask to yank it off. It itched and the cold was uncomfortable and he didn’t want to wear it any longer.
He’d never felt anything in a dream before, but this time he did. Searing, sharp agony raced through his face. Ow.
If pulling off his mask ached like he was ripping his own skin off… why would he do it?
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| Another character who frankly doesn't even exist in this story but is 100% my favorite even if she did break one of my son's hearts XD |
I'm not a man to hunger for blood, but the spirit can cry//to be younger and fierce and fly//piercing into the sky and higher//Terrance Mann
And as a final tidbit, here's some character art drawn by moi!
And as a final tidbit, here's some character art drawn by moi!
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| I meant to draw them from the book 2 era but it came out awful and I forgot a couple of important details so, here, have this scene from book 1 with Esma and Clarence instead xD |
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| Actual Esma in book 2 |
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| Esma in approximately book 1ish? I dunno (this is an older picture so I don't remember exactly when it's supposed to take place) |
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| The only picture I have of Derek and Kara together that actually came out decent xD |
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| The titular General's children (this picture actually came out really well imo and I'm very proud of it xD) |
Chat with me in the comments! Did I make you go mad with Pentegreen stuff this month? Did the snippet thing drive you up a wall? Basically, am I driving you crazy? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
28 comments
Ahhhh I'm so jealous of people who can draw their own characters!!! Like, all I can do is hope to find some decent pics on Pinterest or something...
ReplyDeleteReally regretting not jumping on the beta read for the first book, but at the same time, I don't know if I would have had the time.
CONGRATS ON CAMP!!
I mostly use Pinterest too! I'm not thaaaat good of an artist, but I'm so glad you appreciated my drawings! <3
DeleteAhh, I would have loved to have you, but I totally understand! There may be another opportunity, don't worry <3 I'll think of you if I ever go to put out another beta call!
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!
O__________O <--My actual face reading every single one of those snippets.
ReplyDeleteAKLJSLJD:FLJSL:DJ:LKJ:LKSJDF. SO MANY THINGS. Sneaky you not telling us WHICH book these are from or in what order! :P You just have me reeling wanting to know alllll the things!
OKAY BUT THAT FIRST SNIPPET. Whoever is threatening my precious Derek better get stabbed in the face because NO. NOOOO. THE EPITOME OF NOT OKAY.
Who is this person that shouldn't have died??? o.o I'M SO CURIOUS. YOU'RE KILLING ME.
Esma not minding the cold anymore though. *sniffles* I don't know if to be heartbroken or proud of her. ALL THE EMOTIONS.
Oh man. The last one. Of Rishatta and the mask. Brb while I sob from TOO MANY FEELS.
All of these! GAH. MY PRECIOUS BABIES. <3333
Also I loooove all the drawings! They're great! I recognized what scene the first one was right away! :D
Also also, your stats amused me greatly. Except for the "3.5 major character deaths" part. EXCUSE ME??? MAJOR CHARACTERS? WHAT ARE YOU DOING???
Also also also, CONGRATS ON FINISHING CAMP! AND doing a full rewrite of TWO BOOKS this year. HOW???? Are your fingers made of lightning? I don't know how you do iiiitttt! YOU ARE AMAZING.
This whole comment is a complete incoherent mess but it's entirely your fault, because this is the state I get in when it comes to Pentegreens. Too many feels for coherency!
Heh heh heh...then I have succeeded. *cackles*
DeleteHAHAHA yes I am cruel, thank you very much. ;)
I am in total agreement with you. I've been wanting to stab that particular character in the face for a while and him threatening Derek...nope not okay. XD I'm wayyyy too protective of my own bbys.
It's...A PERSON. Mwahahaha.
My poor baby girl. <3
*joins you in sobbing* MY BOYYYY
Thank you!!! And agh, I thought you might ;)
Ummm...nothing. That was a joke as indicated by the ".5" part. Haha. Nothing to see here. *whistles innocently*
I DON'T EVEN KNOW!!!!!!! *screams*
Agghhhh your comments always make my day <3 Thank you so much, Christine!!!!!
What??? Faith, I am never going to get tired hearing about the Pentegreens! Why do you say such things as "I won't say anything else about them for a while."? This is torture I tell you! Torture!!
ReplyDelete3.5 Major deaths??!!?? YOU CAN'T DO THAT, FAITH!!!! Why, oh, why?? Is it really necessary? Well, you got better by book 3. Whew. As long as my darling Rish is still alive I'm okay.
Poor Derek! I just want to give him a hug.
THOSE SNIPPETS. *cries* I want to read these! They sound so good, full of suspense, but good.
Oh!!! New characters!! I'm ssssooo interested! I can't wait to meet them. :D
CONGRATS!! That is so awesome that you won Camp NaNO!!
Hahaha well...I wanna talk about other things too! (although I'd happily talk about Pentegreens forever. Lol).
DeleteUmmm...*walks away with an innocent expression* I've done nothing promise....
Thank you!!!!!
Yes! Too many new characters but I like them ;)
Thank you!!!!!!!
Yay!! Congrats on your Nano win! :)
ReplyDelete'Scuse me??? Tired of YOUR books?? You must be insane!!
I love the stats on your books!! But hmmmm...3.5 character deaths on the first??? Interesting!!! *Shivers excitedly*
Driving me crazy?? Pshaw...your books couldn't drive me crazy if you used them to lure me off a cliff. In other words, I think this whole publishing deal is going to succeed and you're going to have 1928491284129 bajillion fans. I'm already one myself, and I've only ever "ate" snippets of your babies! ^^
Keep up the good work, Faith!!
~ Lily Cat (Boots) | lilycatscountrygirlconfessions.blogspot.com
Thank you, Lily! <3
DeleteLol, you're too sweet.
Yeah, 3.5 XD Becuase someone only MOSTLY dies. (S)he gets better. xD
Awwww thank you so much!!!!!! this makes me so happy! <3 You're so nice. Thank you!!!!!!
I LOVE YOUR DRAWINGS!!! I’ve been trying to learn how to sketch and digitally paint, so I can draw my characters, and it’s not working. But you have great art skills! I especially love the first one. (Just a quick question - how long do those typically take to draw?)
ReplyDeleteCongrats on winning Camp NaNo! Your word count was quite an achievement. :)
Hmmm.....probably a couple of hours each? I know the one of Rish and his sister took a lot longer because I made them waaaaay more detailed than usual. But the others...yeah, probably a couple hours.
DeleteThank you so much! You got a lot of great time in too ;)
I do not mind you talking about your writing in your posts. <3 I love hearing about it. :D
ReplyDeleteAww, thanks <3
DeleteCongrats on winning Nano!
ReplyDeleteLoving all the snippets, lyrics, and pictures! <3
Thank you!!!!!
DeleteAwww yay!!!
THOSE SNIPPETS AND SKETCHES ARE AMAZING *heart eyes*
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU!!!!!! *sends hugs*
DeleteCongrats on the NaNo win!!! Ahhhhhhh I loved every one of the snippets, they're amazing! And can I have all these books on my bookshelf asap, please and thank you? xD *rubs hands eagerly for the day I can read them* I'm in love with all your characters already!
ReplyDeleteYou are so sweet! Thank you so much, Melissa! I can't wait for the day when you CAN read them <3
DeleteI LOVE THIS!!! And I've loved hearing you talk about Pentegreens! :D
ReplyDeleteThese snippets, tho. Oh my GOODNESS. I think my favorite is the one from Anna's perspective, but all of them are fantastic!
Awww, thank you! <3
DeleteThank you!!!! I like writing from Anna's perspective even if she's...weird. xD
AHHHHH I LOVE IT SO MUUUCH. Your aesthetics and your snippets and just... EVERYTHIING.
ReplyDeleteI am very interested in how you managed to kill off exactly 3.5 people. Also, the ships the villains are aware of and the heroes are denying sounds amazing. xD
theonesthatreallymatter.blogspot.com
Thank you!!!! <3333 You're so sweet.
Delete3.5 deaths...oh it happened. xD And yes, I love them very much ;)
AHHHHHH ALL THE PICTURES AND SNIPPETS AND EVERYTHING. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
DeleteCONGRATS, GIRL!!!! You have been working so hard on this series for so long, and dang, I admire it.
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU!!!! Ahh, you're so sweet and I appreciate you so much <3
DeleteThose snippets were so chilling and awesome!!! Wow, I CANNOT WAIT until this series is out and ready to read!!!! :D
ReplyDeleteAnd... 3.5 character deaths? I'm confused? I have a feeling you won't clarify... but HOW THE .5 THOUGH?
Alexa
thessalexa.blogspot.com
verbosityreviews.com
Thank you so much!!! That means so much to me <3 <3 <3
DeleteWell...obviously to some extent that's spoilers, but we'll just say that one person comes close enough to death and everyone thinks they're dead enough to count xD
Hello, friends! Do make yourselves comfortable and stay for a while--I'd love to chat with you! I simply ask that you keep it clean. :)