First I would like to thank Creatively
Green Mom for having me. While I have
enjoyed reading through the recipes on this site, I don’t really cook. So rather than torture your taste buds I decided
I would share a poem I wrote with you all instead.
I put a lot of time and effort into
this poem. I honestly think I did more
research for it than some of my books. It is patterned after my own soul. I would love to hear what you all think!
Roses
may be red
And violets may be blue,
But peaches must be pink
Lest things fall out of sync.
And violets may be blue,
But peaches must be pink
Lest things fall out of sync.
For
there are majestic mountains and fantastic fountains
And birds Soaring high in the sky.
There are odes to blackberries, strawberries
Raspberries, blueberries and even elderberries.
And birds Soaring high in the sky.
There are odes to blackberries, strawberries
Raspberries, blueberries and even elderberries.
Even
Nectarines and Tangerines get their day in the sun,
And a Clementine to a Valentine makes for a wise one!
But their cousin’s virtues remain unsung
On its phonetics they are hung.
And a Clementine to a Valentine makes for a wise one!
But their cousin’s virtues remain unsung
On its phonetics they are hung.
It
wonders how it feels to burn with desire
And wouldn’t fanning the flames cause a wildfire?
It cannot bemoan its sorrowful soul
Followed so cleverly by an areole.
And wouldn’t fanning the flames cause a wildfire?
It cannot bemoan its sorrowful soul
Followed so cleverly by an areole.
And
though, less unfortunate, that with baited breath
It will never taste the kiss of death,
Still it longs for the whisperings of sweet love
As magnificent as the stars above
It will never taste the kiss of death,
Still it longs for the whisperings of sweet love
As magnificent as the stars above
Ignorance
may be bliss
But to never bask in true love’s kiss?
Never tossed to and fro by a raging sea
And crying out to the waves, "Oh, Agony!"
But to never bask in true love’s kiss?
Never tossed to and fro by a raging sea
And crying out to the waves, "Oh, Agony!"
Speak
not of it thumping on the floor
Lest we lose the chance to say nevermore,
And unlike the far less interesting there
It can never be pared with Gossomere.
Lest we lose the chance to say nevermore,
And unlike the far less interesting there
It can never be pared with Gossomere.
It has no friend among daze, maze or blaze.
Never to raze, raise, or feel the sun’s rays.
Aghast it watches as wood
Is so carelessly paired with blood.
Aghast it watches as wood
Is so carelessly paired with blood.
But it
will not go quietly into the night,
It will end its bitter plight.
For though the world be dark and cold
All that glitters isn’t orange.
It will end its bitter plight.
For though the world be dark and cold
All that glitters isn’t orange.
So in case you didn’t guess, patterned
after my own soul just means that I love to laugh. I wasn’t lidding about the research
though. I must have read 100 poems and
spent hours poring over thesauruses to bring this too you all. I hope this poem
at least made you smile! Thanks again,
and I look forward to hearing what you all think of Misfit’s Rise!
Sara
Misfit’s Rise
Alpha
Book 1
Sara E. Tall
Genre: YA Fantasy
Alpha
Book 1
Sara E. Tall
Genre: YA Fantasy
Date of Publication: November 29, 2018
ISBN: 9780359258277
Number of pages: 268
Word Count: 82, 527
Cover Artist: Sara Eatough
Tagline: A Half-Fae misfit returns to the Magical Realm of her birth to discover it’s far from the fairy tale she imagined.
Book Description:
A century after the Mages of Earth found sanctuary in an underground Realm, those whose magic is sub-par or whose half-breed heritage leaves them powerless and forced into exile back on Earth. They can’t have them tainting the magic of the others, after all.
As a Fae/Human hybrid, Billie should fit right in. Except, she’s anything but powerless, making her a misfit among misfits. When her powers nearly destroy a human home, she's given a chance to return. Returning to the Realm has always been Billie’s dream, but the Realm is anything but a fairy tale.
Despite its claims of acceptance and equality, ancient rivalries between the Realm’s magical species are threatening to rip it apart. Billie somehow manages to land herself in the middle, a dangerous place for an outcast to be. What’s more, the powerful magic that brought her there suddenly vanishes, leaving her vulnerable to the attacks of those who think a misfit doesn’t belong in the Realm.
Staying in the Realm is her only chance to live life as a true Mage, but it could cost her life.
Excerpt 3:
She still didn’t say anything, letting me wallow in that silence before the thunder broke, her eyes firmly fixed on the kitchen table to the left of me.
“What’s the rule, Billie?" Her voice was almost inaudible.
I blinked. “What?"
“The rule,” she repeated, still not looking at me. I didn’t know why that bugged me, but it did. “What’s the rule?"
“Don’t use … it.”
“And what’s it?”
I didn’t want to say it. Nothing good ever happened when I used the “m” word, but there was no way around it.
“Magic,” I whispered.
And then came the thunder.
“Then why did you use magic?!” The scream seemed to rip itself out of her chest. Finally, she looked at me, her blue eyes almost black and her cheeks bright red.
I took a step back. She’d yelled at me before, but never like this. Granted, I did get sent to the police, but still. This was … unsettling.
“I told you.” My lip trembled. “It was an accident.”
She shot me a glare, and I blushed.
“All right, so it wasn’t accident per se, but I had no idea it’d be that—“
“Why did you do it?” she snarled, cutting me off.
I swallowed. “They were making fun of Ana.”
That stopped her. It’s hard not to feel protective of Ana. She was way too sweet to deal with all the crap that got heaped on her.
But Mom’s sympathy only went so far. “You blew up their living room.”
“It was insured,” I said. “Probably.”
She sucked in a breath. “Is this a game to you, Billie?"
I bit back my sarcastic comeback. Too bad, because it was a good one, but my survival was probably more important. “Look, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
She glared at me, her eyes almost slits. That was what I’d said at the end of last year, when I’d made all the diplomas fly off the table at our middle school graduation. Thankfully, they attributed that to a gust of wind. And I’d done everyone a favor, anyway. Middle school graduation was a stupid idea to begin with, but Mom hadn’t seen my side then, either.
Her face twisted like she was trying to say something, but eventually she just sighed and looked away. An apology always derailed her.
“Just go to bed,” she croaked. Turning away from me. For her, the conversation was over, but I didn’t move. She needed more time to calm down before I brought this up, but it looked like I didn’t have a choice.
I took a deep breath. “You know, if you let me practice controlling my magic, then maybe —”
“We’re not having this conversation again.” She didn’t even let me finish the sentence. Typical.
“We’ve never had this conversation.” My tone sounded so much like hers, we both paused for a second.
Then she said, “You have no idea how to use magic.”
I wanted to shake her. “Maybe because you won’t let me practice!” How could she not see that the two were connected? Maybe she was willfully trying not to.
“No,” she said, her whisper somehow sounding like a shout. Her tone made it clear the conversation was over. But I was just getting started.
“Why?” The word was out of my mouth before I could stop it.
“What did you say?” she shot back, but she knew exactly what I had said.
I bit my lip. We had barely started, and I was already freaking out. But I was not backing down, not this time. “You’ve never told me why.”
She shook her head, though she was avoiding my eyes. “Billie, go—”
“Why can’t I use magic?” I cut her off.
It took her a second to choose her words. Finally, she said, “It’s dangerous.”
“Yeah, well, pretending my magic doesn’t exist is dangerous too.” That also slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it. Mom didn’t look any angrier though, which was a small comfort.
“Magic doesn’t belong here, Billie. Humans don’t understand. That’s why we went to the Realm in the first place.”
I’d heard this before.
“So, I don’t belong here.” I hadn’t, however, said this before.
Mom sighed and avoided my look again as she said, “The Union believes half-humans would be more comfortable in the human world.”
“Then the Union is wrong!” I hadn't meant for that to come out quite so loud. I wasn’t supposed to get angry, as that would only set her off too. But she just wouldn’t listen.
Mom gritted her teeth. “They won’t see it that way.”
I bit down to keep myself from spontaneously yelling again. Making her angrier wasn't
going to get me what I wanted. I had to stay in control of myself if I wanted it to work this time.
“Have you asked them?”
She looked away as she said, “I don’t have too. I know them.” I could have sworn I saw her eyes darken.
I had the sudden urge to rip my hair out. It was like she was trying to be obnoxiously vague. “What is that supposed to mean?”
Her eyes widened, and her lips parted, like she was going to say something. But then she just shook her head. “Nothing. Go to bed.”
And just like that, we were back where we started. And I was no closer to getting her on my side.
When I didn’t move, she stepped toward me. I jumped back and held up my hands out of reflex. “No, not until you tell me.”
But once again, she proved to be just as stubborn as me. As she gently guided me backward I placed both my hands on her chest, holding her steady. “If we just … showed them what I can do …”
“Wake up, Billie!” I pulled my arms away quickly, stunned, but at least she was finally looking me in the eye. “This isn’t one of your fairy tales. The Magi aren’t …” And there she went, looking away again.
I gave her a chance to finish, even though I knew she was not going to, before I said, “Aren't what?”
She didn’t move. She just stared at the wall, her chest rising and falling. But just when I decided she didn’t hear me she whispered, “They don’t like things that don’t behave the way they’re supposed too.”
I raised my eyebrows. It was so rare to hear her talk about magic in complete sentences. And she had never said anything like this before. There was something in her tone that told me that wasn’t just social commentary. It was personal.
“What’s the rule, Billie?" Her voice was almost inaudible.
I blinked. “What?"
“The rule,” she repeated, still not looking at me. I didn’t know why that bugged me, but it did. “What’s the rule?"
“Don’t use … it.”
“And what’s it?”
I didn’t want to say it. Nothing good ever happened when I used the “m” word, but there was no way around it.
“Magic,” I whispered.
And then came the thunder.
“Then why did you use magic?!” The scream seemed to rip itself out of her chest. Finally, she looked at me, her blue eyes almost black and her cheeks bright red.
I took a step back. She’d yelled at me before, but never like this. Granted, I did get sent to the police, but still. This was … unsettling.
“I told you.” My lip trembled. “It was an accident.”
She shot me a glare, and I blushed.
“All right, so it wasn’t accident per se, but I had no idea it’d be that—“
“Why did you do it?” she snarled, cutting me off.
I swallowed. “They were making fun of Ana.”
That stopped her. It’s hard not to feel protective of Ana. She was way too sweet to deal with all the crap that got heaped on her.
But Mom’s sympathy only went so far. “You blew up their living room.”
“It was insured,” I said. “Probably.”
She sucked in a breath. “Is this a game to you, Billie?"
I bit back my sarcastic comeback. Too bad, because it was a good one, but my survival was probably more important. “Look, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
She glared at me, her eyes almost slits. That was what I’d said at the end of last year, when I’d made all the diplomas fly off the table at our middle school graduation. Thankfully, they attributed that to a gust of wind. And I’d done everyone a favor, anyway. Middle school graduation was a stupid idea to begin with, but Mom hadn’t seen my side then, either.
Her face twisted like she was trying to say something, but eventually she just sighed and looked away. An apology always derailed her.
“Just go to bed,” she croaked. Turning away from me. For her, the conversation was over, but I didn’t move. She needed more time to calm down before I brought this up, but it looked like I didn’t have a choice.
I took a deep breath. “You know, if you let me practice controlling my magic, then maybe —”
“We’re not having this conversation again.” She didn’t even let me finish the sentence. Typical.
“We’ve never had this conversation.” My tone sounded so much like hers, we both paused for a second.
Then she said, “You have no idea how to use magic.”
I wanted to shake her. “Maybe because you won’t let me practice!” How could she not see that the two were connected? Maybe she was willfully trying not to.
“No,” she said, her whisper somehow sounding like a shout. Her tone made it clear the conversation was over. But I was just getting started.
“Why?” The word was out of my mouth before I could stop it.
“What did you say?” she shot back, but she knew exactly what I had said.
I bit my lip. We had barely started, and I was already freaking out. But I was not backing down, not this time. “You’ve never told me why.”
She shook her head, though she was avoiding my eyes. “Billie, go—”
“Why can’t I use magic?” I cut her off.
It took her a second to choose her words. Finally, she said, “It’s dangerous.”
“Yeah, well, pretending my magic doesn’t exist is dangerous too.” That also slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it. Mom didn’t look any angrier though, which was a small comfort.
“Magic doesn’t belong here, Billie. Humans don’t understand. That’s why we went to the Realm in the first place.”
I’d heard this before.
“So, I don’t belong here.” I hadn’t, however, said this before.
Mom sighed and avoided my look again as she said, “The Union believes half-humans would be more comfortable in the human world.”
“Then the Union is wrong!” I hadn't meant for that to come out quite so loud. I wasn’t supposed to get angry, as that would only set her off too. But she just wouldn’t listen.
Mom gritted her teeth. “They won’t see it that way.”
I bit down to keep myself from spontaneously yelling again. Making her angrier wasn't
going to get me what I wanted. I had to stay in control of myself if I wanted it to work this time.
“Have you asked them?”
She looked away as she said, “I don’t have too. I know them.” I could have sworn I saw her eyes darken.
I had the sudden urge to rip my hair out. It was like she was trying to be obnoxiously vague. “What is that supposed to mean?”
Her eyes widened, and her lips parted, like she was going to say something. But then she just shook her head. “Nothing. Go to bed.”
And just like that, we were back where we started. And I was no closer to getting her on my side.
When I didn’t move, she stepped toward me. I jumped back and held up my hands out of reflex. “No, not until you tell me.”
But once again, she proved to be just as stubborn as me. As she gently guided me backward I placed both my hands on her chest, holding her steady. “If we just … showed them what I can do …”
“Wake up, Billie!” I pulled my arms away quickly, stunned, but at least she was finally looking me in the eye. “This isn’t one of your fairy tales. The Magi aren’t …” And there she went, looking away again.
I gave her a chance to finish, even though I knew she was not going to, before I said, “Aren't what?”
She didn’t move. She just stared at the wall, her chest rising and falling. But just when I decided she didn’t hear me she whispered, “They don’t like things that don’t behave the way they’re supposed too.”
I raised my eyebrows. It was so rare to hear her talk about magic in complete sentences. And she had never said anything like this before. There was something in her tone that told me that wasn’t just social commentary. It was personal.
Sara's enjoyed creating fantastic stories since she was old enough to hold a play sword, around the time she learned how to walk. Gradually she learned to direct her creative energy into writing, and it’s been a downward spiral ever since then. When she's not writing she’s probably either dancing or reading random wikipedia pages. She also enjoys spending time in her part-time home away from home, Yellowstone National Park, which is the most fantastical land she's ever been too.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SaraETall/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SaraEatough
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