Where the Wild Things Are

Great news! Fictionalley finally accepted chapter 6, so that should be going up shortly. I'll keep posting here, until I've gotten updated. Reviews make me happy!
In this chapter: Hermione and her parents arrive at the Burrow, and Ron officially meets Hermione's father. The Order receives a visit from the Death Eaters, and Harry receives a visit from the Fae. The cat jumps out of the bag and spills the beans about Ginny and Draco, and Harry steps through the looking glass.

Next chapter!

Summary: The career fair continues, with appearances from St. Mungo's and the Library Network. Harry and Hermione have a touching moment, and so do Draco and Ginny. In fact, Draco and Ginny have a lot of 'touching' moments. Draco has a chat with Daddy, and everyone leaves for Christmas holidays. Draco has an annoying visit from his conscience.

Here's hoping I don't have to do it in two installments again...

And, fingers crossed that it posts the rest in one go...

Okay, having finally worked out how to post cuts, I'm posting my story!  Admittedly, not a lot of folks read my LJ, but I'm trying to get word out about my story any way I can. There's nothing so discouraging as spending a lot of time on a story that no one reads.

So here it is, Chapter 1, part 1. I have to post it in increments, because LJ can't handle the length of the chapter (oi.) I'll post a chapter every couple days, until all the completed chapters are up, so as to not flood my journal.  As you're all my closest LJ buddies, I'd love your comments and input!

Spoilers: PS/SS, CoS, PoA, GoF, OotP. Written between Order of Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince.
Genre: Drama, Romance
Era: Multiple Eras
Main Character(s): Harry, Ginny, Draco, Hermione, Ron
Ship(s): None
Summary: After Lord Voldemort's plan to recover the Prophesy in the Department of Mysteries fails, he employs the help of the mischievous and unpredictable Sidhe to get what he wants. With a Changeling left in his place, Harry is abducted into the very heart of Faery, and his friends will have to cross many dangerous lines in order to save him. The trouble is, they don't even know that he's gone.
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

I'm starting as a beta-reader again!

I know, I know. The last thing I need, in the midst of the last round of midterms and finals looming, as to take on another responsibility. But this responsibility is escapism, and thus it's okay. Student Logic.

I've taken on one beta-reading project, but I'm up for maybe a couple more. If anyone out there has work they'd like beta-ed, just let me know!

Yay! It's All Hallow's Eve! I think I'll do some re-reading of Deathly Hallows to commemorate the day.

And also do some writing. Cause nothing says 'Hallowe'en' like the enjoyable and non-satanic combination of Christianity and witchcraft that is Harry Potter.

Chapter 7 is starting to come together a little better, though I'm still having trouble with a few things. I think a call to one of my beta readers is in the offing.

Speaking of, sort of, a big and Hallowe'en-y HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our own dear mairesue

It's a no-school kind of day, which means it's a writing kind of day. Yay!! This day also marks the half-way point in my school program.  It's all down-hill from here.
Well, actually, it all gets harder from here. But hey, at least from here on in, I officially have more time behind me than ahead of me.  If you don't count studying for the board exams, that is.

Working away on chapter 7.  A few things are working themselves out. A few other things are not so much. The first scene, for example. Not so much working.

Check it out! 


I feel so vindicated.  JK says she feels the symbolism was 'obvious' from the start. That's what I said!  But my favourite part, by far?

JK Rowling: "I don't take any responsibility for the lunatic fringes of my own religion."

Take that, Laura Mallory.

Well, I'm back, after an inexcusably long absence. Hopefully I'll manage to actually stick to updating this time around, though I'm making no promises during exam time.
As I mentioned I would be, I've been doing some revamping of this journal, to allow for it to become a forum for me to plug and receive feedback on my fanfiction. Alas, as such, I won't be updating regarding my personal life on here any more. I'm in the process of deleting all posts that are personal in nature (taking a very long time, as Livejournal doesn't have a very practical method for deleting past entries en mass. Anyone know how to remedy this?) If you'd like to keep in touch with me, post a comment here, and I'll send you the information for finding me on Facebook, which is the only forum I manage to keep updated at this juncture.

I've been getting much better about keeping up with my writing now (fingers crossed it stays this way!) and chapters 1-5 are now up, on both Fictionalley and Fanfiction.net. Chapter 6 is written and currently in editing with my fantastic beta readers. Chapters 7 is outlined and currently 'in production', so to speak. The best motivation and inspiration for any writer (even a fanfiction writer) is knowing that people are reading and enjoying their hard work, so reviews are welcome and requested!
A note regarding the rating: I've given my story a mature/'R' rating on both sites, mostly as a precaution. I think it's closer to a 14A/Teen rating, but I'm not entirely sure where this story's going and how dark and twisty it's going to get, so I'd prefer to slap a higher rating on now rather than have an angry parent write to me for 'inappropriate content' later.

Also, another quicky note, I'd like to credit and thank potterpuffs PotterPuff genius, and fire_bad for the icons I knicked. Your work is brilliant!

Thanks everyone! Now back to work!

So, the craziness that has been my life for the last several months has settled down for the holidays. Now there's just your average pre-Christmas craziness to deal with, which I'm ready for. I do have a nagging feeling deep down that really, I ought to be studying at least a little. But I'm ignoring that feeling until after Christmas.
I'm trying very very hard to put my intelligence instead into writing some more of my story. So far, no luck. The Writer's Block has smacked me square in the back of the head, and now I have a big bump and a headache. If anyone would be willing to take the time to read my story and send some feedback or suggestions, that would help get me back in the writing space.

Where the Wild Things Are

Just to keep you on the same page, this site will soon be re-vamped to be mostly a forum for me to talk about my story, with occasional snippets about my schooling and studies.

Thanks for the input!

I know I know, I've been horribly remiss in posting. Bad, bad Verity. Life's been crazy crazy. It gets that way occasionally.
I think I will soon be turning this journal into a venue for my HP story, and will cease posting about my personal life.

Well, I'm officially discouraged. FA sent chapter 2 of my story back, again. Twice now. They were more specific this time about the errors. They seem to be really very picky little things. I thought I was good at the grammar stuff. Ah well. Back on the horse I suppose. I'm not really getting any feedback on my story at all though, so I'm kind of lacking in motivation to keep going. hmph.

Okay, off to eat before work tonight. Happy Church New Year, everyone!

You scored as Gryffindor. You have been sorted into Gryffindor! You're brave, loyal, and perhaps a little short tempered- if someone says or does something you don't like, you'll make sure they know- and everyone else too- regardless of the consequences. </td> Gryffindor 80% Hufflepuff 65% Ravenclaw 60% Slytherin 35% The Hogwarts Sorting Hat! created with QuizFarm.com

Tee hee. I swear, I didn't cheat. Well, not very much. ;)
My story's coming along okay. I'm about half-way done chapter 5. I think i should spend some time mapping out the rest of the story before I get too much further, or I'll get completely stuck. But I'm having a blast with it.
My day plan:
Laundry, cleanup, chores. Camp work. Writing.
Doctor's appointment.
Work.

My day is boring... I want to spend the WHOLE DAY writing, instead of the half-hour I've got. hmph. Oh well, I'm off work early tonight, maybe I can write then. And play KoL. :)
Would somebody be willing/able to make me some harry potter userpics?

Well, I got the book. I read the book. That's right, folks, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Rue and I (accompanied with great amusement by Greg) got the book at midnight at Chapters. There were a bunch of kids running around in costumes, and a lot of people our age, though mostly not in costumes. We stood in line for a bit, and then, blissfully, received our books. YAY! It took me about 48 hours to read, including the time I spent sleeping, working, at church and in transit. I laughed, I cried, I screamed and I got that giddy, giggly, girly feeling of romantic anticipation. It was really, really good. I won't go into too many details, since it's extremely late already, but I will say that I was very satisfied. I cried terribly during the tragic bits, I laughed during all the romantic bits, and screamed when the Dark Mark appeared over Hogwarts. Rowling has done it again. Yay! Let's hear it for escapism.

First off, another big huge
WELCOME TO THE WORLD!! to kare43's little Caleb! He's beautiful, and her other children are beautiful. He's going to be well taken care of, with all those sisters looking out for him. And later, when he gets older, he'll be easily embarrassed, with all those sisters looking out for him. :) Congratulations Karen and Dave, I've been praying non stop for you all week.

A much less important or exciting arrival, my story is finally posted online! Fiction Alley, in Schnoogle. yay!
Where the Wild Things Are
I'll be sending in a few more chapters today. If you wanted to go read it, and send me your thoughts, critiques and/or flames, I'd be thrilled. :)

Guess what I learned today? After 20 years of pride and laziness and sheer stubbornness, today, I bit the bullet, and learned to RIDE A BIKE. Yup, that's right folks, Verity Evans can now ride a bike. Not well, mind you, but I can do it. Rue's Fiance set me up yesterday on Rue's bike, gave me some tips and encouragement (have I mentioned that I LOVE having a big brother?) By the end of yesterday I'd managed to sail about comfortably with both feet off the ground. Today I started practicing pedaling, and after a while I was pedaling and sailing comfortably around both culdesacs, not once having to put my foot down to steady myself. I'm a bit shakey still, and I've the bruises and knocks to prove it, but I'm getting there.
For years I refused to learn, out of pride, and laziness and embarrassement. But suddenly, none of that stuff seemed important any more, and I just left it by the curb. Literally.
I noticed that Rue couldn't help but put in an 'I *told* you it wasn't *that* hard.' Pfft. Buzz-kill. Okay, whatever. I'm sure that somewhere, deep down, she probably is proud of me, and she just doesn't know how to express it properly. I'm over it. Or, I'm trying to be. Trying counts, right?
Learning is just the most fantastic thing. I mean, whether it's learning a new skill, or learning how to relate to someone you previously didn't really understand. Learning is just beautiful and awe-inspiring. Today is a day of learning, and loving, and loving to learn. And maybe even learning to love.

So THAT'S how the other half lives...
So, it turns out, the gap between the classes? Well, it's not so much a gap, as a huge gaping CHASM. Holy crap! I cannot believe that there are people in the world to whom that kind of treatment is *normal*! I think it is just sinful to take that kind of luxury for granted. I have never in my life been made to feel so special and important. We felt like we were the most important people in that hotel, and no treatment was too good for us. I thought about being vague and saying 'it was unforgettable' and leaving it at that. But who am I kidding? Let's just stop pretending that I'm not going to brag about every single, disgustingly luxurious second I spent there. Feel free to skim, or completely skip this entry.
We arrived at the hotel around 2-ish, to drop off our bags. The hotel is situated in the heart of downtown Van, near all the coolest shops. Upon arriving at the front desk we were informed that Brian (whoever he is) requested an upgrade on our behalf, and we had been moved to a Junior Suite, for exactly the same price. !! The room wasn't quite ready for us yet, so we left our bags there, and headed out to window-shop. We went into a few disgustingly expensive stores (one particularly nice dress was about $430) visited the bank for cash, bought a meal for homeless man (his name is Sheridan, please pray for him) and then headed back to the hotel.
After checking in, we headed up to our room. This room. WOW. We had a *living room* and a gorgeous, grecian looking bathroom with a huge shower and a bathtub that you could baptise adults in. We basked for a few minutes, changed our clothes and headed down to the spa.
The spa provided us with complimpentary water bottles (or coffee or tea, but we just wanted water). We filled out a few forms, and then headed into our seperate rooms. It was a slight shame that the facilites didn't allow us to be together, but we had a great time anyway. The bed I lay on was heated and cozy, the room was dimly lit with very soothing music playing. I got a half-hour long, full-body aromatherapy massage (lavendar scented). WOW. I've never been pampered like that in my life. Every single inch of me was massaged, even my scalp, and I got some good advice as to how to deal with the massive bruise on my right hip (from falling at work last week.) She was very friendly, and very good at her job. What luxury.
When we were done we headed back up to our room to shower and dress up for dinner. There are very few occasions fancy enough for me to wear my wine-red, form-fitting dress. At first I was a little worried that I'd be over-dressed....
Pffft.
The Restaurant. Holy cow, the restaurant. The Maitre D' sat us down, including pulling out and pushing in our chairs and putting our napkins on our laps. We were sat right next to the piano, which was an experience all on it's own. The menu was just incredible. We both ordered the lamb special, but were shortly told that there was only one left, so Beauty ordered the rack of lamb from the menu. We were given samples of cauliflower soup with "compliments from the chef" as compensation. A little rich for my tastes, but still quite nice. Beauty had a non-alcholic fellini, and I had the most to-die-for raspberry martini. mmmmm... The Piano Player conversed with us here and there, he was funny and very kind. He played 'The Way You Look Tonight' for me, and a lot of other fabulous music. He told us that it was the Maitre D's birthday, and asked if we'd join him in singing happy birthday to him. I agreed, (perhaps because I'd already had one and a half martinis by then) and we sang. It wasn't until the whole resaurant burst into applause at the end that I realised everyone was listening to us. Luckily, Beauty wasn't too embarrassed, and the Maitre D' was tickled pink. Then Desert. Beauty had the creme brulee, and I had a milk chocolate terrine with blackberry sorbet. WOW. I said "that's the best thing I've ever had in my mouth", realised how it sounded, and went thoroughly red. *grin*
We paid, said goodnight to our Waiter and the Piano Player, and headed back upstairs. We got into pj's, and rented The Incredibles off the TVlisting (which was just hysterical!), enjoyed the minibar (there were Pringles!) and snacked on some of the complimentary gourmet chocolates.
This morning we slept in a bit, and then ordered breakfast from Room Service. Holy Cow! The Waiter arrived with a huge table, decked out just like the restaurant, including fresh flowers, and brought our fabulous breakfasts, which we ate in our living room while we watched Star Trek: Next Generation on TV. Beauty had eggs benedict, and I had hazelnut waffles with raspberry compote. It was just fabulous.
Then we packed up, checked out and headed to the train station to go home. We're now planning to do something similar, (day spa, and dinner at the Wedgewood) for Rue's Hen Night.
What else can I say? It was unforgettable. I'll leave it at that.
And now I'm home, back on this side of the tracks, and ready for the season of prayer and fasting to begin.

So, happiness, I got an editorial published on Mugglenet! Go check it out, in the Editorial section of http://www.mugglenet.com
I'm so proud, I've written editorials for mugglenet before, but they've never published them before now.

Well, things seem to be looking up.
First off, I've now got two online betas, as well as my beloved Diana, working with me on my fanfic. I'm also beta reading stories for two other people, both of which seem like really exciting projects. They'll probably both be long-term projects, which makes me happy. I'm really enjoying getting deeper into the fanfic community.


Well, I'm off to see the wizard.