If My Characters were Actors || The Broken Prince by Kara Linaburg || Guest Post

(I have a special treat today, a guest post from Kara of Beautifully Broken fame!) 

I was told to write about ANYTHING about The Broken Prince.
Anything.
WOW.
That's hard.
Really hard.
Basically that's like asking me my favorite Switchfoot song -- choosing just one thing is simply not going to happen without a lot of thought (hence why I am writing this a month in advance).

Oh, hi there. I'm Kara Lynn -- the author of my first published novel The Broken Prince, a YA (light) fantasy novel. I love to travel, spontaneous road trips, deep conversations, interacting with fellow humans, and helping people find beauty in their brokenness. I'm twenty years old but being an old soul, I feel at least twenty five.

This is my book -- I'm a bit in love with the cover honestly...a bit biased I'm sure, but I think every author should love her cover and not be ashamed of it.
The Broken Prince is based in a country where those with magical-like powers are outcasts and the king rules his folk with an iron fist. My heroine must choose whether to allow the labels of her birth and Gift to define her, or step out and fight the darkness threatening her and those she loves.
 If you will, please scroll to meet my characters that are more real than any fictional human should be and made this story possible...

Alexander Vlahos in Merlin BBC TV series (aka Milosh)

Alexander Vlahos is probably the character closest to my hero and prince, Milosh. He is what I imagined when writing over the last few years even before I had seen the show. He did an incredible job with Mordred in Merlin, showing both a deep vulnerability and longing to belong. However, those eyes could often turn to quick rage, not unlike my own hero.
BUT then, my sister ruined this image and showed me....

Henry Cavill.

Okay.
He wins. Milosh, he is.

Holliday Grainger (the closest person I could get to Serena)

Serena is my heroine and the story stays based from her point of view. Most female characters tend to get the stereotype as kick-butt characters, and I didn't want that completely from Serena. I imagine her with a quiet soul that can become like the fire that can pour from her hands. She is dangerous (I'll grant you that!), but I do not think she can comprehend how dangerous or how much potential she has. She has spent her life hiding her Gift, living fear of who she is because of what society has told her.

Breton Thwaites as Hunter, Serena's brother

Hands down, a younger version of Brenton Thwaites. I enjoyed him in The Giver, and Hunter is around the age Jonas would have been in the movie. Hunter is Serena's young brother and they have become each other's protector in the dark times that have fallen in Sindaleer.

Lara Pulver as Enid, my villain 

Lara Pulver is my sorceress hands-down. I thought of her instantly when I created the character after watching Robin Hood BBC and again in Sherlock. My sorceress Enid, is out for revenge against the evil king who just so happens to be Milosh's father. She's a Gifted with born-powers that she's twisted to become dark and evil.

Presenting Stephan Baldwin as Elston

It took me a bit to imagine which actor would be my beloved and mischievous Elston, but basically I think I could say I see him as a much younger Stephan Baldwin -- think The Young Riders if you've had the fortune of seeing that western (I'm dorky, I know...).
Elston is...well...he's a lot of fun and I imagine he was a handful as a child. I want you to experience this human  character in person so I won't give too much away, but he loves to stir up a heck of a lot of trouble if he wants to.

In conclusion, you have officially met my beautiful creations. Putting a face with the name is always so fun, and I hope you have enjoyed reading these rambles by a stranger who has hacked borrowed Faith's blog for a day.
I would love to meet you -- I blog over at my own blog Beautifully Broken, where I write rambles weekly. You can also add The Broken Prince on Goodreads here, pre-order an e-book copy of my baby here, or just simply say hi in the comments below. Whichever way you choose, I am always up for making new friends. Next to watching the sun set, this is one of my favorite things to do.
Thank you for putting up with me intruding on the blog.
Have a blessed week, readers!

If you combined Lucy Ricardo, Jo March, and Tonks...you would have Kara. Queen of awkward, writer before she could properly spell, and maker of imaginary humans, she is passionate about creating characters that display beauty in brokenness.

Kara took to blogging as a teenager, words soon becoming one of her greatest passions. When she’s not being a mad scientist in the kitchen or daydreaming about her next adventure, she loves to connect with readers. She lives in West Virginia where country roads always take her home.

You can feel free to stalk her blog www.thebeautifullybrokenblog.com where she rambles weekly.

Social media: @karalynnauthor

Blog: Beautifully Broken Blog

E-mail: authorkaralynn@gmail.com

SURPRISE! // We're Hijacking her Blog

Twelve days of Christmas is over already.  All of us participants had such an amazing time!!  As a result of all of her hard work, we just wanted to hijack Faith's blog for a day to say "thank you".

Angela Watts

Dear Faith,

Thank you so, so much for spreading the joy of Jesus! Putting together a blog party for the past few years definitely hasn’t been easy - but you not only pull it off like a champ, you also keep spirits lifted to Yahweh through the craziness! Thank you so much for the 12 Days Of Christmas. It means so much to me the past 2 years I’ve participated. You’re definitely amazing, girl. Merry Christmas and a very happy new year!

-Angela

Ashley

First off, thank you so much for all the work you do to make 12 Days of Christmas a reality every single year. I know it entails a lot of organization and we’re all so very grateful for everything you do to keep it up and running. I’ve loved being able to participate for these past two years and be able to make blogging connections with you and everyone else who participates. Blogging can be pretty lonely and daunting if you don’t have other blogger friends to support you, and 12DoC helps us all build a little “blogging community” where we can encourage each other. Thank you for your willingness to do this and we hope you know that we’re all here to help support you!

Faith

So, putting aside our sharing the greatest name ever (;)), I just wanted to say thank you for putting this together. You took time out of your season to create a HUGE blog party, and it’s been super fun! I wasn’t able to post much, but what I got to put up and read was amazing. We love you--thank you so much for all your dedication and work to make this Christmas season terrific!

Janelle

Faith!!!! This has been my first year participating in the 12DOC and wow, you my dear are amazing! December is probably the craziest time of the year and then add blogging every day!  Thank you so much for organizing this! It's been quite a pleasure to be a part of Celebrating Christmas and most importantly honoring  the Birth of Christ! Also how Fantastic is this that we get to connect with people we've never met before! This has been such a wonderful experience for me to be a part of! Thanks again!

Merry Christmas!

Jesseca Wheaton

Wow, Faith, this is seriously the busiest time of year for you, on top of having a crazy busy year, and yet you still take the time to put together an amazing blog link up. You're epic dearie.

I love ya lots and am so blessed to be able to have been a part of the 12DoC every year since it's started. It's been a blessing to me, and I know it's blessed so many others as well.

Kaitlyn

Wow, girlie.  During the Christmas season, you’re not just getting ready for Christmas.  You’re doing school, making wreaths, helping out on the tree farm, practicing for a Christmas play, AND AMONG ALL THIS, you’re organizing a twelve-day-long blog party, posting twenty-four times within those twelve days.  Yet, through all this, I’ve seen how you focus on God and His reason for Christmas.  The fact that He sent His son to earth.  For us.  Faith, you’re an inspiration.  I’m blessed to be a part of 12DOC.

Kell

Hey Faith! I’m just participating in 12DOC for the first time this year, and wow! How do you manage to do so much during such a busy time of the year? I’m beyond impressed! I know how crazy it is to get posts out on time sometimes - and twelve at a time? While organizing twenty-one other bloggers? YOU ARE A SUPERHEROINE. And I love that you’re doing it all to the glory of God. I can only imagine how many people will be reminded of the true meaning of Christmas this year! So … thank you. Thank you for giving me (and all these other bloggers) an opportunity to be a part of this. With love, Kell

Marrok MacIntyre

Hello Faith. I’m just swinging by to say thank you. You have truly done something amazing here. For the past 3 years you have takab random bloggers from all over the world, all different walks of life, who didn’t know each other, to all participate in a 12 day Christmas blog party. I know it isn’t easy. And I know you do a ton of work for this. So, thank you for all your hard work this year and every year. I hope to be able to continue to participate and hopefully help you out in the coming years. Again thank you for all your hard work and have a blessed Christmas and New Years!

Megan

Faith!! Thank you SO much for all your hard work in putting together the 12 DoC blog party again this year. It’s been so fun participating with you all (though I wasn’t able to do as much as normal, apologies for that :P) and it’s been equally amazing seeing how the party has grown in the past three years. Talking about the past...can you believe it’s been three years since we “met”?? Crazy!! It’s been awesome seeing how you and your love for Christ has shone the past few years through your blog. Keep up the amazing work, girl!

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!! <3

Michaila

Faith, I just wanna say thank you. You multitask it all like a pro and have given everyone apart of this such a great time. I know it takes a supreme level of patience to take care of everyone’s needs in a blog party, and a whole lot of communicating...and you aced it.

Thanks so much for making this Christmas shine brighter & for bringing Christ’s joy into the spotlight!

Lotsa love girl,

Merry Christmas

Olivia

Ahh Faith, you have done so much this year in organizing the 12 Days of Christmas blog party, and I’m so glad I get to be apart of it! You are truly an example of a hardworking, cheerful, beautiful Christian girl, and I really appreciate all you’ve done!! The 12DoC blog linkup has helped me to focus more on Jesus as Christmas arrives, and that’s a really really good thing. You’ve created something that people are blessed by and THANK YOU for that. You’re amazing to have done all of this ON TOP of everything else you have in your life, like schoolwork, homework, Christmas planning, and whatever else in between!! You’re an inspiration and a light for Jesus. Keep it up! I hope you have the best of Christmases and an awesome New Year.

Love,

Olivia

Rebekah

Faith, I've been enjoying this link-up since the very first year, and it never fails to encourage me and introduce me to other amazing blogger's who seek to glorify God during the Christmas season. I have the awesome privilege to call you my friend, and I sincerely hope this little post we’re doing on your blog can scratch the surface of the gratitude we all feel for the time and effort you put into this fun blog series. :)

It hit me yesterday as I worked on scheduling my first post that having this link-up to look forward to each year has become a highlight of December for me. That's the highest compliment I can give anything, Faith, because December is one of my favorite months of the year, and there are so many things to keep me busy...but I wouldn't want to miss being a part of this link-up even with everything going on in my life right now. It has become one of those things that make my Christmas, like the decoration of our house, watching “It's a Wonderful Life”, and making Christmas cookies at my grandma’s house.

So thank you for everything you do to make this possible. I hope this post we’re putting together blesses you as much as your effort toward the link-up has blessed all of us. <3  I can honestly say that my Christmas would not be the same without it.

From all of us here,

THANK YOU, FAITH! :D

Five Favorite Books ~ A Guest Post

Good morning, all! Welcome to the first guest post here at Stories by Firefly. Isn't that exciting?! :D Lets hear a hearty round of applause for...Joshua!

~*~*~* 

Hello all! Joshua here, from Literary Cafe. I’m so excited to be with you on Faith’s fabulous blog. We’ve decided to post five of our favorite book recommendations. (You can find Faith’s post on my blog here). I’m going to work through five different genres, so you can have a taste from each. Let’s jump right in!

Out of the Silent Planet 

(Science Fiction/Fantasy)

“And I say also this. I do not think the forest would be so bright, nor the water so warm, nor love so sweet, if there were no danger in the lakes.” 

This book is part of one of my all-time favorite series, CS Lewis’s space trilogy.  Although eclipsed in popularity by his Chronicles of Narnia, the space trilogy’s depth, and clarity of thought, characteristic of his writing, amazes me.  Narnia will always be dear to me as a warm fairyland.  However, although this book is set on the planet of Mars (or Malacandra, as it is more frequently called in the book), the poignant lessons it contains are burned more deeply into my heart than most books written about Earth.  His prose is breathtaking, and thought-provoking.  The only cons to this book, in my opinion, are that it curses mildly a few times (but I believe that occurred mainly in the beginning, and by the only nasty characters in the book), and that because it is such a deep novel, and Lewis’s vocabulary was so developed, it will take longer to read per page than most books.

Lord of the Rings 

(Medieval Fantasy)

J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic work has been praised many times, by more capable authors than myself.  But I can’t resist adding my own two cents.  His Christian worldview subtly seeps through the entire work.  The admittedly large book is filled with wise sayings, like 

“All that is gold does not glitter,

Not all those who wander are lost;

The old that is strong does not wither,

Deep roots are not reached by the frost.”

Yes, this book is quite a time commitment.  Yes, Tolkien rambles, on every subject from Galadriel’s hair to the hair on hobbit’s feet (literally).  But it’s worth it.  Give it a try.

There’s a Sheep in my Bathtub 

(Non-fiction)

This book, about the very beginnings of the church in Mongolia, is every bit as quirky as its title.  And yes, there was actually a sheep butchered in a bathtub.  Brian Hogan, author of this book, moved himself to Mongolia with his wife, with virtually nothing but the call to be a missionary to a foreign people, and had to deal with an alien culture, third world poverty, and emotional turmoil.  This book covers both the ups and the downs.  It might make you cry, and if you don’t laugh aloud at least once while reading it, you certifiably have no sense of humor.  You’ll have a hard time putting this book down, and might find yourself sighing as you close the back cover.

Mere Christianity 

(Theology)

In case you haven’t noticed that this is the second book on this list by CS Lewis, I’ll go ahead and explain that I am a genuine Lewis addict.  But, this is a good addiction to acquire.  There are plenty of books designed to explain the basic tenets of Christianity.  But I believe that if you have an intellectually-oriented friend, this book is the right one for them.  Lewis uses his razor sharp wit to systematically dismantle the major arguments against Christianity, and make some strong ones of his own, like this:

“My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust?” 

He doesn’t get into convoluted theology, but simply lays out what he calls “mere Christianity,” the basic tenets of our faith.  I strongly recommend this book to both skeptics, and anyone seeking to bring their understanding of the faith on a deeper level.

Stone Tables 

(Historical Fiction)

This book is the only one on the list that isn’t written by a Christian.  Orson Scott Card is Mormon.  However, this portrayal of the story of Exodus is surprisingly accurate.  The biblical portrayal of Moses, although accurate, of course, leaves many questions dangling in a reader’s mind.  Who exactly is “Pharaoh?”  How did a girl, in a time and place where women had few rights, have the power and motive to pull a despised Hebrew from a the Nile, and proclaim him her child, and royalty to boot?  Why did Egypt give the Israelites some of the best land in the country, and treat them kindly for many years, and then almost schizophrenically decide to enslave every last Hebrew?  Although this book is obviously speculative, it provides a detailed and exciting look at how Moses’s Egypt could have appeared.  You’ll find yourself turning the pages quickly.

I hope that these books inspire you, guide you, and deepen your faith.  If you want more posts like this, come check us out on literarycafe.weebly.com!  :)  

-Joshua