Dedication-

To my grandma Jo Ann, the woman who made me who I am today.
For my other grandma Katherin, who shaped me in every way.
Though you may be gone, in my heart you are so strong.
What you taught me will never go away.

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Forward-


So is this the perfect story then? Where I get the girl and the villain dies? Humiliated and alone? Seems a bit unfair. The perfect story I could never find, but I always tried.

This is all part of my weird, bibliophilic, desire to create the perfect book. Something that can stand the lengths of time. I want it to shroud 'King Lear' and 'Pride and Predjudice'. Love 'Harry Potter' in the dust, take 'Sherlock Holmes' and sweep it up the chimney.

I want a book that people will love for years. That will inspire other writers, that will help people. Because, in the end, that's what books are. Paper inspiration. Adventures in one hundred and fifty pages. A way to escape from our run-a-day lives, and leave. Just for a while, into a world of fantasy.

So I set off to create my little world. Quickly losing intrest in everything I write. I compare my work to others. 'Jules Vern' and 'Anne Rice'. I try different pen-names, (Anne Carol, Ethel Louis, Victoria Rice. All sound too fake, too un-me.). I, (sadly), etempted a story with the same eloquency as a Arthur Conan-Doyle novel, and trip over my grammar. Next I try fantasy. Werewolves and vampires, gifted children and comedy all thrown in. But I still can't find it.

It just seemed like I was looking to be somebody else. Someone I admired, and it was something I couldn't resist; not being myself. I wanted to be Jane Austin or Shakspeare. But I am far from it. I am myself, Natalie Claire Mark-Konczak. Born in California, 1998. Cajun-Creole and Swiss descent. Spoke 3 languages, sweared in 7. Always looking to be better, to be the actress, the singer, the novelist.

I always live in my fantasies. Escaping from them seems a waste of time.

I want to write a novel from the villains perspective. They always seems to get a bad-wrap. One thing I know for sure is, I would rather listen to "Poor Unforuntate Souls" then "Under The Sea". They have goals too. They just get lost in the sea of characterzation.

But what to write? Who to write? A modern adaption of 'Hamlet' where Claudius is a robot? (No). Hansel and Grettle where the kids steal from the pastry shop, (creepy). Snow White where she's the hag? (Never.) How can I write a villain, and make him lovable. (I looked to Joss Wheedon for one, Loki has always been a favorite. So has Dr. Horrible.)

This is what makes a character loved, young writers. Relatability. You can slap a sad look and a tear-jerker story to anyone and make someone melt for your writing. You can kill off characters; then explain it in the next book, and we'll still love you. Because you created our fantasy,

Thank you. To all the writers who inspired me, and all the people in my life, whose stories I collected for this.