My Year In Writing, 2014

Well, it's time for the traditional 'year in review' post. I recommend all writers (published and otherwise) take on this annual exercise. I've found going through the year a great way to re-examine my original goals and help set new ones for 2015.

Here are my posts for 2012 and 2013.

January

Sent in first round of edits to Nimbus for BUSGIRL BLUES.

Not the real cover, but fun to look at.

After receiving rejections for THE ASP from agents, I made the decision to query publishing houses who accept unsolicited manuscripts. I reasoned since BB was going to be published at the end of the year, I wasn't shy about being my own agent.

NIGHT SHIFT gains a large audience on Wattpad and readers ask about a sequel.

My most popular post for the month is my recap of the first episode of The Bachelor "Girls Just Juanna Have Fun."


February

A few rejections roll in for THE ASP. We have a cold snap in Halifax and everyone wants to move to Hawaii.

But I hardly notice because...THE OLYMPICS!!!!!

Post first chapter of BLACK FRIDAY (NIGHT SHIFT #2) on Wattpad.

Most popular post of the month is "Dropping the F Bomb in YA"


March

I receive an offer of publication for THE ASP by Fierce Ink Press!

Completed second round of edits for BB and discussed cover ideas and new title options. Since BUSGIRL BLUES was published online, Nimbus wanted the book to have an updated look of its own.

My family and I travel to Australia!

I took this on the ferry coming back from Manly Beach.

Most popular blog post that month is "Ten Book Scenes I'd Love to Experience"

April

New title for debut novel will be, BUTTERFLIES DON'T LIE. The editor and I discuss cover options. Good times!

My bosom buddy and kindred spirit, Jen Swann Downey launched her middle grade action adventure, THE NINJA LIBRARIANS: THE ACCIDENTAL KEYHAND!

Most popular blog post for month is my recap of Once Upon A Time, Season 3, Episode 17 "The Jolly Roger"


May

Begin second round of edits on BUTTERFLIES DONT' LIE.

Fierce Ink Press does a fantastic press release for the THE ASP. Add it on Goodreads...or not, whatever, totally up to you. Keep reading.

Most popular post of the month is "Top Five Reasons Why Andrew Garfield is a Better Spiderman than Tobey Macguire"

June

My awesome writer friend, Ann Marie Walker lands a three...I said a THREE book deal with Penguin Books for her contemporary romance novels, the Chasing Fire series. It's hot...believe me, I was a beta for the first book. REMIND ME comes out April 2015!

My editor and I finalize cover for BUTTERFLIES DON'T LIE!

My family and I adopt a senior dog. Cody is a nine year old cocker spaniel and he is the BEST thing that happened to our family this year.

Most popular blog post of the month is "Six YA Books to Match Your Every Mood This Summer"


July

I started a non-fiction series for Wattpad called Write On! about tips and encouragement for writers.

TV/film crew use my house to film Ramona's murder scene in Stephen King's BIG DRIVER. Our kitchen has never been so famous.

Sent off last round of edits for BUTTERFLIES DON'T LIE.

Most popular blog post of month is "Which Storybrooke Bachelor is Your Best Match"


August

Sent off first round of edits to Fierce Ink Press for THE ASP.

Enjoyed camping and sunsets with family.

Most popular blog post of month is "Sophia Veragara and I Talk About Being Sexy"


September

Book launch for BUTTERFLIES DON'T LIE! Freaky, it feels like just yesterday. I remember it was super hot, like 32 degrees Celsius or something.

Most popular blog post of month is "Top Ten Things Downton Abbey and Outlander Have in Common"


October

I was exhausted from all the book launch excitement. I spent some time catching up on my reading. I really enjoyed Everyday by David Leviathan.

Sent out a few queries for NIGHT SHIFT since it was doing so well on Wattpad.

Most popular blog post for month is "Once Upon A Time, Season 4, Episode 4 "The Apprentice"

November

Book signings! I discovered I'm good at keeping eye contact with strangers while luring them over to my little table of paperbacks.

Received editorial letter and notes from first round of edits on THE ASP. (Lots to do, but excited to make the story better.)

Received rejections for NIGHT SHIFT.

Most popular blog post for month is "Top Nine Reasons Why Halifax is Awesome"


December

Working on second round of edits for THE ASP.

Posted last chapter of BLACK FRIDAY on Wattpad.

Wrote this post ;)

Most popular blog post of month is "The Best Gifts for Writers"


Goals for 2015?

Get the NIGHT SHIFT series published...somehow.

Outline third novel for BUTTERFLIES DON'T LIE series.

Have Alex Pettyfer do a guest appearance at book launch for THE ASP in July 2015.

 

Dress like Wonder Woman for book launch of JUST JESSE in September 2015.

Keep writing.

Practice kindness.

Floss regularly.

Read more.


What are you writing goals for 2015?

Want to Escape to the Past? Check Out These YA Books...

#1. The Ruby in The Smoke by Philip Pullman

Set in turn of the century London, this is the first book in the Sally Lockhart series, a smart and gritty heroine fans of Veronica Mars will admire.  

Sally Lockhart's father was an unconventional man who preferred to teach his daughter how to run a business and shoot straight from a pistol, rather than school her in the social graces expected of a young lady. When he dies suddenly and unexpectedly, on a voyage to the Far East, Sally receives a mysterious letter containing a strange warning - one that is to lead to yet another unexpected death.

Goodreads.com

#2. Forbidden by Kimberely Griffiths Little

In the unforgiving Mesopotamian desert where Jayden’s tribe lives, betrothal celebrations abound, and tonight it is Jayden’s turn to be honored. But while this union with Horeb, the son of her tribe’s leader, will bring a life of riches and restore her family’s position within the tribe, it will come at the price of Jayden’s heart.

Goodreads.com

#3. Hush, An Irish Princess Tale by Joana Jo Napoli

Melkorka is a princess, the first daughter of a magnificent kingdom in mediæval Ireland -- but all of this is lost the day she is kidnapped and taken aboard a marauding slave ship.

Goodreads.com

#4. Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger

It's one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to Finishing School.

#5. Manor of Secrets by Katherine Longshore

The year is 1911. And at The Manor, nothing is as it seems. Think Downton Abbey meets The Prince and the Pauper. 

Goodreads.com

#6. What I Saw And How I Lied by Judy Blundell

Murder and intrigue surround a girl in this mystery set in American in the aftermath of WWII. A coming of age story that will break your heart long after you finish the story.

#7. Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maude Montgomery

A classic. Get lost in the lovely descriptions of Prince Edward Island.

Goodreads.com

#8. The Madness by  Allison Rattle

Set in early Victorian times, sixteen-year-old Marnie lives in the idyllic coastal village of Clevedon. Despite being crippled by a childhood exposure to polio, she seems set to follow in her mother's footsteps, and become a 'dipper', escorting fragile female bathers into the sea. Her life is simple and safe. But then she meets Noah. Charming, handsome, son-of-the-local-Lord, Noah. She quickly develops a passion for him - a passion which consumes her.

Goodreads.com

What are some of your favourite historical reads?

The Best Gifts for Writers

You don't have to wait until Christmas to give your favourite writer a present *cough* me *cough* but since this is the season of giving, here are a few perfect items for the writer in your life.


#1. A waterproof notepad and pencil for when ideas strike them in the shower. And yes, it happens.

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#2. A house plant for their writing nook to recycle all the carbon dioxide they emit when they huff and sigh over a plot snag. Studies show clear air is good for the head.

#3. A magic eight ball pen to help with all those tough decisions. Kill the hero? Should they kiss this chapter? Will the villain get caught?

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#4. Fingerless gloves for the late cold evenings when everyone else has gone to bed. This pair was made for me by my writer buddy, Jane Lebak. If you follow her on twitter she might make you a pair too.

#5. A basket of snacks to keep by the writing nook.

#6. Buy one of their books then write a glowing review on Goodreads. Make sure you use big words and sound official.

#7. A typewriter t-shirt! You can get yours from @PoisonPearHFX.

       Buy her awesome stuff on-line here.

#8. A mug with an inspirational message. "Don't give up on us! Love, your characters"

 You can get one from David's teas. Check it out here.

Bonus!

Encouragement. All it takes sometimes is the simplest, 'you can do this' to make a difference in a writer's day.

Happy Gifting!

Once Upon A Time, Season 4, Episode 10 "Heroes and Villains"

Or better title "Disney or Bust"

Elsa and Anna try to leave Storybrooke but they discover that even though the ice wall is gone, Ingrid's spell on the town line is still intact, meaning that if you leave Storybrooke you can't return. Emma suggests they find a magic bean to make another portal to get them back to Arendale.

Mr. Gold and Hook discuss his diabolical plan to cleave himself from the dagger. Hook has to make sure that Anna doesn't find her way back to the pawn shop because she can't know that he's Rumpelstiltskin since his diabolical plan hinges on fooling everyone that he's a nice guy now...or something like that.

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Back in Rumpelstiltskin's castle, Belle plays snoopy snoop with all his cool stuff. He catches her, but instead of being upset he gives her his latest stolen magical item to clean, a gauntlet: A glove of armour that will find any person's weakness.

Rumpelstiltskin says, "Using someone's weakness against them is all about manipulation and power. Sometimes greatest weakness is usually always their greatest love."

Bingo! And here's the key phrase for this episode which will be repeated until we bleed. 

Mr. Gold wakes Belle and promises to take her to New York for their honeymoon. She smiles.

Phrase one of diabolical plan went off without a hitch!

Now that the Snow Queen is dead—but happily, Regina is able to transplant her boyfriend's wife's heart. Marion wakes up and hugs Robin.

Awkward.

Darn. This is too sad. There's not way this will be handled quickly.

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Oops. Never mind. Marion meets Regina at Granny's pub/diner/laudromat and basically tells Regina she's ready to step out of the picture if she and Robin really love each other.

Sweet. That was easy

Mr. Gold takes Hook to the abandoned mansion—you know, that abandoned mansion no one knew about until this season. Anyway, the magic broomstick takes them there since the house belonged to the magician assistant. Two seconds later, a portal appears.

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Henry goes to see Belle. He lets her know the town line has a spell on it so the trip to New York shouldn't happen. Belle just shrugs and says Mr. Gold will fix that speedy quick. While looking for another suitcase, Henry causes a small avalanche. And oops...she finds the gauntlet.

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Belle does laundry outside Rumpelstiltskin's castle and is soon distracted by a cute Dalmatian puppy. She follows the little critter and is soon kidnapped.

Everyone knows cute puppies work for kidnappers. What was she thinking?

Hook lets Emma know he's found a portal to Arendale! But she's suspicious because Hook is wearing different guy jewelry. 

Belle's kidnappers send a message to Rumpelstiltskin that she'll be killed if the gauntlet isn't handed over to them.

Before Regina and Robin can pick out silverware, Marion collapses with frosted eyebrows. Regina reasons the only way for Marion to live is for her to leave Storybrooke where the curse can't affect her.

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However, her son will want to go with her and that means Robin must do the honourable thing and take care of his family in the non magical world...and never come back.

Whump! There it is. 

Mr. Gold meets with Regina and encourages her to kill Marion and therefore secure her happiness with Robin. "Begin good doesn't mean good things will happen," he tells her.

Amen to that, brother.

Then he tells her he has no idea who wrote the story book. But he doesn't  care about words and pictures, he's in charge of his own destiny.

Regina gives last minute instructions to Robin as Marion and her son cross over the town line. She's instantly cured. After a sad kiss good bye with Regina, Robin crosses over too.

Regina cries, sad 'former evil queen', 'former evil mayor tears'.

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Rumpelstiltskin returns the gauntlet to Maleficent. But he's soon outnumbered by Ursula the sea witch, Cruella de Vil...plus Sid from Toy Story is there too.

Call me stupid, but isn't this getting ridiculous? Cruella de Vil? Really? When do Chip and Dale show up? Or Jack Skeleton from Nightmare Before Christmas.

Here's the crazy show down.

#1.They threaten Belle.

#2. He gives them the gauntlet.

#3. Then they disappear.

He's the DARK ONE! A simple choke hold by the sea witch was beyond his fighting capabilities?

Emma takes everyone to the mansion to check out the portal. There are long good byes. Elsa goes first followed by Kristoff, but when it's Anna's turn she asks who the 'helpful' Mr. Gold was in the enchanted forest.

When they tell her he was Rumpelstiltskin, she's like 'whoa, not the liar pants dude'. Emma figures out that maybe she shouldn't be trusting Mr. Gold.

You think?

In the clock tower, Mr. Gold has the magic hat, the dagger, and Hook's heart. He and Hook stand there while a whole lot of magic stuff happens. Emma and Mary Margaret arrive to stop the proceedings, but he freezes them.

He starts to crush Hook's heart, but he can't. Belle shows up and she's holding the dagger...the real dagger. She commands him to take her to the town line.

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Belle explains she found the gauntlet and now realizes he'd never give up power for her. "I lost my way trying to help you find yourself. I used the gauntlet and it led me to the real dagger."

Mr. Gold begs her to understand, but she commands him to leave Storybrooke.

"I don't want to lose you," he cries.

"You already have," she answers.

Burn.

Mr. Gold crosses the line and collapses, crying out her name. Belle can see him from her side and walks away.

Cruel, man. But awesome at the same time.

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Back in Arendale, Anna and Elsa have reclaimed the memories of their two aunts. Anna is dressed for her wedding, and it's all sunshine and rainbows.

Emma performs Hook's heart transplant. He recovers quickly and gives her a big kiss.

Regina drowns her sorrows in a cup of coffee. Emma arrives and they start downing shots. Emma tells her she did the right thing by letting Robin leave. Henry arrives out of breath, saying he found something big. He takes them back to the magician's abandoned mansion. He shows them a secret room...a secret library.

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Quick, call Belle. She loves to read.

They discover all of the books are blank. Henry says these are all potential storybooks. Regina figures this is the house of the author of the original storybook and maybe, just maybe she can get a happy ending.

Six weeks later in New York City...

Mr. Gold visits an aquarium. And guess who works there? It's Ursula, the sea witch. He convinces her they should join forces and try to find someone called, the author.

Why is she in New York?

Anyway, he's convinced her to join him, plus they'll get the other two. I'm guessing Cruella de Vil will be at the animal shelter and Malificent will be at the reptile exhibit or something.

Who was the MVP for tonight's episode?

#1. Belle

#2. Henry

#3. Regina

Share your vote in the comments!

Check out all my other Once Upon A Time recaps here!

Official Playlist for Butterflies Don't Lie

Music is magic.

I love how an old song takes me back to a moment and makes me feel like I'm reliving the memory.

Or sometimes I'll hear lyrics that are so heartbreakingly perfect for one of my characters it gives me goosebumps.

Music inspires me everyday.

Here are a few of my favourite picks from the Official (because anything sounds better when you put 'official' in front of it) Playlist for Butterflies Don't' Lie.

"One Way Or Another" by Blondie

If there was only one song I could pick for this book, it would be this one. Perfect for chapter one.

"Paradise" by Coldplay

Stuck in a job she's terrible at with a boss who is constantly on her case, Kelsey hopes once she captures Blaine's attention everything will fall into place and her miserable life will suddenly be perfect.

"I Was A Fool" by Tegan and Sara

Oh, boy. Kelsey hits rock bottom in after a nasty revelation one night. (Chapter twenty for those of you reading along at home.)

"Starry Eyed" by Ellie Goulding

That moment when the guy you can't stand becomes the guy you can't stop thinking about. This song is perfect for Chapter Twenty-two.

"No One Is To Blame" by Howard Jones

I like to think of this song as Luke's theme. It's important because it has a significant impact on the storyline. Plus it's one of my favourites from my high school days...long, long, long ago.

"Stay" by Rhianna featuring Mikky Ekko

You should listen to this while reading chapter Twenty-nine. Really, I'm not kidding.

"I Feel You" by Sam Roberts

Feel all the feels of Chapter Thirty-two.

"So Close" by Shawn Hook

Perfect song for the epilogue.

The entire playlist is available here. Go knock yourself out. Also, check out the Pinterest board with character images, quotes and more good stuff.

Which songs inspire you to write?

Once Upon A Time Season 4, Episode 9 "Shattered Sight"

Or better title, "Where's Ruby?"



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With the Snow Queen's 'shattered sight' curse in full swing, Storybrooke begins to turn against itself. Mary Margaret and David trade insults across the bars of their cells while Kristoff listens in, convinced all marriages end up this way.

Anna gives up trying to sweet talk Kristoff, she joins Elsa and Emma, trying to brain storm how they plan to battle the Snow Queen. Anna tells them that the shattered sight spell is based on an old Norse legend. In the story, villagers finally broke the spell by killing the king who had cast the spell.

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With murder on their minds, Emma and Elsa leave baby Neil with Anna as they try to figure out a way to kill the Snow Queen.

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Mr. Gold packs for his final departure from Storybrook and acts as the loop hole answer guy. Hook stumbles in, disgusted with how everyone stealing and beating each other up like pirates. Mr. Gold explains that Hook is spared from the curse because his heart isn't in his chest.

I'll try and remember that for the quiz at the end, thanks, Mr. Gold.

He then reminds us of his diabolical plan that involves the stars in the sky perfectly aligning with the stars on his magic hat.

And once this happens (tomorrow night) he'll have enough power to cleave himself from the dagger.  And once that happens...he'll be able to leave Storybrooke with his powers intact and with Belle and Henry in tow.

Phew. Got that?

With the lesson over for the day, he orders Hook to go find where Henry is hiding so he can kidnap him and put him to sleep like Belle. "They'll have no memory of Storybrooke," he says with a Grinchy grin. "Then I'll finally be the hero...not the villain."

Hey, that's Regina's line.

The Snow Queen walks unnoticed among the violent streets (and by violent I mean someone spits) and retrieves two purple stones from her ice cream shop.

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Emma and Elsa arrive to stop her with their slick hand moves, but the ribbons they wear make it impossible for them to harm the Snow Queen.

Darn. What now?

We flashback to young Emma. She's having a hard time at her new foster home—you know, the one run by Ingrid. Emma tries to run away, but Ingrid takes her aside and encourages her to scare the crap out of the tough kid who is bulling her.

Wow! Great psychology. How did you become a foster parent?

Emma and Elsa try everything they can think of to slice the ribbons, but they seem indestructible. Then Emma has an absolutely absurd idea; she reasons since the ribbons which are bond by unfathomable love can only be broken by incredible hate.

Huh?

Who cares? It's a plan. They go to Emma's number one enemy...Regina.

The Snow Queen lounges in her ice palace and brings out a memory from one of the purple stones. We see young Emma and Ingrid having a fun day at the amusement park. With Ingrid's encouragement, Emma uses extreme concentration and manages to get the toy she wanted from the Claw Machine.

Actually, if you've ever tried, getting anything from that machine is a frickin' miracle.

There are tears in Ingrid's eyes as she tells Emma she is super special and has a wonderful gift and to never give up and blah, blah, blah...they hug.

Then Ingrid tells Emma she wants to adopt her. "I'll be the best big sister you could ever hope for."

Cha-ching! A big sister who will someday own an ice cream shop!

Emma uses her magic to break through the containment spell around Regina's vault. Regina has changed into her usual evil Queen attire that's a cross between Prince and The Matrix.

After Emma and Elsa mock her, she throws a fireball of hatred at them. It works! The magic of hatred breaks the ribbon. They skedaddle out of there speedy quick.

Hook finds Henry in the Mayor's office. He breaks in, but Henry manages to slip away after Hook slips on a floor covered in marbles.

*cough* Home Alone *cough* 

Young Emma goes all fangirl over Harry Potter and Ingrid thinks this is a good time to tell Emma she's magic.

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But instead of telling her, Ingrid pulls Emma into the path of a car and orders her to stop the racing vehicle by trusting her instincts. Emma freaks out and runs away, bummed that the only person who wants to adopt her is wacko.

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Regina is loose on the town and full of revenge. She arrives at the jail ready to kidnap baby Neil. She makes Anna and Kristoff disappear and lets Mary Margaret out of jail. She gives her a sword and the girl fight begins.

We see Ingrid arrive in Storybrooke with her scroll from the magicians apprentice, hoping to find a twenty eight year old Emma.

The Snow Queen is a little upset the girls have lost their ribbons. Still, she offers the purple memory stones. But Emma isn't buying her act. "Magic can't make you love someone," she says.

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I feel another lesson coming...

The Snow Queen replies, "If you loved someone in the past you can love them again."

Um...what about magic?

The Snow Queen knows they've come to kill her, but they're silly baby monkeys and can't even burn toast with their powers let alone take down her.

Emma arrives in Ingrid's ice cream shop and is shocked to see the crazy foster mom from twenty years ago. Emma threatens to call Sheriff Graham.

Aw, Sheriff Graham. Let's have a moment, shall we.

Okay, back to the story.

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Ingrid uses the purple stone to take away Emma's memories of their time together and then gives her an extra scoop of Rocky Road.

Kristoff and Anna find themselves on the beach not far from where their trunk washed ashore. He argues about wanting to leave. Anna sees the bottle that came up from the ship wreck with them through the portal. She breaks it over Kristoff's head to keep him from swimming back to Arendale.

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Now that the bottle is broken, she finds a letter from her mother. She reads a few lines and knows she has to find Elsa speedy quick.

Anna stumbles into the Snow Queen's ice palace because even though she's never been there, she knows that's exactly where to find Anna. She starts to read her mother's letter: it's a confession about Ingrid and Helga. She regrets hiding Ingrid all those years instead of celebrating her special powers. Plus, there's the time she sucked her into an urn and hid it away in a cave forever.

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It is her last wish for Anna and Elsa to take the purple memory stone and allow the kingdom to know Ingrid and Helga.

The Snow Queen has a heart that will not melt!

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She calls Anna a liar and freeze slaps her. But when she grabs the letter and starts to read, she gets all teary eyed. Before they can start an all girl, all family band though, Ingrid has to end the curse.

She realizes she has to die. "It wasn't my powers that made me a monster, it was what I let myself become," she says.

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A swirling cloud of glass enwraps her. She gives both Emma and Elsa back their memories. Then she smiles because she's about to get her happy ending. "I have my sisters love and now I can join them."
 The cloud engulfs her and she disappears.

*Cue the girls running down the hill looking for the kite*

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A cleansing snow of metaphorical portions begins to fall.

As the fluffy white stuff covers Storybrooke, Granny and the dwarfs stop wrestling in the street. And Regina and Mary Margaret laugh at her matrix-hooker outfit.

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It's all one big hug, Storybrook style. But hey, where's Ruby? 

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Check out my other recaps here.

 

 

 

 

Which Jane Austen Heroine Are You?

Elizabeth Bennet
BBC.com

From the imaginative and bookish Catherine Morland in Northanger Abbey to the spunky and determined Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen wrote a host of charming heroines we loved cheering on from the other side of the page.

But which one are you?

No worries. I've designed the perfect personality quiz to answer that very question. Click here or take the test below.

Let me know who you got! Good luck!

 

Quizzes by Quibblo.com



 

Once Upon A Time Season 4, Episode 8 "Fall"

Or better title "Just Use Magic"

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Ingrid has cast the shattered sight spell, now all she has to do is hang out in the forest until sundown and wait for the people of Storybrooke 'tear themselves apart until everyone is dead.'

Gross.

Since Mr. Gold is the dark one and basically immune to this spell, he wants to her to spare Belle and Henry. In return, he promises to never try and hurt her. She agrees.

In a pathetic attempt to leave Storybrooke, David tries to scale the frozen wall but causes an icicle avalanche. However, a crack in the ice reveals Anna's necklace.

Emma and Elsa reason since they are wearing the ribbon bracelets they are immune to the shattered sight curse.

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Belle is doing research on the spell. Elsa arrives with Anna's necklace. Belle proclaims that mirror dust is embedded in the necklace and this allows them to figure out in three seconds that Anna must have been under the shattered sight spell when she put Elsa in the urn thirty years ago.

Get all that?

Plus, Belle also figures out that if they find Anna, maybe they can make an antidote with her blood or DNA or something. Elsa is like, Whatever, I have her necklace lets do the locator spell.

Back in Arendale, Anna and Kristoff thaw from Ingrid's spell. Anna looks for the urn, but finds gold straw instead. Again...the characters rationalize like time bandits and Anna deducts that Rumpelstiltskin and NOT Ingrid has the urn.

Hans and his brothers have also thawed and claim to be the rightful rulers of the kingdom.

Why? How does that make any sense?

A sword fight ensues, but Anna and Kristoff manage to get away.

Hook and Mr. Gold discover the ice surrounds the harbour as well so there's no escaping by water. Also, apparently the fairies have taken over Granny's pub/diner/Laundromat as a magical laboratory to combat the shattered sight spell just in case Anna shows up with her DNA.

Elsa pours the locator spell on the snowflake necklace. It starts to glow and it leads them to the library. They somehow end up in the mines, but there's a blocked passage. Anna insists they blast through, but Emma doesn't like that idea because...?

I have no idea why because they'll end up using magic anyway. 

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Back in Arendale, Anna tells Kristoff she read in her mother's diary about a magical object called 'the wishing star'. The next step isn't to go see Rumpelstiltskin but to check out a pirate named Black Beard because that's who has the wishing star. And that's how they're going to find Elsa—sorry, I thought they figured out Rumpelstiltskin had the urn—And she'll help them save Arendale from Hans and his brothers.

They find Black Beard who happens to be sailing the Jolly Roger. Anna makes a deal, but it's soon apparent they've walked into a trap. Hans and his brothers have already found the pirate.

Grumpy meets with Elsa and Emma, he figures he and the dwarfs can pick axe their way through the blocked tunnel in a few hours. Regina says they have NO time. The spell will be cast at sunset.

David arrives and tells them that Belle just called from Granny's pub/diner/Laundromat/laboratory and the fairies can use the mirror dust from the necklace to make a counter potion, but it will destroy the locator spell.

Everyone thinks this is a huge conflict. Save Anna or save the town.

Um...if you use the necklace to save the town you can find Anna another way, right? I mean the dwarfs can still get through the wall.

Anyway, Emma breaks it to Elsa that they've all decided the necklace will be used to save the town. Elsa hands over the pouch containing the necklace and tearfully sneaks away.

Hey! Why is she sneaking away?

Mr. Gold arrives at Granny's meth lab. All the fairies (dressed as Nuns by the way) are working with smoking beakers. The blue fairy is there—didn't she die in Season two?—Emma and the others arrive, but they soon discover Elsa has given them a bag of pebbles.

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Emma catches up with Elsa back at the blocked passageway. Elsa uses her magic (told ya!) and it opens to the beach. But Elsa won't give up, the snowflake pendant is still glowing. There's still hope!

Meanwhile on the Jolly Roger, Anna and Kristoff are tied up and placed in a trunk. Before he closes the lid, Black Beard takes the time to confess that he met Anna's parents and that only the snowflake pendant can be used by someone true of heart.

Hans is in charge of like EVERYTHING, I guess. And it's on his orders that Anna and Kristoff get thrown overboard. He also lets them know the freezing spell had lasted thirty years.

Thirty years! I thought these were flashbacks!

Elsa wanders the beach and nearly loses faith when the pendant stops glowing. Even as she monologues about the snowflake pendant. The creepy spell cloud slowly encroaches on the town.

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Anna and Kristoff land beside the sunken ship of Anna's parents. They spend their last few breaths, holding hands and telling each other how much they're in love.

Glug. Glug. Glug...

Elsa holds the pendant close to her heart, talking about faith. She wishes that Anna could be with her.

Shazam!

The pendant WAS the wishing star. 

The trunk washes up on shore in front of Elsa and Emma. A barnacle covered bottle from the parent's shipwreck also comes ashore.

Yay! Reunion.

After Mr. Gold slips Belle away from the fairies, Hook arrives with the magic sucking hat and is forced to take away all the fairies...and their super fairy power. Even the resurrected Blue Fairy gets the vacuum treatment.

With the fairies disappearance and all hope (and faith) gone, loved ones are locking themselves up to prevent any dismemberment.

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Mr. Gold tells Hook he's going to wait until tomorrow before he leaves with Henry and Belle.

Why not now?

Mary Margaret and David tearfully hand over baby Neil, while they get locked in separate cells. They hold hands through the bars.

Regina keeps Henry safely in her house with a protection spell, then she locks herself in her vault of hearts.

Everyone chains themselves down. The cloud approaches. The Snow Queen is positively radiant. The spell falls over everyone. Mary Margaret and David look at each other, then drop their hands.


Question of the Episode:

Even if Hook is under the control of Mr. Gold, since he has the most powerful magic hat ever, can he use it against Mr. Gold...or even the Snow Queen? Let me know what you think.