Shooting Star
Legacy Name: Shooting Star

Once Upon a Time...

The Treehouse looks like something out of a fantasy writer's dream. The exterior walls are formed of wooden siding brushed with a natural finish, giving the whole structure the appearance of a house magically sprung from the bark of the tree on which it rests. Decorative trim at the windows is just a shade darker than the natural bark, lending depth and color to windows made of a special glass that keeps the interior pleasantly cool in summer and traps heat for those long winter nights.

The library window overlooks a forest thick with colorful deciduous trees, its peak bearing a small sculpture of a feli clutching quill and book in its claws. Pentagonal windows give light to the small kitchen and family room while the pair of offices on the southern wall are completed with more traditional squares held in place by thin strips of wood. The trees around the house are strategically pruned to give the secluded owners a view from all directions while protecting their privacy from the casual stroller that passes through their neck of the woods.

The kitchen is a quaint square with hand-built wooden cabinets and a row of ceramic felis dancing the length of the shelf above the fridge. A purple and white checkered tablecloth on the table is complimented by the dish towel hanging on a wooden loop by the sink. Star chose the decor over the years, buying not only from Home Appliances but from garage sales and online warehouses with mind-boggling selections.

Star sips her coffee as the sun breaks over the horizon. Her husband Talmere has a talent for making coffee that tastes better than even the seasonal blends at Get Mugged. He likes to joke that all writers have an intuitive ability to brew the caffeine that allows them to pull all-nighters. The magic of his coffee isn't in the ingredients he uses or the length of brewing time, though. What makes his coffee special is the way he gets up an hour before she wakes and how he insists on giving her the first cup out of the pot. Only those who have tasted an item made with love can understand the distinction.

Sometimes she will join Talmere in a collaboration session to strengthen the quality of both their active drafts. Many a morning has led to excited exclamations as the wit of one spouse smashes the writer's block of the other. On this day they are simply happy to enjoy good company and share the last of the strawberry cereal that both developed an addiction for thanks to the kids.

Her husband is the only writer she works well with and both are great believers in the notion that less company leads to more writing. Star will speak at the occasional sci fi convention for the right price but you will never find her touring Subeta or allowing herself to be smothered in makeup for the sake of some cheesy talk show host. Those very few interviews she has given were from the comfort of her own home and she insisted on keeping the interview to a half hour in length.

A family portrait can be seen in the library across the hall. Two distinguished lilac felis look out on the camera, doing their best to portray the serious nature of established writers while struggling not to burst out laughing at the antics of their children. Some days Star finds it hard to believe the couple succeeded in raising six. Even goofy Geflin has settled into a career of assisting Vanya in creating magical toys.

Having the kids out of the house is a bittersweet relief but she can't complain too much. All of her children have settled nearby in the forest of her birth and Ava makes it a point to bring her two little ones a few times a month for visits. Star delights in her granddaughter's love for reading and has a whole stack of favorite books set aside to share when the little girl gets older.

She gives Talmere a kiss as both wander in the direction of their offices. Each has created a writing space perfectly suited to awaken imagination and inspire good writing.

Her triumphs and treasures are put on display for her enjoyment. Two vintage typewriters are protected by a glass case which also houses a collection of quills formed from exotic feathers of every imaginable size and color. Bookshelves line three walls, boasting leather-bound editions of all her favorite novels that have inspired the characters she has given to the world. One very special shelf holds the nineteen novels she has published to date. She smiles as she glances at the cover of Shattered Serenity, her debut novel. Credit is granted to Steven Skyfall, her pseudonym for a time when brilliant female writers feared to use their true names. It is wonderful to see how far the minds of Subetans have come. Her fans laugh away any suggestion that Shooting Star is any less brilliant with her true identity on display. It warms her heart to receive a letter form a young woman inspired by her work and she makes it a point to write a little note in the margin of copies sent to her for signature.

The wall across from her desk holds framed copies of some of the columns she has written for the Subeta Tribune, including the three that have won her awards of distinction. As much as she would like to work on the sequel to the novel that gave her the Best New Science Fiction Writer medal on her desk, this is a day she has decided to dedicate to the newest column entry she's been contracted to write.

Once the writing starts, the rest of the world ceases to exist. Two hours pass with the rapidity of minutes as she punches out line after line of text. This is not the final draft that readers will pour over as they munch their morning toast. First drafts are referred to as rough drafts for good reason. She will labor over getting the wording right and placing every comma with care later. Now is the time for getting her ideas on the page before they are lost forever. Three full pages will need to be trimmed in half before she is able to submit but she never writes and edits on the same day. She sets the column draft aside, turning her attention to her novel at last. Her shift in focus from the mystery genre to science fiction was very well received and she feels energized every time her mind lands on the surface of Axiora, the world she has created where intergalactic criminals and the Council of Five compete for the loyalty of a girl with the power to reshape the surface of planets with a mere thought.

Mirren brings her lunch, insisting that she eat something and laying down a sheet of notes on the velocity at which the armor of a rocket begins to heat up. Her minion is invaluable. Not only can Mirren locate accurate answers to research questions with the aid of her crystal ball but she is always looking out for her owner, seeing to it that Star remembers to eat and sleep before such needs can become urgent. Saia is no less valuable to Talmere though the Serene is of a more serious nature, taking interest in her master's more solid non-fiction topics of interest rather than questioning what barriers can be broken with fiction.

Star writes through the afternoon, groaning just a bit as she realizes there is no way she will be able to complete the Durazil mining scene if she intends to write out the full complexity of the details in her head. It is Saia's night to cook for the family which means Mirren will be on dishes duty. Talmere surprises her with a bottle of her favorite Crimson Chai wine. They never indulge in more than one glass, sitting before the fireplace and cuddling as soft music fills the room.

She waits until Talmere is asleep to sneak back to her office. She has not forgotten the deadline on the Survival Special that has gone through three full edits and still does not contain the right closing line. The words have come to her in a sudden burst of inspiration and she must finish out the piece, right now. The glow of her laptop screen causes her to squint and blink in the dark room but her discomfort is forgotten the moment her word processor finishes loading the file she wants.

It doesn't matter that she has published nearly twenty novels or that she has hundreds of fans. There is always that little negative voice that tries to tell the writer the piece isn't quite good enough and can somehow be made better. The secret is learning how to use that voice to your advantage without letting it control you. Her email program is opened by default, allowing her to easily tap out a few lines to her editor and attach the draft. Her heart races when she hits the submit button, a feeling that has never lessened from the day she sealed that first query letter in an envelope and put it in the mail bearing the bold signature of Steven Skyfall.

The writer's thrill is never dulled no matter how many submissions are published.

Credits

Profile Code by: Ringo
Extra Code by: Bug
Edited by: Chrysariel
Story by: Pureflower
Star Overlay by: Subeta
Star Overlay Redone by: Chrysariel
Star Overlay Eyes by: Kisspngs
Talmere Overlay by: Foxtrot
Upside Down Kitty by: frederick
13 Star Background by: 7-Themes.com
Velvet Background by: Wallpaper Cave
Name Art by: Chrysariel