Q&A, Fun Facts, and Everything Else Under the Sun

So I'm going to answer some of your questions about this book. Here goes:

flower8563: What urged you to write this story in the first place?

It all started the day I fell in love with The Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot. It's one of my all-time favorite series. I have no words to express my absolute love for those books. It inspired me to write a princess story, particularly a Cinderella one. I'm also a fan of a lot of "Another Cinderella Story" out there.

After a while, I came across an idea. The title, Glass Sneakers, came first. If I'm not mistaken, this was when I first became interested with Keds, after Taylor Swift started endorsing it. Then it just clicked. I wanted to create a not-so-typical heroine who loved wearing sneakers.

emilyokay: How did you get the characters' names? Especially Art's. They suit the characters a lot!

Thank you. I'm obsessed with naming my characters. You guys have no idea how long it takes for me to name each of them.

First off, our heroine, George. I named her after my late uncle, whom I'd loved dearly. He committed suicide when I was in college. If you remember the backstory about George's name, it's actually similar to the real reason why I used it. And her boyish nickname was intended, mostly because of her personality.

Next, Art. I'm obsessed with the nickname Art. Forgive me for I forgot where and when I'd heard it. I just wrote it in my 'name bank', and I couldn't wait to use it for one of my stories. When I'd decided to use it for Glass Sneakers, I had to find a royalty sort of oldish kind of long/real name for him, which was Arthur Luke.

As for the others, I found them at babynames.com.

emilyokay: Does Art has some downsides? He's so perfect; I couldn't see any negativities in him.

This is completely my fault. I adored Art so much I forgot to be clear with his negative sides. I'll make this better when I edit the story. And yes, he does have some negative qualities.

For example, he's actually a lazy person. Unless he has a motivation, you would find it hard to get a reaction from him. He usually just goes with the flow.

But as you all know, he eventually got better when he met George. He did things he usually didn't do. This was one of the main reasons why George had been chosen. Art insisted on her so much that the palace had realized he must have really wanted her to be the princess-in-training.

emilyokay: How to find Art in real life?

I'll answer this question together with all the other questions about Art's whereabouts.

Um... have you tried ebay? Or like one reader, joannxh, said, ebae? Just asking. You might find a copy of him there. And if you did find one, remember to send me a link.

JACK

So let's talk about Jack and all the questions regarding this wonderful guy. If there's a poll, I'm sure he would have won favorite character--landslide. This guy is impossible not to love.

I'd chosen the name Jack because it's the kind of name you hear everywhere. I'm also guilty of loving Jack Frost too much, and it might have also been one of the reasons.

And here's the great revelation: Jack's persona was based on Taylor Swift's bodyguard (by now, you must be aware that I'm a Swiftie). Unfortunately, I do not know his name. But you could see him in these pictures:

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/01/21/article-2543036-1AD6BE5500000578-161_634x420.jpg

http://media.tumblr.com/7c2bdf403cf1cf6ebe04a80a0c29186a/tumblr_inline_n20emmnMS11s26c7d.jpg

http://media.tumblr.com/1f807d0cad3b5848a0259b510ad152bf/tumblr_inline_n20dpsa9dN1s26c7d.jpg (see external link)

That's how I see Jack while I write the story. And the secret's out. Ha. Ha.

Two more people further inspired our big guy's personality: Joe from Princess Diaries (because I loved how he cared for Mia in the film) and Dwayne Johnson himself (because I really like him an actor and love every film he starred in and I can't even explain why).

About the yoga... that came out of nowhere. You write the story, and sometimes, the story also writes itself.

As for the questions if he could be your bodyguard, our princess still needs him. Where will George be if Jack isn't there?

loveismykindajam: I wanna know Art's POV or something about George.

He's boring! Hahaha. He probably thinks about how to love George even more. Like all the time.

On a more serious note, the reason why I mostly write solely from the heroine's point of view is that I want to develop the story from her eyes, with her mind, and taking every step of the way with her. I will only do changing POVs if it's essential to the plot. But for this story, it's not.

Let's have some personal questions. These are from lovinghorses13:

For Art: Are you planning to propose, get married, and have a kid anytime soon?

YES! All of the above.

For George: How does it feel being accepted back in? Were you super surprised, or were you kind of expecting it?

I was most definitely surprised. I never thought it was even possible. Just a while ago, Lenora scolded me for not knowing the difference of A-line and princess cut. It looked the same to me, but I wouldn't tell her that.

For Jack: Teach me your secrets, o master.

Learning takes time, child.

For Bridge: How did you become such a workaholic?

I don't have the time not to be one.

For Peter: How does it feel to be 'losing' your best friend?

George deserves to be happy. And I'm glad that she's happily married to Art now.

For Mom no. 2: How are you feeling now that the girl you've grown so close to is growing up so fast?

George and I, we're like a team. I definitely miss seeing her every day. But I'll always be proud of her. I can't wait to see what her future will be like.

For Dad: How does it feel to be back, then to have your little girl leaving home?

She left home the moment I came back. This is insane. Does she hate me or something?

SEQUEL

I know that you guys keep on telling me to be open to possibilities and not close any doors. I'm not. But I really don't see myself doing a sequel for this story. It sounds like a finished book to me.

Like you, I will also miss this story so terribly much. In fact, I had a hard time writing the last chapter. I was so sad it wasn't even making any sense. But at some point, we all have to let it go. It's midnight and we all have to go back to a life without it. Shucks. Talking about this makes me sad again.

If there would be some kind of a spin-off, it will be Jack's story. Not really a story. Maybe something we can call as "The Book About Life" or something. Hahaha. But I don't see myself doing it now. It's just an idea. Maybe one day.

fireandwater: Which character is your favorite? You can't say all of them either.

George. Jack is a great contender, but I'll always love George more than anyone else in this story. Who is yours?

fireandwater: What was your inspiration for the story?

The main concept I wanted to develop was a girl who felt worthless to loved. I also suffered from a low self-esteem. It has always been a topic I wanted to talk about in one of my stories.

I also wanted to talk about scars, as they are the likely reason why one suffers from a low self-esteem. How scars could mean more than an off mark on your skin, on your soul, or in your life. I have plenty of scars and I personally find it hard to deal with them. Sometimes, I write stories in order to talk to myself. Tell myself things I want to realize. Eventually, these two became the main foundations of the story.

Spring Infinity Mystery

I mistakenly uploaded the update for "In Places Where You Are" in Glass Sneakers. Sorry. I removed it right away, but you still got the update.

_LiveCreatively_: What keeps you determined to continue writing your story?

My readers. Their love for the book. These are things that keep me going. And dark chocolates.

As a writer, I always start a story with the intent to finish it. No matter how long or fast it takes. But every now and then, you will still need to find an inspiration to keep you going. And I'll always be thankful to my readers for inspiring me to work harder every day. No matter how tired I am, reading their messages puts a smile on my face. Thank you.

_LiveCreatively_: WHY CAN'T I MARRY SOMEONE LIKE ART!?!!!?!?

This is kind of hard to answer. Which brings us to another question (see below).

hystericaladventurer: Is there really a person like Art or have you met someone or where do you find them?

Art is a pure fictional character. No real person was used as the inspiration for his character, unlike some of my other characters. Finding him might be hard, but I sometimes see Art in Andrew Garfield himself or Lee Min Ho. :)

hystericaladventurer: Are you willing to publish this book?

I would love to (after I edit the story and polish some things).

~Author's note~

First of all, I just wanted to say thank you so much for reading the story and for all the love and support. I will always miss this story. You share my pain. I know you do. I know we're all crying together.

George, Art, Jack, Bridge, Moms, the Queen, Diana, Pete and the entire gang, I will always think of them. This story will always have a special place in my heart. Thanks for sharing the journey with me. For all the votes and comments and all the wonderful things you did, thank you.

Special thanks to those who asked the questions above:

@flower8563

@emilyokay

@loveismykindajam

@lovinghorses13

@fireandwater

@_LiveCreatively_

@hystericaladventurer

Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart. ♥

love lots,

Freesia

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