Heyo everyone! We are officially ONE WEEK FROM CHRISTMAS!!! To celebrate, I thought I would do an interview and book release spotlight with Lucy Peterson, whose Nutcracker retelling just released yesterday! *shoots paper confetti all over the blogisphere* If you're looking for a friends to lovers romance with autumn and Christmas vibes, a masquerade ball (me likey!), and secret identities, this is your kind of book. I'll list all the fun links at the end of the interview, but for now, let's here from Lucy about A Noble Warrior​!  C: First of all, welcome to the blog, Lucy! It’s so wonderful to have you on The Southern Story Scribbler. Let’s get started! How did you get started writing? When did you begin to seriously write? (As in, with the mindset of "this could be published"?)
L: I have been creating stories for as long as I can remember. And actually, there are two different times where I began to seriously write. XD I was nine when I started a his-fic novel that I knew I just had to publish, and I was eleven or twelve when I decided I wanted to become an author.
C: What genres do you primarily write in?
L: Fantasy is my favorite and main genre, but when I need a brain-break I write short spy/contemporary stories. 
C: Oh, cool! Same here. What was your first ever completed writing project? (And where is it now?)
L: My first ever completed project…hm. I believe that was the first novel I finished. I co-wrote it with my best friend when we were eleven/twelve, and we were convinced we were going to indie publish it and turn it into an epic four-book series. We even ran it through a round of edits with another author, and had gotten seven chapters into book two before we both were slammed with writer’s block. XD That novel is now sitting in a dusty hidden doc—and a very edited manuscript in my room—to be brought up in a joke every now and then.
C: Wow, that's so neat! I've only ever done co-writing once, and yeah, nothing beats a co-written book like double writer's block. XP What was your first ever published project? 
L: My first published story was a WW2 short story I co-wrote with my best friend in the Everything KDWC anthology. My first solo published project was the allegorical fantasy novella I published early this year, When the Stars Shine Again.
C: So let's talk more about your newly released book, A  Noble Warrior! What can you tell us about it?
L: A Noble Warrior is a Christian Fantasy Nutcracker retelling, about a prince who must choose between picking up a sword to rescue his people, or protecting the mask that saved his life. 
It’s got holiday vibes, siblings, banter, fun masquerade themes, and the Mouse King might just be the ruler of the Land of Sweets…
C: I LOVE sibling banter so much, so even if you didn't already have me hooked with a Nutcracker retelling.... XD How did you get the idea for A Noble Warrior? 
L: Honestly, there was never “the idea.” XD ANW was a long process of searching for ideas and figuring out plot points and desperately hoping everything made sense. There was no core “idea” that sparked the novella, unlike most of my other projects that definitely start with a single spark. 
C: And this isn’t your first shot at publication. You’ve been featured in several anthologies with KDWC (see above) and Beyond the Bookery, which is how you and I ended up published together (Seize the Moment authors unite!) last year. What has been different about writing YA contemporary versus NA fantasy?
L: Ah, yes, my StM story is my one published contemporary project. 
Hm…honestly, the main difference is with the characters. Contemporary characters do everything faster. Their thoughts are shorter, their actions more impulsive, and they (especially Damian) tend to make some modern references or really wonky comparisons. XD And my writing prose is a lot more fast-paced and sarcastic. 
With NA fantasy…not only are the characters older (my characters are both 20, the very lowest of the NA range), but they are almost more grounded, in a way. They think through things, and just have…idk, a way of reacting to stuff that only happens when I write fantasy. And my prose is definitely more flowery and whimsical. The long words are brought out in abundance. 
C: Damian was definitely quite the impulsive character, I do remember that. XD Any other upcoming projects you're working on that you can tell us about? :D 
L: I’m currently working on a novel, Project: Wolf. It's a YA fantasy, with found family, wolves, magical relics, fighting clans, and kidnappings. 
Here’s the hook: 
“Gyda’s civil war has ended…but the struggle for power has not.
Lupa Ulric’s brother is kidnapped on the anniversary of her beta ceremony, and if she wants him back, she must work with an outsider who may be in on the plot…”
C: Okay, I am so excited to read Project Wolf now! And I love the name Lupa - it sounds so unique, even in fantasy!
Thank you so much, Lucy! It was wonderful to learn about you and your books. 
L: Thank you for having me! It was so fun! About A Noble Warrior What would happen if you wear a mask for so long, you forget who you truly are beneath it?
Ever since the Mouse King usurped his parents’ thrones, Cassian Erich has been on the run, seeking safety far away from any hint of his old self. But after only two years of shaky peace, a disastrous meeting sends him stumbling back into the Mouse King’s hands, and once again, his life is in danger. Hunted, he must decide whether or not the mask he has built for himself is worth the cost of his kingdom. 
A prince or a nut farmer. One identity will see him killed. The other, an entire country destroyed.
For the past two years, Marie Stahlb’rin has spent her life pretending she is no longer affected by the death of her younger sister and hiding the pain she can’t let go of. But when a failed assassination attempt on her best friend thrusts her into a world of treachery, she finds herself with no choice but to face the past.
Betrayals, secrets, and danger abound when a prince must choose between picking up a sword for his country or protecting the mask that saved his life.
A Noble Warrior is an NA Christian fantasy Nutcracker retelling and book #10 of the Cornerstone Series.
GR: www.goodreads.com/book/show/204190275-a-noble-warrior
Amazon: www.amazon.com/Noble-Warrior-Cornerstone-10-ebook/dp/B0CQQHTR1X/ref
Release Goodies Form: https://forms.gle/sb9r1HAvNCiwm43s7 About Lucy Peterson Lucy Peterson is a young North Dakota prairie girl with an unquenchable fountain of stories flowing through her head. She’s convinced she was born into the wrong world, and will dig through every wardrobe and try on every golden ring she meets. She is an Imagineer, Elf Maiden, and Narnian queen at heart, and strives in all her writing to bring glory to the One True King.
Connect with Lucy at: luluslibrary.com