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Love like Winter by MandyLeigh87

OFFICIAL SUMMARY:

Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a young prince lived in a shining castle. Although he had everything his heart desired, the prince was spoiled, selfish, and unkind...For who could ever learn to love a beast? B/E Inspired by Beauty and the Beast AH

REVIEW:

Everyone in town has heard of the mysterious Edward Cullen, who hasn’t left his mansion since his parents were murdered years before. The only way people know he’s alive is when Jasper Whitlock comes into town to re-stock their supplies. To Bella Swan, Edward Cullen was as real as Santa Clause and she’s unsure what his story is. All that changes when her truck breaks down and she’s forced to give up her European travel plans and stay at the Cullen mansion for the whole winter. Her presence isn’t very welcome to the Master of the Manor, however.

I shivered when I felt someone watching us and glanced up to the second story. I could almost see the shape of someone standing in the shadows and I knew it must be him.

"Jasper she can't stay here," he snapped. His voice was flat, monotone. There was no feeling or inflection. It was dead.

I squinted into the darkness trying to see him, but it was useless. He was blanketed in complete darkness.

Edward hides himself away, to hide his physical and emotional scars from a night that changed his life. A stupid, crazy teenage life leads to a life-altering evening that takes away the two most important people in Edward’s life. That’s not something that’s easy to get over, but Edward hasn’t even begun to try and forgive himself before Bella enters his life. He isn’t even able to get through the night without waking up from horrible nightmares.

The rusty stench of blood assaulted my nose as I inched the door open. The room was still dark as hell so I reached beside me to turn on the light. I squinted as the bright flash momentarily blinded me and held my hand out in front of me as a shield. When I could finally see again, I wished I hadn't.

Red. There was red everywhere. Splattered, across the white walls. Pooled, on the white carpet. Spilling out from the gaping wound in my mother's neck. Her eyes were staring straight ahead, her cheeks still damp from her tears. I didn't have to check to know it. She was dead.

When these two characters are trapped in a mansion together it’s hard to avoid the magnetism that’s between them. Edward works through his emotional turmoil and Bella is determined to save him and make him realize the man he’s truly meant to be. Healing begins and we watch two people fall in love. MandyLeigh87 has created characters that are rich in personality and whose pain and troubles are real. Both are unsure and scared of what spring will be, but still forge ahead to make a relationship.

"I love you," I said again, just because I could. "I deserve you," I whispered. I leaned over and kissed her neck.

"I love you too," she murmured as she drifted asleep. I followed closely behind her, my body feeling like it was completely melted into the bed.

I woke a few hours later to Bella still asleep beside me. The freezing rain slamming against the window outside woke me and I realized that I might have lied to her. Maybe the spring was coming early. For once in my life, I wished winter would stay forever.

Jasper is the only other main character in the story right now (although Alice was mentioned briefly). Jasper lives at the mansion with Edward and is the lighthearted person in their friendship, and has stuck by him through everything. Go read Love Like Winter and delve into a wonderful Beauty and the Beast fairytale. We still have a lot to find out. Who’s the assailant mentioned in the prologue? What will Bella and Edward do when spring arrives to their hiding spot? I can’t wait to see what else MandyLeigh87 brings to these characters. I have faith that it’ll be their fairytale ending.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW:

What gave you the idea for this story?

I was watching my new copy of Beauty and the Beast because I'm a not-so-closeted Disney fan and couldn't help but notice some of the similarities between the Beast and how Edward seems to view himself. I obviously connected the main characters names (Belle and Bella) and the whole thing just kind of spawned from there. I thought it'd be a great mix of the two, all while creating a story all my own.

Are their any FF authors that inspire you?

There are way too many to name, but I really appreciate anyone who writes the story their way and doesn't necessarily conform to pressure of what everyone else thinks it should be. That can be difficult, especially when people are so invested in a story and want it to go a certain way. I have a lot of respect for people who write the story they want to write.


What was your main inspiration for your lead characters?

I put my spin on the original Beauty and the Beast characters, especially to modernize them a bit. I also wanted to stay away from the fantasy aspect of the original Beauty and the Beast so Edward's story is incredibly dark and gritty, but still manages to have hints of the Beast and his struggles. I wanted Bella to be a strong-willed, outspoken person. It's easy to be intimidated by Beastward at first, but I wanted her to be a little pushy because it created the perfect static between her and Edward. He was so used to everyone walking on eggshells around him and he finally met someone who refused to do it and made him face his demons.


What do you think it takes to make a fic special and stand out to a reader?

I know a lot of people read fic for the smut, which is all fine and dandy, but if you can't tell a good story at the same time it's not going to resonate with anyone. I want my fics to do that. I've done a wide-range of stories and read a wide-range of stories and the ones with a perfect balance of plot, characters, and sex appeal tend to be the ones that stick with me.


What do you find the hardest about writing this story?

This Edward is very dark and demented almost and that's quite a change from anything I've written before so I'd say that's been my biggest challenge. I wanted him to be that way, almost so deep in his own problems that it was nearly drowning him, but I didn't want to drown my readers. I've been trying to find the right balance between this dark character and showing bits and pieces of his lighter side. Writers can walk a very fine line between creating a good character and destroying them.


Why do you think people should read this story?

Despite its sometimes dark storyline, I think its fun. I call it the grown-up, real world version of Beauty and the Beast. It's like a demented fairy tale, but a fairy tale none the less. The setting is so gothic and romantic to me, I just really love the feel of the story.


What cliches do you feel authors should avoid while writing fanfic?

The top cliche I cannot stand is when Alice is deemed a "pixie." I have no idea why, I probably did it once or twice in my earlier fics, but it makes me cringe. I say avoid as many cliches as possible and create your own.


Do your RL friends and family know about your love and obsession with all things Twilight?

Most people who know me know I'm a fan and although I do call myself a big fan, I can't say that I'm as "obsessed" as I used to be and it has nothing to do with the actual series itself or that I've fallen out of love with it, I think I've just found the right notch of "obsession."


Have you got any other projects going on? Any planned for the future?

Love Like Winter is my main focus right now, but I have started a new project called The Roommate, which deviates quite a bit from Love Like Winter. I also had to write a screenplay for a class I took, so I'm hoping to one day convert that into a novel. I know everyone says that, but it is something I'd like to do someday and I think it's great that so many fanfic authors have gotten some of their work published.


Do you have anyone that you'd like to thank for helping and supporting you through this fic?

*Looks at the clock* How much time do we have? I've had so many people support me not only with this fic, but with my writing as well. The ladies at The Lemonade Stand have been fanstastic along with my friends on Twitter. ImHereToReview is one of the most amazing people in the fandom and she's been on Team Beastward from the very beginning and I love her for that. Besides that, she's been a huge part of my new story as well. I also have a fantastic beta, kdillin, who has been with me for a few stories now and I appreciate her hard work.


When you aren't writing which fics are you reading right now?

I just graduated college, so unfortunately I haven't been able to read much as of late. The one I've most recently read was Unplanned Perfection. I hope that now I'm done with school I can get back into reading because I love seeing what people come up with for stories. They're so creative.


How where you introduced to the fandom? Do you remember which FanFic was your first to read? If you mean when did I first read Twilight, I was in Europe. It started in the Detroit airport when I was looking in the bookstore for something to read on the flight at the beginning of my study abroad. I saw Twilight sitting on the shelf and kept thinking, "I've heard that's kinda good" so I bought it on a whim and finally found out who all those bumper stickers on Facebook were talking about. I breezed through the first two books in London and then had to venture out and find the closest bookstore that had Eclipse. I got home just in time for Breaking Dawn to come out and have proudly converted many to the fandom. As far as fanfic goes, I was in this Twilight fan group on Facebook and "Wide Awake" kept getting mentioned. I got curious and the rest is history.

Is there any information that you would like to share that was not already covered? You can follow me on twitter @MandyLeigh010 or friend me on Facebook MandyLeigh Fanfic. Love Like Winter also has a blog http://www.bnbfic.blogspot.com with a playlist, blinkie and teasers.



Thanks for Reading!!
Please leave us a comment and let us know what you thought.
TwiFicDataBase Staff
@Frzr71186

2 comments:

Thanks again for choosing Love Like Winter. I was absolutely thrilled : )

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