Havely – A review of an original short story by Megsly
We spend quite a bit of time on MVF talking about fan fiction. We’ve worked hard to create a fan fiction archive that is a haven for both authors and readers of fan fic from the Vampire Diaries, to Southern Vampire Mysteries and Twilight. One of our goals at MVF is to encourage creativity in our readers and one of the most popular forms seems to be writing. Twilight fan fiction has opened up many people, including myself, to trying their hand at writing. As much as I love writing fan fiction, I don’t know if I would be brave enough to branch out and write something original. Writing fan fiction gives the author a built in advantage. We have the characters already formed - their appearance, mannerisms, and back stories are all laid out for us to play with. So, I have great admiration for authors who branch out from fan fiction to try writing something that is completely their own.
Today, I’m going to talk about one such author and MVF staff member, Megsly. Many of you probably already know Megsly from her fan fiction and her blogs here at MVF. What many of you might not know is that she also writes original fiction. In fact, she was brave enough to write an entry for author Melissa Marr’s Writing Contest. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Melissa Marr, she is an amazing author who has written the Wicked Lovely series, among other books. The top six entries will go to Melissa Marr herself, and she will pick three to receive her feedback, among other prizes. Part of the process to narrow down the contest entries to six is voting by readers.
Every aspiring author I know dreams of getting constructive feedback from a published author. There is no better way to improve your writing and learn about the publishing industry than from someone who has been through the process a time or two, and been successful to boot. I’ve read Megsly’s entry and want to help her get into the top six entries, not just because she’s my friend, but because she is a very talented writer as well.
Havely is a beautifully written story about a recent college graduate, still struggling with the death of her parents. Kat lost her parents in a house fire when she was 11 years old. On that day, her guardian angel Havely finally revealed her true nature. Since meeting Kat at the age of five, Havely had formed herself to match Kat’s age, and they had grown up together with Kat never knowing that Havely was really something much more than human.
Since her parent’s death, Havely has been both Kat’s best friend and her guardian. Because Kat missed her parents so much, Havely took Kat to see them in the in between world. There, she could talk to her parents and they could touch her. She reveled in their presence, soaking up the short moments they had together. Each time she left them, Kat grew to miss her parents more and more. But, knowing she had Havely there gave her faith that she would always have a connection to them. Then, one day she learned that it weakened Havely to take Kat to her parents, and that she was only meant to watch over Kat until she finds happiness. Of course, Kat has no idea what that means. Havely is tight lipped, only telling Kat that some secrets are meant to be kept. So, Kat is left confused and hurt, knowing that one day, Havely will leave her and she won’t be able to see her parents again. What she doesn’t realize, is that happiness is much closer than she could ever imagine. Havely is a touching story about love, loss, letting go, and finding that happiness comes in the most unexpected of ways.
Megsly brings the story alive with her rich descriptions, beautiful imagery, and engaging dialogue. I really felt a connection to Kat while I was reading the story, because she crafted the story in such a way that you become Kat for a few, brief moments. This is a story that I can guarantee will leave you wanting to know more!
I really hope all of you go read Havely and vote for it. It is a deserving story by an amazing author who I am so glad to call my friend.
Click here to read and vote for Havely
Havely totally captured me and I think everyone should get out there and read it while they have the chance. It’s so well done and a very lovely read.
I’m proud of you Meg for getting out there and writing OF!