About
Over 20 years ago Wannabe ballerina K. Crumley hung up her point shoes, and sat down at the typewriter. A long-time lover of fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen, Brothers Grimm, and Oscar Wilde led her to create stories of her own. The most notable was The Golden Rose. Crumley enrolled in Writer's Digest School for short fiction writing and improved her craft. Ms. Crumley branched out, and began to create horror stories like Carousel, and more mature stories such as the novella Wishful Thinking, in which the protagonist is coincidentally a ballerina.
Does K. Crumley ever regret her changing careers, from dancing to writing. In a word: No.
"It's all up from here" Crumley states, as she launches her own small press Dragondreamz Publications, along with the quarterly periodical Full Armor Magazine.
A King Under Siege: Book One of The Plantagenet Legacy
Description
<p>Richard II found himself under siege not once, but twice in his minority. Crowned king at age ten, he was only fourteen when the Peasants' Revolt terrorized London. But he proved himself every bit the Plantagenet successor, facing Wat Tyler and the rebels when all seemed lost. Alas, his triumph was short-lived, and for the next ten years he struggled to assert himself against his uncles and increasingly hostile nobles. Just like in the days of his great-grandfather Edward II, vengeful magnates strove to separate him from his friends and advisors, and even threatened to depose him if he refused to do their bidding. The Lords Appellant, as they came to be known, purged the royal household with the help of the Merciless Parliament. They murdered his closest allies, leaving the King alone and defenseless. He would never forget his humiliation at the hands of his subjects. Richard's inability to protect his adherents would haunt him for the rest of his life, and he vowed that next time, retribution would be his.</p>
Story Behind The Book
This story started out as a teen mystery when I was in college, with only two sisters both orphaned. The one sister is accused of killing her fiance... It was on the back burner for quite a while, because I actually preferred writing fantasy to typical coming of age stories.
Then, years ago I had a dream that I turned into a faerie...which breathed new life into an old idea. I wrote the first chapter as an for a writing contest...to which I wound up not entering. Instead, I kept developing my idea...adding two more sisters; and a family dilemma inspired by real life controversy.
Most of the characters are inspired by artwork of Amy Brown, Jessica Galbreth, and Ruth Thompson. The home of the Etherwood sisters was inspired by a gorgeous estate in Oakmont, PA which I always adored. The character Cayden was inspired by my own sister, who was just like her at that age. Xandria was partially inspired by the character Shannon on Lost.
A sequel is in the works....
