Young Writers Society

I am a dieheart fan of Mistmantle. So, lets discuess the books. Discuess anything about them.

Oh, and i'm friends with M.I. McAllister. She and I are REALLY good friends. We email eachother weekly. I plan on seeing her one day.

Yes, let's! What's your favorite book in the series? Favorite character overall? Favorite recurring character?

My favorite book is "Urchin and the Heartstone".

My very favorite character is Brother Flame, but since he only appears in one book, my favorite recurring character is Sepia of the Songs. <3 I can really relate to her. Do you have any characters who you feel are very much like you?

Specifically to Queenofscience, I hope you'll soon have a chance to meet Mrs. McAllister. She's so kind and truly takes interest in individual people--just like the good characters in her stories!

I love all five books. Godh, I love all of the characters. I LOVE Padra,Fingal,Urchin. I love the otters. I love all of the characters. Btw, Smoakwreath was soooo creepy. I feel bad for Lintly and Mossberry due to personal reasons.

Why do you feel a personal connection with Sepia?

I guess asking about favorites wasn't the most valid question. Honestly, I love all the characters too--so much that I don't know how my heart has room for all of them. Certainly Padra and Fingal! There's no one quite like Padra, and Fingal, well--"Fish, friends, and water!" He's an otter! Captain Lugg is wonderful too, and dear Juniper, and polite little Hope...

But I picked out especially Sepia and Brother Flame because Sepia is who I'm most like already and Brother Flame is the one I most want to imitate. I feel a personal connection with Sepia because I'm also a quiet, absent-minded person who's shy except around close friends. I also love children, and most of all, I LOVE to sing. When I was younger, I even had my own Song Chamber in an empty grain bin in our backyard. I spent hours there alone, singing and listening to the beautiful echoes dance in the air like a chorus of angels.

Now, I've always wanted to be like Urchin, but I want to imitate Brother Flame just a little bit more, because he's a priest and a healer. He's very unassuming and doesn't think much of himself, working so much in the background that he barely even appear in the series. And yet the impact of his service and prayers are profound. I want to go into some kind of Christian ministry, but I want to be like Flame: mostly unnoticed, but creating a big impact.

Of course, I love all the books too, but there's a special place in my heart for Whitewings (because Brother Flame's heart is burdened for Whitewings), so when I have to choose a favorite, I pick "Urchin and the Heartstone".

Do you have any characters who you especially want to be like? I'm sure there's more than one. I'd also like to be like Fingal in some ways, and like Whisper in others. You could pick out one or two or so who you want to imitate.

I honistaly don know of what character I resmbal most, probaly Fingal and Hope. Fingal because he is funny and likes the water and fish. Hope because he can't see like me and is polite.

It was sooo sad when Whisper died. And I like Brother Fir because of his patints and kindness and strong belif in religon ( The Heart) . I like how it seems like the Heart is an eumphisium for God.

Thats cool that you had your own song cave.

If I was in Mistmantle I would be a healer, deffinatly a healer because I like helping others and I like medical stuff.

I like how in book three one thing happened after another after another.

I love books. I want to be a libraian in a high school. Im going to college soon. I would also try to include Mistmantle in my library. I hate it how publishers make Mistma out to be " a little kids book." Because of the content it is not for little kids.

I like the first book a lot and the third and fifth.

Oh, and I like Husk's evilness. Smoakwreath and Husk was my faviort villens. I just feel bad for Lintly/Mossberry.

Are you currentaly writing anything? Im writing a story with shapeshifters who can change into dogs/highly intellagent animals.

Are you currentaly writing anything? Im writing a story with shapeshifters who can change into dogs/highly intellagent animals.

Do you email Margaret? We email all the time. I want to see her so bad.

You said you'd be a healer if you lived on Mistmantle. What animal would you be? I'd guess an otter, from what you've said so far. What do you think your name would be?

I would be a squirrel named "Marigold" because in the Threadings Code, a marigold stands for joy. I actually wrote a Mistmantle story this past year in which Marigold ends up on Whitewings (although she's--or I'm--from Mistmantle). The story was partly a way to work through a a very painful experience I had almost a year ago, so it's private, and I won't share it on YWS. Besides, it wouldn't seem right to publicly share a story that weaves its way into Mrs. McAllister's stories. However, if you're interested, I would be willing to share it with you, because you're friends with her and truly love Mistmantle yourself.

Uh, anyway, I got a bit sidetracked there. That's great that you want to be a librarian. I've always looked up to librarians, though I don't think I would have the organizational skills to be one myself. Although I love books of course, I would probably find all the sorting a rather difficult and dull task. I agree that Mistmantle shouldn't be treated like a kids' book either, per se--though It should be read by children. It's kind of like the "Chronicles of Narnia", in that it has a level of purity and simplicity that makes it appropriate for kids, but also a depth that makes it a story for adults too. Every time I read the series, I find more layers of meaning.

Husk actually managed to tug at my heart because of his nightmares of Prince Tumble. He was always striving and striving, forcing his way toward his goal of power. Though power would turn out to be empty in the end, he wouldn't allow himself to let it go, and repent, and fall back to where he could have the Heart's peace. Instead, he just kept clinging to it, no matter how much it hurt him, no matter how much sleep he lost because of the nightmares. I would have liked to have seen him redeemed, but the 'True North' in "Urchin of the Riding Stars" was for him to run and not repent when confronted by his sin. He's a very profound character overall.

The High Splendor of Silver His Majesty King Silverbirch was actually my favorite villain. I read "The Mistmantle Chronicles" aloud to a friend once, and you wouldn't believe how much fun it is to read aloud Silverbirch's voice. He's disturbing and over-the-top: at times funny, but actually quite realistic. His already rather unbalanced mind was swept away by his greed.

I'm currently writing a lot of things, but the story I'm actively working on is my main story: "The Toymaker". It's about a toymaker named Clemence who is the last of a long-lost race of Master Crafters--the Kalinkein, who are exceptionally skilled at crafting and can infuse magic into anything they make. 230 years prior, Clemence's people were massacred by a tyrant named Sakiv. Though Sakiv was a human and no one would expect him to live as long as Clemence (the Kalinkein are very long-lived), Sakiv returned and again began to wage war on the world. Clemence joins his friends, Riyu the wanderer and Braeton the beggar, on a quest to stop Sakiv. There are a lot of other factors involved, but that's the bare bones of the story. I've actually written quite a bit of it already, but there's more to add and a lot to edit.

And, yes, I also email Margaret McAllister, though not as often as you do. I first worked up the courage to write to her a little less than a year ago, and now I feel like Urchin, or like Juniper, when they actually became friends with their heroes (Crispin and, well, Urchin). This year, I was traveling to Russia (from the United States), and my flights took me through England, so I actually had the opportunity to meet her. Just know that she's exactly as you'd expect her to be in real life, and I earnestly hope you'll get the chance to see her as well. Are you from the United States too?

I shared with her the Mistmantle story I wrote, "Marigold of Mistmantle" and she liked it, so perhaps you would like it too. Let me know if you want to read it. I don't have many people to share it with. I'm going to attach a drawing I made for it of Brother Flame and Marigold. Do you know the Threadings Code? Can you guess the meaning of the items Marigold is holding in the picture?

I hope this isn't too long! I ended up writing a lot!

I would love to read your short story, I won't share it with anyone. Trust me, like I only share my writing with Margaret because I trust her.

Yes, I'd be an otter! I did a role play with Margaret involving Mistmantle/my own island that I created. I also have done a time travle RP and a high fanasty RP with her. It's lots of fun.

Wow, your story sounds really cool. How did you get imspired to write your story/get imspired to write in general. I got imspired to write from reading Redwall, by Brian Jaques. I accualy met him. It was awesome.

I posted chapter one of my story on YWS ( but its not updated). I might share my story with you under conditions that you won't steal my work/is respectfull of my writing and will not make me seem like I have zero idea of what Im doing.

Maby we can help eachother....

I LOVE your piture.

Your so lucky to see Margaret. What did you do when you saw her?

Oh, and Silverberch/Husk/Smoakwreath are my favorit villens. I like Silverberch and Husk the most.

I real really bad for Linet/Mossberry due to healt issues that I have. And yes, I have practaly diginosed them, I knoe. Lintly seems to have PTSD/Mossberry seems to have Schizophrinia ( although not all of ths symtoms.)

Yes, I live in the us, I live in Arkansas ( formaly Texas) and Im going to go to college in Kansas City. Im guess that you dont live in the US. How old are you? Im 22.

Mairgold is holding the heartstone which only the rightfull rulers/preist on the lsland can hold.

Do you skype? I skype.

My email address is justsongmorning@yahoo.com (because I'm just "Songmorning" on the Internet with almost no other usernames). Send me an email, and I'll send you the story.

I'd love to hear about your island and your character in the Mistmantle universe. We can talk about our Mistmantle selves over email and maybe even do a little roleplay. I used to roleplay a lot when I was younger on a Warriors (Warrior Cats) website. I don't know of you've read that series.

By the way, my Mistmantle story isn't short...it's something like 24 chapters. While I was working on it, I spent every single spare moment writing, and my computer happened to die then so that I needed a new one. I like to say that I worked on it so intensely that I killed my poor computer.

When you ask about my inspiration, I assume you mean for "The Toymaker". Ahh, that's a hard question. It started out as simply, "I want to write a story about a toymaker, a wanderer, and a beggar who go on a quest together", and it just grew from there. I might tell you more about it over email, but it's my must precious story, so I'm a bit protective of it online.

I'm not sure how I got inspired to write in general, actually. I've just always written and made stories. My first recorded story, which I dictated to my dad when I was three and he wrote down, is called "Snip, Cougar, and Cheerio Went For a Walk in the Hot Winter Sun", and it was about my 2 toy cats and 1 real cat.

You seriously got to meet Brian Jacques? Now, that's a privilege I never had. What was he like? Was he a Christian like Margi? My parents read the Redwall books aloud to me for as long as I can remember, and I was reading them as soon as I could read well enough to do so. I loved that series, especially "Mariel of Redwall" and "Trisscar Swordmaid". Yet when I discovered Mistmantle, I found it to be somehow even more beautiful, and it's stayed with me more. I'll never forget that time when I was about 8 years old and I saw "Urchin of the Riding Stars" on the bookshelf. Something about it just reached out to me. We left without buying it (or so I thought), and I was so sad. But then, on Christmas morning, I found it in my stocking! Truly the best Christmas present I ever received. When did you first discover "The Mistmantle Chronicles"?

I loved the first chapter of your story, and I would love to read more. I've read a lot of stories on YWS now, and they all have their strengths, but it was your characters that really stood out to me and created a stronger impression on me than most characters in other people's stories. If you'll let me read more, I'd swear on the Heartstone not to steal anything.

When I met Margaret, we stayed for a couple days at her favorite guest house. We just walked around, talked, and had tea together, and also went to the Communion services in the guest house's chapel. When you get your chance to visit her, ask her about her favorite guest house. I don't want to say its name here, but I think if you ask, she'll know what you mean and want you to see it too. It's a beautiful place.

Dear Linty...she has such a caring heart. I want her to be healed. When I read the last book, I was always wishing I could talk to Mossberry. I'm curious about that one follower of his who really wanted to see him...what was her name? I never fully understood her. It's good that you diagnosed them, because that gives you a deeper understanding of them. I've thought of becoming a psychiatrist before, and maybe even will if my current plans don't work out. This past year, I had to see a psychiatrist because of the same bad experience which caused me to write "Marigold of Mistmantle", and she was amazing. I really admire psychiatrists, for the most part, because they care about people and put effort into understanding and reconciling people.

I'm actually from the US too, from Nebraska. I don't know how much more time I'll be spending in the US, though. I'm currently living in Russia for a couple months, but I'll be back in Nebraska with my family around New Years. Then I'll have a few more months in America before I fly to Zambia, Africa. I'm not sure how long I'll be there, but my dream is to live in Zambia and someday start an orphanage there. Internet's harder to get in Africa, so I probably won't be active on YWS anymore, but we can keep in touch.

Aah! You're 22? You're older than me! I'm 21 Haven't done much colleging--just an Associates of Arts degree and CNA certificate--but I worked almost full-time the past year.

Well, Marigold looks like she's holding the Heartstone, doesn't she? And she is training to be the next priest of Whitewings. However, she's actually supposed to be holding a cockle shell, which stands for a priest. In her other paw, she's holding Angelica for holiness, Feverfew for healing, and of course a Marigold. I memorized the Threadings Code because I like symbolism , but it turns out even Margaret hasn't memorized it. Guess she never really needed to.

Oops, forgot to mention: I do Skype. I don't think I'll want to Skype from Russia, just because I've been saving my allotted Skype time for my parents. However, we should Skype sometime after I get home, before or after New Years. My username in Skype is, of course, Songmorning, so I think you can find me if you search that name. However, my real name will probably show up there too.

Yes, we can deffinitaly talk about Mistmantle etc over email.

Why do you like my characters so much in my story?

Why do you want to open up an orphanage?

With Brian Jaques I honistaly don't know if he's Christin. Im christin, though.

I like therpist but not psychiatrist. They suck, to me. I have had good therpist. Yeah, I wish I could talk to Mossberry and help him get better. Im happy that Apple and Filbert were kind to him and treated him like anyone else.

We can maby role play, but I would have to see with college and other things.

May I join the conversation? I've been a devotee of Mistmantle ever since I found the first book at a school book fair.