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Forgotten Princess #1
Impulse
All of her life, Jendra has dreamed of finding paradise. In her heart, she knows that paradise is real, and she will continue searching until she finds it.
One fateful day, the usually agile girl trips in the darkness of an abandoned alleyway.
To her surprise, she discovers an alien body. And the alien is still breathing.
This chance encounter sets the course for an incredible adventure that just might lead Jendra to paradise.
Impulse is the first enchanting story in the sci-fi fairy-tale series Forgotten Princess.
One fateful day, the usually agile girl trips in the darkness of an abandoned alleyway.
To her surprise, she discovers an alien body. And the alien is still breathing.
This chance encounter sets the course for an incredible adventure that just might lead Jendra to paradise.
Impulse is the first enchanting story in the sci-fi fairy-tale series Forgotten Princess.
118 pages, Paperback
First published April 9, 2015
84 people want to read
About the author
Iffix Y. Santaph
6 books22 followersGreetings readers,
Welcome to my author profile!
I have been writing stories since I was only seven, and finally, after 21 years, I have decided to share my craft with any who might enjoy it.
I took an interest in science-fiction and fantasy very early in my life. I love that there is a greater freedom of imagination in speculative fiction. In fact, I chose to write for tweens and teens for the very same reason. While I love the freedom to write to a slightly older audience, I love that young ones haven't lost their sense of wonder and their freedom to believe.
I have a profound respect for authors who write to share a concept and change the world, but for me, an adventurous plot and personable characters are the highlight of a good sci-fi story. I enjoy the research that goes into making a story realistic. For example, if you acquire a copy of Impulse, you will find that the characters have a degree of medical knowledge, and the procedures discussed are generally based on medical textbooks. But, I also value the opportunity to fill a world with aliens and monsters, where people can jump between worlds in an instant, things of a very different nature from Hard Sci-Fi. I love Brandon Sanderson's view of story-telling: awesome first, scientific whenever possible. (I took his classes via YouTube, something I recommend for anyone who wishes to cultivate better writing.) I love that I have the freedom to break Asimov's laws of robotics (and I generally prefer my robots to be more menacing and dangerous than Asimov's laws would allow), but I also value what Sanderson has said about magic / technology systems, and imposing laws of my own on my world to attain a sense of realism. (Boundaries within which I can work so that I have a story I can be satisfied with, one which doesn't rely on Deus Ex Machina for resolution.)
I have been a Free Writer for the past 21 years. Others might use the term "pantser", to mean someone who writes by the seat of his pants. While I have recently begun using outlines for my novels, I value free writing for a very good reason. I want to be as excited to tell the story as I hope my audience will be to read it.
I also have learned a lot from such authors as Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett about comedy in speculative fiction. Particularly that I do not need to write serious stories to be a serious author. I value a good sense of humor in a story. I prefer to make my situations serious and my characters humorous, as this strikes a nice balance. A story with a humorous plot deserts and disappoints the readers in a series like I am currently developing. But humorous characters can make anything funny without compromising awesomeness.
Regarding characterization, I find that the best stories, speculative or not, mimic real life. I have experienced the pain of profound loss at one point or another in my own life. (And in fact I count one particular loss as the catalyst that led me to become the writer I am today.) On the other hand, I truly value the opportunity to laugh myself to tears. Likewise, I want my characters to experience a full range of emotions throughout their stories. If I can make both a character's joy and pain believable, I will consider that my crowning achievement as an author.
I wanted to add here one quirk to my approach as a writer. I firmly believe that one of the keys to writing for a young audience is to help these ones to learn. In short, I feel very strongly that where there is a choice to be made between the small word and the right word, the right word should win out.
So if you're up for an adventure that may challenge you as a reader, with characters that have depth and worlds that will stretch your imagination, please check out my series.
Thank you again for visiting my author page. I hope to share a story with you soon that you will really enjoy.
Sincerely,
Iffix Y Santaph
Welcome to my author profile!
I have been writing stories since I was only seven, and finally, after 21 years, I have decided to share my craft with any who might enjoy it.
I took an interest in science-fiction and fantasy very early in my life. I love that there is a greater freedom of imagination in speculative fiction. In fact, I chose to write for tweens and teens for the very same reason. While I love the freedom to write to a slightly older audience, I love that young ones haven't lost their sense of wonder and their freedom to believe.
I have a profound respect for authors who write to share a concept and change the world, but for me, an adventurous plot and personable characters are the highlight of a good sci-fi story. I enjoy the research that goes into making a story realistic. For example, if you acquire a copy of Impulse, you will find that the characters have a degree of medical knowledge, and the procedures discussed are generally based on medical textbooks. But, I also value the opportunity to fill a world with aliens and monsters, where people can jump between worlds in an instant, things of a very different nature from Hard Sci-Fi. I love Brandon Sanderson's view of story-telling: awesome first, scientific whenever possible. (I took his classes via YouTube, something I recommend for anyone who wishes to cultivate better writing.) I love that I have the freedom to break Asimov's laws of robotics (and I generally prefer my robots to be more menacing and dangerous than Asimov's laws would allow), but I also value what Sanderson has said about magic / technology systems, and imposing laws of my own on my world to attain a sense of realism. (Boundaries within which I can work so that I have a story I can be satisfied with, one which doesn't rely on Deus Ex Machina for resolution.)
I have been a Free Writer for the past 21 years. Others might use the term "pantser", to mean someone who writes by the seat of his pants. While I have recently begun using outlines for my novels, I value free writing for a very good reason. I want to be as excited to tell the story as I hope my audience will be to read it.
I also have learned a lot from such authors as Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett about comedy in speculative fiction. Particularly that I do not need to write serious stories to be a serious author. I value a good sense of humor in a story. I prefer to make my situations serious and my characters humorous, as this strikes a nice balance. A story with a humorous plot deserts and disappoints the readers in a series like I am currently developing. But humorous characters can make anything funny without compromising awesomeness.
Regarding characterization, I find that the best stories, speculative or not, mimic real life. I have experienced the pain of profound loss at one point or another in my own life. (And in fact I count one particular loss as the catalyst that led me to become the writer I am today.) On the other hand, I truly value the opportunity to laugh myself to tears. Likewise, I want my characters to experience a full range of emotions throughout their stories. If I can make both a character's joy and pain believable, I will consider that my crowning achievement as an author.
I wanted to add here one quirk to my approach as a writer. I firmly believe that one of the keys to writing for a young audience is to help these ones to learn. In short, I feel very strongly that where there is a choice to be made between the small word and the right word, the right word should win out.
So if you're up for an adventure that may challenge you as a reader, with characters that have depth and worlds that will stretch your imagination, please check out my series.
Thank you again for visiting my author page. I hope to share a story with you soon that you will really enjoy.
Sincerely,
Iffix Y Santaph
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 12, 2015
Short at just over 100 pages long, there's still a lot of adventure shoved between these pages. A good read, and I'll be looking into the 2nd one.
August 28, 2015
The book opens with Tranoudor, a safe and beautiful underground city, designed to mimic surface life up above. Jendra, the most not normal Gwalf you’ve ever met is not content with exploring the safe areas but instead longs to visit every unknown and uncharted part of her world and maybe someday the galaxy. She does not fit in with the other Gwalf nor does she want to.
Her best friend Leon, Dr. Hedgewik’s star pupil, can’t help but join her on her exploits around the city, until one day they come across something they’ve never seen before: a human.
In a quest to save this unconscious and unknown woman’s life, they leave the safety of the city in search of a cure, entering the cave of the dreaded Je’rax and other untold and unnumbered dangers. They take with them Leon’s young cousin Toby whose mechanical inclination comes in handy along the way.
This children’s middle grade fiction transports readers to a land blended in science fiction and fantasy. Robots, strange creatures, princesses, hang gliding and certain death await the reader in this carefully crafted world.
While the book tackles some difficult issues such as abandonment, it is handled in a light way that positively impacts the story. The result is a well written and engaging plot appropriate for all ages and audiences. One peek into this world will leave you wanting more.
Her best friend Leon, Dr. Hedgewik’s star pupil, can’t help but join her on her exploits around the city, until one day they come across something they’ve never seen before: a human.
In a quest to save this unconscious and unknown woman’s life, they leave the safety of the city in search of a cure, entering the cave of the dreaded Je’rax and other untold and unnumbered dangers. They take with them Leon’s young cousin Toby whose mechanical inclination comes in handy along the way.
This children’s middle grade fiction transports readers to a land blended in science fiction and fantasy. Robots, strange creatures, princesses, hang gliding and certain death await the reader in this carefully crafted world.
While the book tackles some difficult issues such as abandonment, it is handled in a light way that positively impacts the story. The result is a well written and engaging plot appropriate for all ages and audiences. One peek into this world will leave you wanting more.
May 17, 2015
This review is also posted on my blog: http://theshortreviewer.blogspot.com/...
I haven't read many books where most of the main characters aren't human, and to be honest, most of the time, I'd rather not. Despite the fact that this story takes place on another planet inhabited by gwalf, I still really enjoyed it. It centers around young gwalf (or gwalflings as they are called), and while they are small and furry with tails, their personalities were similar to humans so they were easy to relate to. And they sound very cute; I would love to see a drawing of one!
I felt as if I got to know each of the characters. Jendra has an adventurous spirit, and she is dissatisfied with living inside a dark cave with all the miserable gwalf in the city. She longs to leave the cave and to see the beauty that she knows is out there, even if it is too dangerous for the gwalf to explore. Her best friend, Leon, is smart and more practical, but he often goes along with Jendra even if she does tend to get him in trouble. And then we meet little Toby, Leon's younger cousin. This gwalfling is fun, silly, and daring. I just adored him.
When Jendra and Leon discover a comatose alien, they end up going on an incredible, yet dangerous journey in order to save her. And Toby is happy to tag along.
I often felt that I could identify with Jendra. While she's braver than me, I could empathize with her conflicting emotions. She wanted to escape the city so she could feel more alive, but at the same time, she was loathe to leave behind those she cared about or to endanger them by bringing them with her. My husband and I want to leave Pennsylvania for the warmer and more sunny Florida, but we would be far away from family and friends and would hardly ever see them. Plus it wouldn't be very practical financially. While our dilemmas are much different, I could still understand her internal struggle. I know what it feels like to want to leave behind a life that we're born into.
With an intriguing and imaginative storyline that encompasses different types of creatures and other planets, this was truly a pleasure to read. I could easily picture this as a movie in my mind, and it's a story I would love to share with my nephews when they're a little bit older. There are still many questions left unanswered, which has certainly left me wanting to read the next book in the series.
I recommend this novella to anyone looking for a fun and adventurous read.
*Disclosure: I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
I haven't read many books where most of the main characters aren't human, and to be honest, most of the time, I'd rather not. Despite the fact that this story takes place on another planet inhabited by gwalf, I still really enjoyed it. It centers around young gwalf (or gwalflings as they are called), and while they are small and furry with tails, their personalities were similar to humans so they were easy to relate to. And they sound very cute; I would love to see a drawing of one!
I felt as if I got to know each of the characters. Jendra has an adventurous spirit, and she is dissatisfied with living inside a dark cave with all the miserable gwalf in the city. She longs to leave the cave and to see the beauty that she knows is out there, even if it is too dangerous for the gwalf to explore. Her best friend, Leon, is smart and more practical, but he often goes along with Jendra even if she does tend to get him in trouble. And then we meet little Toby, Leon's younger cousin. This gwalfling is fun, silly, and daring. I just adored him.
When Jendra and Leon discover a comatose alien, they end up going on an incredible, yet dangerous journey in order to save her. And Toby is happy to tag along.
I often felt that I could identify with Jendra. While she's braver than me, I could empathize with her conflicting emotions. She wanted to escape the city so she could feel more alive, but at the same time, she was loathe to leave behind those she cared about or to endanger them by bringing them with her. My husband and I want to leave Pennsylvania for the warmer and more sunny Florida, but we would be far away from family and friends and would hardly ever see them. Plus it wouldn't be very practical financially. While our dilemmas are much different, I could still understand her internal struggle. I know what it feels like to want to leave behind a life that we're born into.
With an intriguing and imaginative storyline that encompasses different types of creatures and other planets, this was truly a pleasure to read. I could easily picture this as a movie in my mind, and it's a story I would love to share with my nephews when they're a little bit older. There are still many questions left unanswered, which has certainly left me wanting to read the next book in the series.
I recommend this novella to anyone looking for a fun and adventurous read.
*Disclosure: I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Read
January 9, 2016Greetings, readers,
I am the author of Impulse, and as such, I won't be rating this project, but I would love to share a bit of insight into this exciting project with you.
About a week ago, I got the motivation to take another look at what I had written here. Back in April, 2015, when the story was first published, I had completed Deception (book 2) and was actively working on Conspiracy (book 3) and Retrospect (book 4 - a work in progress).
As a writer, I am still growing. I think all writers improve their skills as they write. So on looking back these 7 months, I have made some discoveries.
The story needed adjustment for one reason or another, sometimes as little as word choice, but more significantly, I wanted to give insights into the minds of many characters at once, something I have since found confuses a number of readers.
I still want to achieve a certain emotional impact with this story; this is more than merely Jendra's story, Leon's, Toby's, Grisham's, or anyone else's. The decisions of these characters affect those around them, and it is natural for each of the characters to have some strong feeling at some point, which no other character could really express. I have discovered methods to connect with these characters which might help the book read more smoothly, and I have taken the opportunity to accomplish this. (I am grateful to a number of others for pointing out the error of my ways and helping me to do something about it.)
Also, additional descriptions have been added in places to help readers imagine the characters more readily. And some may enjoy discovering that I added a short BONUS scene on my website: iffixysantaph.com, to accompany the story.
Likely within the week, this novella will no longer be available in its current edition. The story remains the same, but the minor changes are necessary, and I will therefore be releasing the 2nd edition. Thanks for understanding.
Sincerely,
Iffix Y Santaph
I am the author of Impulse, and as such, I won't be rating this project, but I would love to share a bit of insight into this exciting project with you.
About a week ago, I got the motivation to take another look at what I had written here. Back in April, 2015, when the story was first published, I had completed Deception (book 2) and was actively working on Conspiracy (book 3) and Retrospect (book 4 - a work in progress).
As a writer, I am still growing. I think all writers improve their skills as they write. So on looking back these 7 months, I have made some discoveries.
The story needed adjustment for one reason or another, sometimes as little as word choice, but more significantly, I wanted to give insights into the minds of many characters at once, something I have since found confuses a number of readers.
I still want to achieve a certain emotional impact with this story; this is more than merely Jendra's story, Leon's, Toby's, Grisham's, or anyone else's. The decisions of these characters affect those around them, and it is natural for each of the characters to have some strong feeling at some point, which no other character could really express. I have discovered methods to connect with these characters which might help the book read more smoothly, and I have taken the opportunity to accomplish this. (I am grateful to a number of others for pointing out the error of my ways and helping me to do something about it.)
Also, additional descriptions have been added in places to help readers imagine the characters more readily. And some may enjoy discovering that I added a short BONUS scene on my website: iffixysantaph.com, to accompany the story.
Likely within the week, this novella will no longer be available in its current edition. The story remains the same, but the minor changes are necessary, and I will therefore be releasing the 2nd edition. Thanks for understanding.
Sincerely,
Iffix Y Santaph
July 30, 2015
Impulse is a great fiction story for children. While I would have preferred more concise writing; it has everything from great monstrous beasts, hang gliding, gigantic robots, leaps off cliffs, portals to other worlds and much more! In this tale, humans are the alien! My favorite part was the feisty boy Toby! A really fun light read even for grownups.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews