Where has the time gone?

Sometimes, time passes by much faster than anyone anticipates. You are caught living in the moment, and the next thing you know, it is almost a year later and you don’t remember where the time went. Everyone gets caught up in life. And I suppose that is my excuse for taking so long to update this freaking website. I apologize, but remember, I’m only human (not Dorian).

Speaking of getting caught up in life, Krissi’s life has been quite a whirlwind over the past couple of months. As most of you know, she recently signed a book deal to publish Wind and Water with Tate Publishing. Which I think is freaking amazing! Of course, you don’t really care what I think. You want to know what Krissi thinks about this entire ordeal. Well I can let you know that she is VERY excited. However, this means that it might take even longer for you loyal fans to finally get to read Water. But do not fret, it is well worth the wait! In fact, I asked Krissi some questions about Water to satisfy you until more sneak peeks are released:

Q: What differences can readers expect over all between Wind and Water?

A: I think the love triangle (Caleb-Whit-Gabriel) tilts in different directions. My test audience all ended up swinging the opposite direction of the guy they were originally rooting for after Wind, which I found an EXTREMELY interesting reaction. I think that just means that these characters are becoming more full, rounded... readers will see different sides to them. Water is also a lot more fast-paced than Wind - something that an epic sequel can afford. As soon as you catch your breath and feel comfortable again, something else will happen. There are some other pretty big differences that I refuse to reveal, so...

Q: Most all of the readers can relate to one tribe. However, many also

relate to some of the characters. Are there any new characters

introduced that you think readers will be able to relate to?

A: I hope so! There are some new characters in Water - ones that were mentioned in Wind, but maybe didn't play a big part yet. (Is it too much of a giveaway that my cousins Hannah and Lilley LOVED the characters named after them in Water?) A LOT has been happening on the Island since Whit and Company left, so there are some minor characters who have become major players. Fans of Thomas the Waterboy might get a little more of a close-up on his character and those blue, blue eyes... just sayin'...

Q: Let’s face it, everybody is either on Team Gabriel or Team Caleb. Is that rivalry still as pronounced in Water as it was in Wind?

A: HECK. YES. Enough said.

Q: As an author, how was writing Water a different experience?

A: Totally different... it took me longer to finish - TWO WHOLE YEARS! I think I bared a lot of my own soul in this book - differently than I did in Wind. The conflicts center around some very personal issues for me (fish phobia included) so writing this book was WAY more emotional. I was dissolved into tears on more than one occasion (as my Facebook readers might recall on late summer nights when I was writing. Ha.) I had to kill off characters for the first time and that was really hard... but it was always the plan since the inception of the series. No backing out... (I keep telling myself this as I look ahead to the next half of the series... some things MUST be done, no matter how difficult they are for the author. The story must maintain its integrity.)

Q: Character growth- Do you think your characters have matured in some

ways between novels? If so, can you give us examples without giving

anything away?

A: Yes... maturity must happen to the best of us. Haha. As my mom was reading Water, she said she REALLY liked Whitnee in this book - her words: "She knows what she wants and she goes after it... no crying, no wasting time... She drives the whole story." I also think readers will understand more about Morgan and Caleb and what it is like to be the other two-thirds of the trio. They are each unique and have their own set of issues, which was fun to expose more about...

Q: What did you find the most difficult thing about writing Water?

A: I don't think I can answer this without giving away a major plot spoiler. Ask me this again after Water is out because the answer is interesting...

Q: Are there any loose ends in the plot from Wind that are tied up in

Water? Or do most story lines keep on going through the sequel?

A: Water wraps up a lot of things nicely - at least I think so. I walk away from Water feeling a bit more settled than I did with Wind. But I always intended the series to be that way. Wind and Water together... and then those two other elements together (which I won't say in case somebody thinks I'm giving away which one comes next... haha.) But even though Water has a nice ending, there are still some major things to resolve and answer before the series can officially end. It's like the temporary calm before the storm, maybe??

Q: Whitnee v. Abrianna: Is that battle still intense?!

A: Of course... but it displays itself differently in Water. And I daresay readers might see a bit more in Abrianna that makes sense... if that even makes sense.

Q: A crazed fan has you at water gun point and demands that you say ONE

WORD that is significant to Water but doesn’t give anything away. What

word is that?

A: "REBELLION!!"

Q: Is there anything different you want your readers to take away

from Water that they maybe didn’t get from Wind?

A: I think I want people to have hope... to see that life often cycles in directions for a purpose... that even the really horrible things people go through can serve a greater purpose if they let it. I know my faith in God plays a big part in these themes... Though it's never expressly said in the story, the worldview is there. God has a plan and we have a free will - so what do we do with that?

Okay guys, if you want the FULL STORY of Krissi’s publishing deal, there is a nice little post on her blog about it. Check it out!

Until next time,

Sarah Aerodorian

One on One with Caleb

Okay, Phantom Island Fans, you were polled on which character you would like to know more about, and our favorite male best friend received the most votes. I had a chance to sit down with Caleb very recently in the midst of his busy schedule and discuss himself, everything that has happened in Phantom Island, and maybe even a little about what is to come in the sequel Phantom Island: Water. So here you go readers, please welcome Mr. Caleb Austin!

1. What is your full name?

Caleb Lee Austin

2. What is your favorite color?

Not to be cliché or anything, but green really is my favorite color. Blue is a close second.

3. What is one thing we should know about you?
I hate spiders. There’s something really wrong with having that many legs.

4. What do you like the most about Whitnee and is there anything that really gets on your nerves?
Oh, man… (Is she going to be reading this?) I think what I like and dislike the most about Whit is one and the same – her free spirit. It’s the very thing that I’m addicted to, but it’s also what drives me the most crazy. I feel like I can hardly keep up with her sometimes.

5. Describe what it’s like to use the Earth life force. What is your favorite Earth skill?
That’s really hard to describe because there is nothing here on the Mainland like it… When I’m using the Earth life force, it feels like I can hear everything better – and I don’t just mean the sounds of people or whatever. It’s like nature itself has a voice, but it’s not audible. I don’t know… do I sound like a total treehugger? It’s just incredibly unreal. As for my favorite Earth skill… I know I haven’t even learned half of everything you can do with it, but I love using the Earth Shield – I am a protector by nature. Plus it just looks cool. And it’s my favorite color. Ha.

6. If you had to choose, would you live on the White Island or the Mainland?
Easy. The Mainland. There is no way I would want to live under the Island’s government – with Gabriel in charge. Nope. No way.

7. Do you think that you and Gabriel could ever be friends?
Okay, seriously, is Whitnee making you ask me this stuff? I don’t hate Gabriel. That’s all I’ll say.

8. What country would you most like to visit? Why?
My dad took me to Paris with him one time on a rare business trip. I ate so many crepes that I made myself sick. I think I’d like to go back there again and visit all the places we went together. Plus, they just don’t make crepes like that here in the States.

9. If you were given a million dollars how would you spend it?
The noble thing first? Water. There are people in countries that don’t have purified drinking water and I would like to help with that. Then I’d set up an account for my mother, buy myself a sports car and season tickets to the San Antonio Spurs, and use whatever’s left trying to find the exact location of the White Island.

10. What is your worst fear?
Drunk drivers… car accidents. I’ll be honest… when I see a wreck on the side of the road, it still makes me a little sick.

11. When did you first realize you had “more than friends feelings” for Whitnee?
Wow, that’s a loaded question… Um, last year was the first time I really admitted it to myself, and this summer was the first time I admitted it to her. But if I’m being honest, I think the crush started all the way back at Camp Fusion when we were kids and I dropped a fish in her lap. It was a total accident… I was showing off my catch and it just slid out of my hands and flopped right into her lap. If you could have seen the panic on her face… she was screaming and, at first, it was SO funny. But then she ran right into Ben’s arms and started crying and I felt kind of bad. I didn’t mean to make her cry. (She swears it wasn’t me; it was the fish. But still…) So later when the boys in my cabin wanted to play a prank on her with another fish, I stood up for her and got made fun of for a couple of weeks. Eventually it died down. I don’t think she ever knew about that part. But I vowed to never be the reason she cried again. Of course, I’ve screwed that up now...

12. Do you fold, crumple, or wrap your toilet paper?
Kinda funny you asked – I had this crazy teacher in middle school that asked this question on the first day of school and I had never even thought about it before. I am most definitely a folder. Organization first, you know.

13. What is your favorite food?
Anything sweet. I’m addicted to sugar.

14. What do you talk about with your guy friends? NO LIES!
Well, when we’re not painting our toenails or picking out each other’s clothes, we mostly talk about our deepest, most secret feelings on life, love, and relationships. Is that what you want to hear? LOL. Just think about your classic teenage guy stereotype, and yeah, that’s us. Sports. Video games. Last night’s ballgame. And, okay, hot girls.

15. Do you think Whitnee is the Pilgrim?
I usually keep my thoughts pretty quiet about this. Morgan swears she is, but I hope she’s not. Honestly, being the Pilgrim sounds like a lot of pressure… and I don’t know if Whitnee is up for that. Don’t get me wrong. Whitnee is super special – but I think this whole Pilgrim business is a little overwhelming.

I hope you enjoyed getting to know a little bit more about Caleb! Love Always,

Sara-Geodorian!

Well, now that you kind of know what's going on....

Let's talk about what you think will happen!!!

Right now, Krissi Dallas is busy writing away on her second novel: WATER. At the end of WIND, there were some questions left unanswered and some new discoveries made. 

So I've decided, I want to know what everyone predicts will happen, or what they hope will happen in the sequel. I'm thinking that Whitnee will once again come face to face with Abrianna and have a total showdown! Or maybe, they will have a heart to heart? I'm sorry, but I can't give up on Abrianna yet, I'm still not convinced that she is completely evil. Also, I have the feeling that maybe Whitnee will actually see her dad in this novel; but I don't think that she will be able to save him. And here is what I want to happen: Gabriel and Caleb meet and get into a major fight over Whitnee. There is tons of yelling and a full-out brawl, with Caleb throwing the first punch. And then Gabriel would totally school him by using his amazing Pyra-powers and send Caleb home realizing that he isn't cool. At all. 

So those are my predictions and wants, what are YOURS? Let me know what you think! Will Whitnee find a new island boy to fall in love with? Maybe, since the book is titled WATER, Whitnee will get lost in Hydrodora and can't escape. Or, maybe Eli will have a freak-out moment, cross over to the Mainland, and start throwing fire all around Camp Fusion! 

Remember, anything is possible on the White Island.

-Sarah

Quotes!!

Phantom Island: Wind is written so that the reader sees the story line from the main characters point of view. The readers feel the emotions and storyline through Whitnee's thoughts, actions, but most definitely words. Rereading through my book, I found alot of quotes said by a few characters that really caught my eye.

"Baby Doll, I need you to listen to me! You're in danger. Whatever you do dont cross the river. Stay with your friends and they can't get you! You don't even know how special you are. I wish I could make you understand." I personally like this quote, said in Whitnee's fathers voice, because it is mysterious and intriguing. I am a sucker for mystery and if i heard my supposed dead father warn me not to do something through a dream, I would honestly be freaked out just like Whitnee. I like it because reading between the lines it holds a secret that has yet to be revealed and kept my mind guessing. This quote to me helped set up Whitnee's adventure overall.

So now its YOUR turn to scan through your book, and find what quotes YOU like. Why do you like it? Who said it? Do you think it holds any significance overall? Feel free to share your ideas and thoughts!!

LOVE ALWAYS!
Sara :)

PHOBIAS!!!

In Phantom Island, Whitnee suffers from a severe case of Ickthyophobia, better known as the fear of fish. Although it may seem like a strange, pathetic fear, it does affect her life and decisions that she makes. This fear is based on Krissi's fear of fish (you can read her reasons on her personal blog!)

I can totally sympathize with Whitnee! I too suffer from this irrational fear of fish. It's kind of a long story(not that long) involving a pet fish , but maybe sometime I'll tell you!

What I want NOW is for YOU to share your phobias! Maybe some of you have common phobias: Achluophobia(darkness), Arachnophobia(spiders), or Hypsiphobia(heights). Or maybe, you suffer from "strange" phobias: Didaskaleinophobia(going to school), Consectotaleophobia(chopsticks), or something else. 

If you have a story behind your fear, feel free to tell it! Also, we know what Whitnee's fear is, what do you think the other characters are afraid of? Maybe Gabriel lives on the island so he isn't around clowns....

For a list of phobia names go to: www.phobialist.com

Love always,

Sarah

Caleb vs. Gabriel

It's been a little more than a month since the release of Phantom Island:Wind and I just want to say congrats to Krissi. In this short amount of time she has already done eight author appearances in seven cities and she has four more events coming this summer. Phantom Island also reached #1 bestseller on Authorhouse.com. This is a major accomplishment in such a small amount of time and I'm sure we will continue to see many more as the word spreads about Phantom Island.


We have recently started a challenge to sell 10,000 copies of Phantom Island: Wind. Make sure to spread the word so we can reach our goal! Every person you tell is one more book sale! If we are all doing this together, we can get there.



Now I'm going to start our first blog discussion. That means that I'm going to post a subject that is relevant to Phantom Island and I want YOU to comment on the post and tell me what you think about it. Let me remind you that the comments are just opinions; no one is right or wrong and do NOT put down anyone's comment. You can say you agree or disagree, but either way, DON'T let it get out of hand. With that said, our first blog discussion IS....(drumroll ;) )

CALEB VS GABRIEL

Which guy do you think is right for Whitnee and why? Make sure to comment and let us know!

This first month for Phantom Island has been great. Thank you to everyone for your support and please keep spreading the word. Don't forget to check out http://www.krissidallas.com/ for more details and extras on the book. I hope everyone has an awesome summer!

-Billy(Pyradorian)

THROUGH THE PORTAL with Krissi: Part II - The Personal Questions

What’s your favorite color?

Pink, duh.

Do you speak another language other than english?

Spanish - a little.

If you could have any super power in the world, what would it be?

To control the Wind into making me fly!

Who’s your favorite actor/actress?

I so cannot answer this - I have too many favorites. I have always loved Christian Bale, (ever seen Newsies?) but I was not a fan of his recent emotional outburst on the set of Terminator. (Must be a Pyra.) I do love that Zac Efron kid. He acts, sings, dances ... so much fun to watch!! And I think Reese Witherspoon is a doll. I would want her to play me in movie about me. :) She'd make me much cuter.

Favorite band?

HOW DO YOU CHOOSE ONE? I have to plug Project H - my friend's band and the band that allowed me to use their music for my book trailer. They're amazing! Check them out at myspace.com/ProjectHBand - they'll be big someday soon. As for what's pop right now - any rock alternative band with good melodies I can sing and jam along with. Nickelback, Red, Skillet, Paramore, Lesley Roy, Daughtry ... the list keeps going.

Favorite book? (Besides Phantom Island, of course!)

I love Harry Potter books and can reread them all the time and they never get old. And of course, thanks to Sarah, I was a part of the original Twilight bandwagon... recently I've been reading the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan (FUN STUFF!) and the Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter - I so want to be a spy girl genius!! Those are my top picks right now.

What’s your hometown?

San Antonio, Texas - home of the Alamo, baby. (And the delicious Alamo Cafe.)

If you received $10,000,000 what would you do with it?

Spend it on people who NEED it. Right now, my needs are taken care of. There are a lot of people in slavery in other countries right now who need rescuing. (Check out the International Justice Mission, who is taking some amazing strides in this area - www.ijm.org) Sam and I also feel very burdened about people who do not have good drinking water across the world - this is a huge problem and something we care about. There are so many worthy causes that need the support - I cannot possibly dream of spending that much money on myself. Although, I do wish to someday take complete care of my mom and her expenses for all the sacrifices she has made for me in my life...

What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?

At the grocery story? Vanilla bean ... with rainbow sprinkles.

At Marble Slab? Cheesecake ... with rainbow sprinkles. (Rainbow sprinkles make the whole world better.)

Do you sing in the shower?

Actually, no. I sing everywhere else. But I cannot adequately support my vocals when washing my hair. And my acoustics aren't that great in the shower - can't control pitch very well in there.

If you were stranded on a desert island and you could only take one thing, what would it be?

Lotion - I have really dry skin that would drive me nuts.

Favorite Starbucks drink?

Vanilla Bean Frappuccino

Where did you get the names for your dogs, Elphie and Luna?

Elphaba is named after the heroine in the Broadway show, Wicked - she is strong and pure-hearted, and it seemed like the right name for our firstborn Yorkie. Luna is named after quirky, endearing Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter series - one of my favorite characters! (And Sarah is her godmother.)

Favorite clothing store?

Ann Taylor. And, of course, the endless supply of t-shirts that we make for our ministry, school, and now Phantom.

Do you like cats?

Nope. Allergic.

Where did you go to college?

Oklahoma Baptist University - GO WITH KA-RIP!

Favorite Broadway musical?

Wicked!! But I also love the classics, too, like Phantom of the Opera.

Do you have any siblings?

Yes- I have a younger brother named Kevin. He's a Geo who towers over me at 6'4'' with blond hair and blue eyes. I'm very proud of my lil bro.

Did you enjoy the new Star Trek movie, or have you not seen it?

Yes!! I think I am now a J.J. Abrams version of a Trekkie.

What’s your favorite movie? Does the story line look lame next to Phantom Island: Wind?

Again, HOW DO YOU PICK??? I'll tell you the ones I never get tired of ... Harry Potter movies, Lord of the Rings movies, Pirates of the Caribbean movies, Shrek movies... all entertaining and fun. And no, those are not lame story lines!

Live long and prosper!

--Sarah