Ah, Valentine’s Day – or Singles Awareness Day, as I’ve heard it alternatively called.
Like most holidays, it’s just another day to me. But what with the upcoming release of Outlaws of Avalon 2 – “The Marriage of Allyn-a-Dale” – perhaps it’s no surprise that the other day found me with marriage on my mind. My dreams around that much-romanticized institution have certainly undergone a number of transitions, through the years. From innocent…
5-year-old Me: *wants to marry Aladdin*
Aladdin: *is with Jasmine*
5yo Me: “Oh. …Okay, but can I be Aladdin, though?”
*
Tween Me: “Boys are gross.”
Grownups: “You won’t always think so. ;)”
Future Me to Tween Me: *whispers* “Spoiler alert. Everybody’s gross.”
…To psychotic…
Teen Me: *wants to marry Kevin of the Backstreet Boys*
Kevin: *is already married*
Teen Me: “That’s too bad.” *shoulders imaginary shotgun* “…For his wife.”
*
Teen Me: *wants to marry a certain boy from art camp*
Teen Me: *follows him everywhere until he’s sick of me*
Future Me: *bumps into the boy again at a concert* … *also, his fiancée*
Future Me: *smiles the smile of the Forever Alone™ *
*
New Adult Me: *scans every male face encountered, searching for husband potential*
New Adult Me: *is continually confused/disappointed that not one outing yet has resulted in a “how I met your super-cute billionaire grandfather” story*
*
New Adult Me: *wants to marry Edgwyn Wyle*
Edgwyn: *is already married*
New Adult Me: “WHY? Whyyy did I write that?!” *curses self for a fool*
…To pessimistic.
Mid-20s Me: “If I truly loved a man, could I really condemn him to a life of matrimonial bondage to an asexual head case like me?”
BFF: “You maybe shouldn’t, no.”
Mid-20s Me: “Nobody asked you, villain.”
*
Mom: “Your special someone is out there.”
Late-20s Me: *smiling the smile of the Forever Alone™ * Okay.
*
Late-20s Me: “If only I could just marry Will Scarlet and call it a day.”
Will: *laughs too loud and long for anybody’s comfort* “Babe, I love you like no other, but not in a million universes would that work.”
Which brings us to this fine February 14, 2017. ^_^
Me after Germany: “I would rather die than live in a house with some man in it again.”
Allyn-a-Dale: “To be fair, you would rather die than do most things, these days.”
Me: “True. Say, Allyn, what are your thoughts on marriage?”
Allyn: *shrugs* “I was raised in a fairytale world. What do I know?”
Me: “Once your second novel is through with you, maybe a little more…
*
There’s more than Fey magic in the air as Avalon Faire prepares for another summer’s performance. This time the show stars Allyn-a-Dale in his role from stories of old: A minstrel with a forbidden romance in need of a little outlaw intervention. Alas, eternal life imitates art as Allyn finds himself slipping heart-first into ill-advised infatuation with an Outsider – the Robin Hood fangirl who’s landed her dream job as the Merry Minstrel’s wife.
As new love blooms, an old love festers, the scarring shadow of Allyn’s dead father threatening to devastate the young minstrel’s hard-won harmony. And elsewhere on the undying isle, the cracks of immortality are beginning to show. Caught between the mysterious meddling of Morganne le Fey and the wild schemes of Will Scarlet, it’s up to Sherwood’s outlaws to navigate past and future, legend and prophecy, treachery and passion, before Avalon is torn apart from the inside out.
(Also, the door’s still open for folks interested in an early read ‘n’ review of the book. Hit me up if you want in!)
Ever On Word 