My name isn't Ella Southgate, that's just a pen name I'm considering using. You can call me Ella if you want, or you can call me Ashley, which is my real name.

I've been seriously writing since 2006, and for the past two years, I've been developing an epic retelling of the fairy tale, The Wild Swans. This concept interested me as the fairy tale consists of a girl undertaking a vow of silence for seven years. Being silent for one day is a challenge, but seven years? Additionally, the fact that she ends up getting married and giving birth to three children without making a sound, seems impossible. How does one keep that level of self control for so long, and how deep does the love between her and her siblings have to be for her to accept that task? Not to mention, with her not seeing her siblings for so many years, what does that relationship become when the sister starts her own family. Additionally, the concept of the witch's daughter marrying the father intrigued me; why would he do that, who was this girl, and what happens to him after? The fairy tale just had so many questions, begging to be answered that I had to write this.

Originally it was one book, then slowly, because the story does take place over seven years, it expanded more and more until I had to split it into too books, which turned into three, then four, and finally five.

Additionally, I plan on writing four more series about the world, two taking place before the main series, and two afterwards. While I won't tell you what the two sequel series are about (spoilers), I will tell you that the first prequel series is about the stories of Patrick, Sarah, and Christian's mothers, Rose Redearth, Elizabeth Doveheart, and Alanea Sparrowspark, respectively. The second prequel series is the tale of how Asteria did overthrow Celestella, and the Kingdoms of Elementum were formed.

So, why did I decide to post this series online? There are several reasons. I really wanted to see if there was interest in this story, and if I could build a fan base before I attempt to publish these. And yes, when the series is over, I do have the intentions of one day getting these published, which likely means that I'll take down these stories. The second reason is that I am in desperate need of serious feedback, as no one will give me any. I show it to people and they say, "It's good" and that's it. My third reason is that is gives me motivation to finish the series, as when I'm doing this on my own, no one is pushing me to continue on and I find that I go weeks and even months without writing. It also means that I can stop going back and editing what I've already written, and move forward with the story.

So thank you for checking out my series, and please, keep in mind that this is really the first draft of this story. I have spent the past two years worldbuilding and outlining the entire series, but it is a draft, and will be different from what would be the published form one day.

Now, enjoy the story.

Also, please check out the work-in-progress tumblr for the series: http:///

Feel free to send me any questions you might have.