One of the great things about attending writing workshops is they give you hope. When you meet other writers, the hope feeds off each other. As you help each other write better, the hope grows stronger. When you meet other alumnae, the hope bubbles like crazy. And one of the ways the hope pays off is when another alumnus gets a charming little story published. Like K.J. Kabza’s “The Leafsmith in Love.”
Jesper Leafsmith falls in love with a lady of the court, Zuhanna. His every attempt to speak to her is thwarted by Princess Kanna, who exults in her insistence on having the adoration of every man. Jesper, though, finds her vain and tedious.
I like having a princess be the Wrong Girl for a change. I’m afraid I like how cunning the princess is. I like the whimsical clockwork of Jesper’s magic, and the dusting of quantum nano that leaves you wondering just what sort of world this is. And I enjoyed how cheerfully the story tumbles over its obstacles to the happy ending, even if the way the ending happened seemed a little out of left field for me. But on the whole, the story charmed me.
Here’s to hope!
Writing Every Day 
Hey, I heard her read the start of this at Readercon. Didn’t realize she was local. Also didn’t quite get where the story was headed from what she read, but it still seemed pretty nice.