June Crusade: Samantha

And this officially starts my third plot bunny for Anne's June Crusade. Click HERE to learn more about this challenge.

I'm sure many (if not all) of you are familiar with the classic American Girl books. We've read their stories, we have some of the dolls (I have Kirsten Larson; how 'bout you? comment!), and we've loved the history behind them. But did you never wonder about what happened to them after their last story? Each girl (of the original set) is introduced, goes to school, has Christmas, turns 10 years old, saves the day, and encounters change. But where does their story go after that? What happens to them? What do they do when they're older?

Now, I told myself I was never EVER writing fanfiction. Imagine -- taking someone else's characters and making them do stuff! But, I don't s'pose most of us can help it. I can't help it. As soon as I read or watch a good story, my mind instantly goes to "What's next?" And then I spend the next week figuring out their future. I've got sequels to Peter Pan, The Borrowers, Epic (2013 film), some of the American Girls, and so many other stories all running amuck up in my brain! Sure, since I have Kirsten, I already have a story planned for her, but for some odd reason, I can't get everything to match up. So, I'm still chewing on that. 

Samantha's was easier to plot, especially of the BIG historic moment that falls right around her eighteenth birthday. What? Can you not know of what I speak? Let's see... Samantha turned 10 in 1904... and then she would have been 18 in 1912, right? The infamous 1912... yes. You know. 

The sinking of the Titanic.

Would Samantha have been aboard that fateful ship? Almost eighteen years old (the Titanic's maiden voyage was in April and Samantha's birthday is in May) and part of a very wealthy family makes me think that... yes, she would have been. That would have been just right around the time that Grandmary would have decided that a European tour was in line for Samantha's education, and April of 1912 would have been the month they returned to New York.

Intriguing, eh? I can't deny that I'm intrigued. 

So, here's what I got for a blurb so far:

For Samantha Parkington, life has always been easy. She's rich, she's beautiful, she's young, she's smart, and even though she's technically an orphan, she couldn't find more happiness than with her aunt, uncle, and adopted sisters, Nellie, Bridget, and Jenny. Life couldn't get better – but she soon discovers it can. Grandmary suggests a trip to Europe to complete her formal education, and Samantha is thrilled at the chance.

In a way, Samantha has always known that she was meant for important things. She's determined to make a difference in the world. Sooner or later, Grandmary will insist that she take a husband, but Samantha's willing to seek out the richest and handsomest man. And while she's at it, why not select one from the glittering and velvet company of the first class passengers of the Titanic? Grandmary could hardly do better.

But who is this Christ people keep talking about? And why do their stories of birth and death affect Nellie so? Samantha thought she had the world figured out, but one cold night throws everything she knew into the deep. It will take tragedy of the greatest kind to show her what's really important in life and what the true meaning of love really is.

Let me know what you think! I don't have a title yet, so I'm just referring to this as the Samantha sequel.

God bless!