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Reviewer: Bethina Signed Date: 2014.01.10 - 02:19AM Title: Annie Charlton an’ the World’s Most Ginormous Santa
OMG! I love this story. I just read it for the second time and I'm wondering how I missed it the first time. Annie is magical! Poor Henry, he'll be the one who is left out.
Love the story! Thank you for the wonderful Christmas gift.
Author's Response: Thank you.
Is Annie magical? And if she is, how magical is she?-N-
Reviewer: Brennus Signed Date: 2013.03.09 - 09:30AM Title: Annie Charlton an’ the World’s Most Ginormous Santa
I can’t write Hagrid speaking either, and I HAVE a West Country accent. Kind of feels like I’m taking the piss out of myself.
Author's Response: I know what you mean. I recently tried writing Geordie and ended up making the character sound stupid.
-N-
Reviewer: NoTagBacks Signed Date: 2012.11.30 - 09:51PM Title: Annie Charlton an’ the World’s Most Ginormous Santa
Getting glimpses of the magical world from Jacqui's viewpoint is interesting; it's really a different slant from Annie's POV. Most everything is magical through the eyes of a child, especially in the holiday season, so real magic would be perfectly acceptable.
I just realized that Hagrid wasn't at the Potter's Drakeshaugh housewarming party. Was that to make it easier on the Potters, or easier on the author. :-) Hagrid would be a difficult character to relegate to the background if you wanted to concentrate on others (like the George's Ear scene). But this little one-shot allow him to make an appearance at the Potters'.
I like that Annie mispronounces "axe", when people living near me do the opposite mispronounciation ("I axe you a question"). Perhaps it's differences in the ax-cent (sorry, a pun I couldn't resist).
Having Annie relating the tale to Raggedy Maggie was very creative. Much more fun than a simple third person narrative. Did that make it easier or harder to write?
Author's Response:
Thanks for the review. It took me only a couple ofsentences to realise that third person wasn't the way to do this. I considered a conversation with Jacqui, but realised that she would interrupt and ask questions. By using Raggedy Maggie I could do the whole thing uninterrupted, keep the magical eyes of a child, and throw in a hint of awkward questions from Jacqui with a single reference to head miss sprour, whatever that is. :-D Overall, it was easier, except for the grammar.
Despite being in his eighties, Hagrid (like Teddy Lupin) was at Hogwarts. I suppose I could have given him a day off, but you're right. He's a big man to hide in the background.
As for axe/ask, you may be right. There's a place near me where you can choose, and fell, your own tree. The first time we went my youngest wondered if we'd be using an ask or a sore.
-N-
Reviewer: Emlyn Signed Date: 2012.11.21 - 07:16PM Title: Annie Charlton an’ the World’s Most Ginormous Santa
Marvellous. I think it worked fantastically well. I loved hearing the story from Annie's perspective. Santa Hagrid was perfect.
Author's Response: Thank you. More from Santa Hagrid soon.
-N-
Reviewer: mjc Signed Date: 2012.11.20 - 09:22PM Title: Annie Charlton an’ the World’s Most Ginormous Santa
Too cute...way too cute...
Author's Response: Sorry, perhaps, next year, I should try to write a grim and violent Christmas story. This year, you'll simply have to suffer cuteness. -N-
Reviewer: hot48cricket Signed Date: 2012.11.20 - 12:39PM Title: Annie Charlton an’ the World’s Most Ginormous Santa
Lovely!
Author's Response: Thanks. -N-
Reviewer: ngayonatkailanman Signed Date: 2012.11.20 - 08:25AM Title: Annie Charlton an’ the World’s Most Ginormous Santa
What a delight! Thank you so much. Love it.
Author's Response: Thank you, glad you liked it. -N-
Reviewer: Arnel Signed Date: 2012.11.20 - 12:12AM Title: Annie Charlton an’ the World’s Most Ginormous Santa
You do Annie's voice so well. I can just see Hagrid coming a day early and Annie getting all confuddled by his appearance. I can hardly wait for the next chapter. I hope it gets posted soon.
Author's Response: Thank you. Annie’s voice took a while for me to get right. However, Hagrids is proving even more difficult. I’m comfortable writing northern and Scots accents, but Hagrid’s west country drawl is not so easy for me.
-N-
Reviewer: carolyn jinn Signed Date: 2012.11.19 - 07:38PM Title: Annie Charlton an’ the World’s Most Ginormous Santa
Awwww. That was just lovely. This story was fun and lovely to read form Annie's POV.
Hagrid would make a great Santa as he seems to loved the little kids and treats them well.
Author's Response: Thank you. I don’t think I’ll be writing from a four-year-old’s perspective again, but it was fun to try. Hagrid would make a good Santa (so long as he doesn’t feed the kids rock buns).
-N-
Reviewer: lunagranger Signed Date: 2012.11.19 - 04:53PM Title: Annie Charlton an’ the World’s Most Ginormous Santa
Fantastic! A lovely story of little Annie. She's such a smart girl, thinking of Santa (and you are even smarter - a great idea). You really found a child's voice, and an adorable one.
Annie apparently has some magic in her, as does her mother, but how come they never received letters from Hogwarts?
Author's Response:
Thank you. I honestly what came first, the idea for the Annie witnessing the Floo arrival, or Hagrid. This is his first appearrance in any of my stories, and he's 80! He's got to be grey-haired.
Interesting questions. There's a story in that, too.
-N-
Reviewer: 2TsMom Signed Date: 2012.11.19 - 02:13PM Title: Annie Charlton an’ the World’s Most Ginormous Santa
I was just wondering if we would get a Christmas story from you and it appeared! (Hmm, perhaps I should wonder about updates of your other stories more often... Like another story about James and his post-Hogwarts adventures in Sheffield.)
I normally have a tough time reading child-speak, but you made it believable, and readable. The only thing I didn't get was bore-balls? Perhaps it's a Brit thing? I like seeing the friendship develop between Al and Annie. Seeing how she always thought Al was nicer then James. Can't wait to see how Jacqui reacts to Hagrid.
Thank you also for taking the time to respond to each review. Your little clues give me something to read and ponder while I'm waiting for your updates. You provide just enough of a teaser without giving too much away.
Thank you for continuing your world.
Author's Response:
I've been planning this story for months, although the first thing I wrote was the opening line of Chapter 2 (which, it seems may no longer be the opening line). I'd love to write more about adult James, but it's a fairly safe bet that it won't be this year, as I want to finish Hunters and Prey, and I have a few other thisgs on the go, too.
I think the trick with child speech is not to overuse it (which I probably did here). Bore-balls = baubles and is a direct qote from my youngest son, in fact a lot of Annies speech is his.I hope to get chapter 2 done within a couple of weeks.
Reviews help to keep me going, especially when the real world begins to get to me. They also make me feel guilty about the speed of updates, perhaps that's a good thing, too. :-D
I have to continue. Who else is going to write about "Violet Moon and the Durmstrang Exchange" (which won't appear here), or "The End of an Era" (which will), or...
-N-
Reviewer: sidnandragin Signed Date: 2012.11.19 - 11:58AM Title: Annie Charlton an’ the World’s Most Ginormous Santa
the cutest one piece ever! I loved it. It reminded me of times I used to speak with my dolls before I became a "big girl".
Author's Response: Thank you.
And Raggedy Maggie thanks you on behalf of your dolls, they (like the rest of us) appreciate make believe conversations. :-D-N-
Reviewer: karalea Signed Date: 2012.11.19 - 11:17AM Title: Annie Charlton an’ the World’s Most Ginormous Santa
Love Santa Hagrid.
Author's Response: Doesn't everyone? :-D -N-
Reviewer: louie Signed Date: 2012.11.19 - 10:37AM Title: Annie Charlton an’ the World’s Most Ginormous Santa
That was pleasantly amusing.
So little Annie can see the bowtruckes. I remember in one of your one-shots that she can unknowingly do a little magic, too (drying clothes too fast?).
Indeed, how does magic work? Didn't Neville say that his family once thought he was not magic enough to attend Hogwarts? Squibs, not enough magic and muggles who could glimpse magic ... things to ponder.
Excellent work for capturing the voice of a four year old.
Hoping for Hunters and Prey update!
Author's Response:
Thank youWas that Annie? Or was it James? (for those not in the know, the story is not here). What exactly is a Squib?
In a way, four-year-olds are easier than adults.H&P 16: Welsh Green and Hebridean Black, is currently 4500 words, another 1000 words and a couple of read-throughs are needed. I hope to get it to Amelie by next weekend at the latest.
-N-
Reviewer: mdauben Signed Date: 2012.11.19 - 10:16AM Title: Annie Charlton an’ the World’s Most Ginormous Santa
Ha! That was a great little story. Loved seeing things from Annie's point of view. Looking forward to more tales from Drake-soff!
Author's Response: Thank you. The next chapter will be from Jacqui’s perspective and the last from Ginny’s. Annie’s point of view was fun, and I suspect that she’s better at pronouncing the name of the Potter’s home than some of my readers. :-D
-N-
Reviewer: r3in9 Signed Date: 2012.11.19 - 06:53AM Title: Annie Charlton an’ the World’s Most Ginormous Santa
most adorable fanfic I have ever read!
Author's Response: Thank you. -N-
Reviewer: Dad Signed Date: 2012.11.19 - 04:35AM Title: Annie Charlton an’ the World’s Most Ginormous Santa
Made a great start to my day.
Author's Response: Five stars! Thank you.
-N-
Reviewer: Trucker Signed Date: 2012.11.19 - 12:29AM Title: Annie Charlton an’ the World’s Most Ginormous Santa
Well done!
Author's Response: Thank you.
-N-
Reviewer: Ginny Guerra Signed Date: 2012.11.18 - 08:23PM Title: Annie Charlton an’ the World’s Most Ginormous Santa
Such a cute one!
Author's Response: Thanks, glad you liked it.
-N-
Reviewer: redheaded_brat Signed Date: 2012.11.18 - 08:06PM Title: Annie Charlton an’ the World’s Most Ginormous Santa
That grammar and spelling much have just grated completely on your nerves! Well done writing in a 4 year old first person!
Author's Response: Throwing out the rules and writing almost phonetically was worryingly easy. Trying to catch the right voice for a four-year-old was less so.
-N-
