M. Marling

Hi everyone!

My name is M. Marling. I love reading, listening to audiobooks and music. Tea is one of my favorite drinks in the world and I think any problem is easier to deal with in the company of a cup of tea than without one.

I have an overactive imagination and of course that has landed me in a sweet kind of trouble: writing a ten-book Harry Potter fanfiction series... Even after working on it for a year, I still think it’s a little crazy.

The fanfiction is called Roots & Flames. The story begins in 1971 at the start of the Marauders’ era and continues through the Second Wizarding War and beyond. I’d prefer to talk about the whole story in more detail in another post. But for now I’ll just say that I’m about to start drafting Chapter 12 of Book One.

Over the past year I’ve learned a lot and of course there’s still much more to learn. But I’m happy about that. Why? Because working on this project has started to feel like sitting on a sofa and watching a favorite series...one that keeps surprising you and you’re never quite sure when it will end.

So, here I’ll write about my writing process, its challenges, failures and the things I learn along the way. I’ll also share a little about my story and the other things I love. But more importantly than all of that, I’d love to connect with other writers and readers like me.

Yes, maybe it’s right, but I know I will blame myself later if I do that. Continuing will be hard and it might not turn out the way I imagine, but at least I’ll know I tried.

From the time I was so little that I couldn’t read on my own and my parents read to me until now, books have remained among my best friends and they always will.

I know I haven’t always been loyal to them and have often chosen other things instead. But I have to say that they are among the few friends who have tried to make me feel better when I’ve felt down, filled my life with voices when I’ve been lonely and kept the busyness of everyday life from carrying me away completely.

Through books, I’ve learned that life is not limited to the world I know, learned not to be afraid of my imagination and gained thousands of experiences that would never have been possible in real life. So maybe it isn’t wrong to say that I’ve lived a thousand lives.

Fake Moody says this to Snape in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. But does everyone really deserve a second chance? I’m talking specifically about Voldemort.

In canon, he never regretted anything he had done. But even if he had and wanted to make amends, would there really have been any way to make up for so many crimes that could never be undone?

This makes me think that sometimes there is simply no way to make up for the things you have done in the past. But even so, I believe in second chances too. If someone truly regrets what they have done, they should be given a chance to make amends, even if they can no longer undo what they did and all they can do is admit it and express remorse.

"Make a wish, Harry"