Hi.

Nice to meet you.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

So, what can I tell you?

Well, first, Helen is a fabrication. My name is not truly Helen. I created her for my sister’s Sailor Moon fanfic, the Constellation Senshi, and I liked her. I like the name Helen. If I ever have a daughter, that’s what I’ll name her. That’s where Helen Spencer came from. And she saves me from using my real name online. I’ve also been called Rei.

Moving on, the making of Ocean of Dreams.

I guess it is in some ways an attempt to break out of some of the stereotypes of Anime. Most of the stories I’ve read are about groups of girls with special powers-not that there’s anything wrong with them, some are very well done-but I wanted to do something different.

The first character I came up with was Merene. She’s the most like me-quiet and artsy. And she’s not Japanese. I didn’t set my Anime in Japan or use Japanese characters because, well, my Japanese is somewhat limited. I know some, but I didn’t feel like using it to show off in my story. I’ve never been to Japan-but I have been to Chicago.

As for Elorhe...I’ll admit to some influence from Magic Knight Rayearth, there. However, I think it’s sufficiently different to avoid any accusations of plagiarism. Elorhans look like elves, I guess-the ears are like Deedlit from Record of Lodoss War, another of my influences.

Adrin was the second character that came to mind-the boy who’s too handsome to be true, AKA the male lead. And the idea of the Ocean of Dreams itself, and its way of choosing a leader for Elorhe, is a bit like some of the Mercedes Lackey books I’ve read.

With Adrin came Lainnys, who seems to be a lot like my younger sister--who, by some coincidence, does her voice. Jeremy was the hardest character to refine. He existed in a few versions before I finally decided what he would be like, and what purpose he would serve in the story.

And the villains? Lucine works for Kaelor, the mysterious major evil guy. Kaelor is actually half-human. What does that mean? Well, it makes for some problems...he’s certainly not happy. Lucine’s not too happy either. She is, however, probably the most beautiful character in the story. Certainly the bustiest. Also working for Kaelor is the last major character I came up with, Falcon. He has some secrets as well.

Sprites? They’re mostly just little annoyances, constantly fighting among themselves. There are sprites for each of the four elements, and will come into play more later in the story.

Influences? I’ve already mentioned some, MKR, Record of Lodoss War, and Mercedes Lackey. Also, I should add to that list Neon Genesis Evangelion (the character development and meaning, not necessarily the giant robots), and probably some others that I’m forgetting.

Any other questions? You can e-mail me at NH3Avenue@aol.com