America Singer, The Selection Series

If you came into this post then one thing is for sure: you know who America Singer is and you've also read the Selection series.

I've recently come across with this series. I've been a reader of thriller genres or novels about some heroic detective solving various cases of murder and stuff. I was never a fan of the romance genre and I would always pass by the romance section on our local bookstore. Then out of the blue, I just felt like I'm getting fed up with the same genre after reading them for years. Hell, most of the books I have on my shelf are of the thriller genre. I believe it should've been a habit, but I got tired to the point of having a hard time turning the page. I was dumbfounded since, I am a lover of books and it's heart-breaking to put down a book unfinished, or having a lack of passion to read again. I felt lost.

Then one day, I went to the local bookstore with my cousin to pass time. Crazy right? Most people would probably prefer coffee shops or the mall to pass time, but we decided to check the bookstore instead than having a small sip of coffee. My initial instinct was to look on the thriller/adventure genre section. Since I felt like I was going on a slump from the genre, I put down books from books even after reading the synopsis of the books and they would be interesting if only I wasn't being indifferent. Then as if by some sort of magic, I found myself looking through the romance section. And since I'm at the bookstore anyway, why not give one a try. Then I got drawn by this book in between the shelves. I recognized it at first sight since I know it's a popular series, and I know some friends who loved the series too. Another thing, I saw how stocks went by fast at the bookstore and this series are indeed one of the best sellers.

I decided to give it a try, but since I was still skeptical about trying to read a romance book, I only bought the first book, The Selection by Kiera Cass. And boy do I regret not reading it before. I just felt how out-of-place I was. How could I not read such a great book! All the passion in reading I lost in a year suddenly came pouring over me like a waterfall. I fell deeply in love with this book, all the characters in it, and Kiera Cass. It's an absolute page turner, and I literally couldn't put it down. The first night after reading the first book, I decided to go to the bookstore the next day to buy the next books of the series: The Elite, The One, The Heir, and The Crown. But as I have mentioned, the stocks on this book are so scarce in my local bookstore that I was only able to buy The Elite and The Heir. I swear if only the saleslady wasn't watching me I probably would've ripped the book set they are selling just to get The One. And believe it or not they don't even have Happily Ever After which is a companion to the series. I asked the saleslady on when they'll have it restocked by they didn't give me a definite date and they admit they have low stocks. Bummer.

And since I fell in love with the characters of the series, I decided to make a new series on my toothpick doll collection. You guessed it right, I'll be making toothpick dolls of America Singer, Maxon Schreave, Aspen Leger, and probably the significant characters as well. I'll be posting them as The Selection in Toothpick Dolls Series. 

First on the list is of course our beloved heroine, America Singer. The story revolves around her point of view, narrating her emotions and her growth from becoming the mediocre maiden to a princess who is a fighter and has strong sense of morality. She doesn't care even if she was against the King, as long as she follows what she believed is right (except maybe when she gave a knee to Prince Maxon's groin, although I understand that she was "defending" herself and that was her defense mechanism working, she could've settled on a slap on the face at least.) 

"The one I ended up in was a cream color. It fell off my shoulders, fit snugly at my waist, and hit just at my knees. The girl helping me into it called it a day dress. She told me that my evening dresses were already in my room, and the res of these would go up there as well. Then she placed a silver pin near the top of my dress. My name glittered across it. Finally, she put me into shoes she called kitten heels and she sent me back to the corner so I could take my "after" shot." --- America Singer, The Selection, Kiera Cass

This is how I imagined her just after she arrived at the palace, when she was turned from a bumpkin to a lady. I gave a little shine and depth in color to her dress, since the cream thread I used was pretty close to her skin tone. Adding so gave a subtle definition to her dress which is both simple and elegant. I decided not to give her too much detail in her dress since America likes it simple.

"My hair was washed, conditioned, hydrated, and smoothed. It was long and all one length when I came in -- my mom usually cut it, and that was the best she could do -- but by the time they were done, it was several inches shorter and had layers." --- America Singer, The Selection Series, Kiera Cass

And this is how I imagined her hair: had layers, not too long and not too short, to give room for when her maids would give her updo hairstyles. I opted to let her hair loose, since she was insistent on staying herself on the first day. I had a hard time finding a thread or yarn that fits my idea of a natural red hair. I went to the craft store to buy a yarn with the exact shade I was thinking of, but to no luck, I had to settle with what I had and compromise.

This was the original color of the thread I used on her hair. I didn't know it will work, I have never experimented on my other dolls' hairs before. 

I soaked the whole thread in a bowl with red food dye and a little water for about half an hour. Then I blew dry it after and the result can now be seen on her hair. I don't know if it's acceptable though, I hope Kiera Cass forgives me if this doll isn't good or if this doll is far from her personal image of America Singer.

Please let me know what you think of this America Singer toothpick doll. And look forward to my next entry on The Selection in Toothpick Doll Series~