Guess what, y’all? Thanks to the amazing Grace Johnson, I have found a linkup! Don’t know what that is? Heh, neither do I. 😉 But, basically, I get to rant about my current WIP (work in progress) to my heart’s content for three posts, one a month.
If you’re concerned that this is not a review, don’t worry. I have a deadline for this (October 31st), and, unfortunately, forgot about my review so I prepped for this post ALL. DAY. No joke. Ergo, I’ll do this one first, and you’ll probably get the review sometime this week or on the 1st. Is it cheating? Yes. But I’m really excited about this post, so y’all will have to put up with it. 😉
SO! If you want to do the linkup, here’s the link for the questions! Let me know in the comments where you do it so I can check it out. *winkety-wink* And, without further ado, welcome to Know the Novel (Part 1)!
The Questions
1. What first sparked the idea for this novel?
Heh heh… well, it was a dream. If you ever met me, you’d find out pretty soon that I have a LOT of swaggy dreams, and a LOT of them spark stories or are part of original stories. (Has anyone else ever dreamt that they were a character in their book? Anyone?)
But basically, I dreamt that I was on a quest with one brother to go find the other brother. We went all over the place looking for him, but eventually found out we were being chased by someone. Two scenes I remember quite well, but only one made it into the book. 😉
The one that made it into the book was when my friend and I got locked up in some kind of barn or something. We were looking for a way out when we found a secret passage. The scene became very different in the actual book (*evil cackle*), but this was what spawned the idea about rocks.
Rocks, that is, with memories.
The second one took place at Walmart. We knew my friend’s brother was in there somewhere, but our pursuer was also right behind us (like literally just 20 feet or so away). We found the brother, but then the pursuer caught us, and I’m not quite sure what happened next. Something about a car. XD
2. Share a blurb (or just an overall summary)!
Oof… here goes nothing. 😛
Three midwives. Two babies. One queen.
Myra was not at all prepared for the quest she is thrust into when she explores the nearby castle ruins. Yet as she witnesses the murder of an innocent woman and her child, she realizes that there is much more to this story than meets the eye.
After all, the baby might have survived.
And if he did, he’s the crown prince of her kingdom.
And Myra’s the only one who can find him before it’s too late.
3. Where does the story take place? What are some of your favorite aspects about the setting?
Well, time-wise, it’s kinda medievally. But it’s set in another world that, at the moment, is called Asriel, so there’s that too. My favorite aspect, is probably the fact that you can see three planets (one green, one blue, and one purple) when the sun sets. PURTY! Occasionally, a fourth planet (blood red) will appear, and when that happens… well, things get a little scary.
Just a little. 😉
4. Tell us about your protagonist(s).
*cackles* These poor people…
There’s basically only three people in this story, besides the villain/antagonist. One is Myra, the main POV character. She’s a teenage introvert with a special talent she’s afraid of who, poor kid, gets into quite the trouble with it. 🙂
Then there’s Gilead, my blind hero. He’s pretty hard to write, actually – he’s calm and wise, but not especially snarky, which is something I really enjoy writing. BUT. As of right now, he’s my favorite.
*coughs* I mean, authors don’t have favorites!!! Who said anything about a favorite? *looks around innocently*
And, last but certainly not least, is Irad, your typical tragic hero with the broken past and bright future.
Maybe.
Irad’s… a challenge. He’s temperamental, a coward, but also quite noble if you give him the chance. He also has this key…
5. Who (or what) is the antagonist?
He doesn’t have a name yet, but he’s Irad’s guardian. He’s a brute who only cares about himself and his deceased mother and his drink. Ugh. Things get kinda… nasty with him. 😉
6. What excites you the most about this novel?
Just the general concept, I think – it’s all woven together nicely, and the setting is one I can’t wait to explore (I’ve never really written a novel with lots of snow and cold and freezingness), not to mention the theme is great and I am very excited to display my climax. I worked on that thing for FOUR. DAYS. in a row, people. It’d better be good. XD
Also, the history. I’ve put a lot into the history, and I LOVE it. 😀
7. Is this going to be a series? standalone? something else?
Right now, it’s a standalone novel. My goal is about 200-300 pages, which is my average length anyway. If there were any other books, they’d probably be set in the same world, but not in the same country. I have a feeling this is one of those stories that’ll be awesome by itself but, if you add a sequel, will be ruined.
8. Are you plotting? pantsing? plansting?
MWUAHAHAHA I is plotting this one!! I found this new technique on the Young Writer’s Workshop that is SO. AMAZING. It’s really brought the story together and made just the outline a lot tighter than I was originally intending. *thinks I should do a post on it*
9. Name a few unique elements about this story.
There are rocks with memories
There is a special key
There’s these things called Star Trees. It’s said that their fruit will give you special abilities, and the blossoms can heal any wound/disability/whatever. BUT there is a cost. If you eat one piece of fruit, you will no longer remember where the tree is. If you eat two, your entire memory is erased.
*grinz*
10. Share some fun “extras” of the story (a song or full playlist, some aesthetics, a collage, a Pinterest board, a map you’ve made, a special theme you’re going to incorporate, ANYTHING you want to share!).
Sheesh, this is what I spent all day doing. Here’s a couple maps for you!
Zoar, the country of Myra’s heritage and the conqueror of Shinar – made with Inkarnate
Shinar (YES, YES I KNOW THE HISTORY OF THE ORIGINAL PLACE BUT IT’S SUCH A PRETTY NAAAAAMEE!!!), the country where Myra lives now and the homeland of Irad and Gilead; conquered by Zoar about fifty years before the story takes place – made with Inkarnate
These are just rough maps, and they’re certainly not to scale, but aren’t they gorgeous?!?! *stares more*
Myra, the main character (did anyone spot the castle spire?)
*coughs* Notice the eyes… *cough cough*
Anywho, I don’t have any fancy-schmancy collages, though I have pictures for it. Someone *cough cough* didn’t get her collage done in time, so you’ll just have to imagine it. 😉
However, I do have a list of songs for it! Since Irad’s the only one with a really rough past, and most songs I find seem to have something to do with a character’s backstory or the lesson they need to learn, most of these songs are his. BUT they’re really good!!
There you have it! What do you think? I’m very excited about this project and, though it’s only in the plotting stages, I can’t wait to start writing it.
Until next time,
Take courage, pursue God, and smile while you still have teeth! 😉