Know the Novel - Part 1: Introduction

It's that time of year again! Well, it was back at the beginning of October. But hey, better late than never, am I right?

*crickets*

Okaaaay, well, the point being, I finally got around to doing Know the Novel and am super excited to share all these fun goodies with you. ;P 'Nuff said - let's get started!

(P.S. If you're looking for some nostalgia, check out my last two editions of this here and here. (:)

How it Works

Instead of copy/pasting a whole bunch of stuff, I'll just direct you to the source of this linkup, Christine Smith. Read her explanation here if you don't already know what this is!

The Questions

What first sparked the idea for this novel?

I answered a very similar question last week, so I'll leave it at that. :)

Share a blurb (or just an overall summary)!

Since I shared a blurb last week as well, I'll just give you a quick summary. (BTW, I haven't decided if this is just a single big book or a trilogy yet. I'm going to give you a summary of the "first" book, that way I'll keep a fair amount of spoilers to myself, though. ;P)

Alek Antonov is a Russian assassin who managed to get into Congress itself when his best friend, Victor, betrays and shoots him. As Alek retaliates, he suddenly finds himself in the middle of a peaceful forest, lost.

Lyria and her partner in crime, Joram, are out on a sabotage mission one night when a blinding light interrupts everything. Upon further inspection, they find the cause: a wounded human, wandering about in a land no blood can touch without consequences. They aren't the only ones who noticed, though. One of their rival Flocks also hunt down the human and, though he gets away, take Joram captive. The only way they'll set him free unharmed is if Lyria's people hand over the human. The only problem is that the human is armed and free. The only way to capture him would be to trick him.

So Lyria finds herself on a mission to be a traitor, and Alek finds himself doing everything in his power to keep his freedom and get back home before he causes more than just a civil war.

Where does the story take place? What are some of your favorite aspects of the setting?

I don't have a name for the world, and I only have a vague idea of the setting, but it's basically a bunch of small-ish biomes thrown together to create this... place. In the middle of all these different biomes, you have a giant forest that is contested land, but is considered an almost sacred place. That's where Alek ends up and where most of the story takes place.

I love how varied it is. Is it realistic? Maybe not completely. But it's a lot of fun to be able to jump from desert cliffs to crystal caverns and giant forests and icy mountaintops and more.

Tell us about your protagonist(s).

You got a lot of information on Lyria last week, so I'll stick to Alek for now.

He's pretty mild as far as my characters go. Quiet but reckless, a thinker and in touch with reality, a grudge-holder but also someone who wants to believe the best about people. He's not afraid to kill, but he values life. I need to develop him more, but so far I like him a lot. As far as personality typing (yes, of course I'm doing that), I thiiiink he's ISTP? Not entirely sure though. :)

Who (or what) is the antagonist?

There are a lot of antagonistic forces throughout the book. I'm going to leave one of the more singular villains a mystery for now, because that's quite the spoiler, but suffice it to say Lyria is racing against four other Flocks (essentially tribes) to save Joram. Plus Alek is just trying to stay free, and since Lyria works against that, I suppose she counts as an antagonist for him? And then you've got Alek's best friend, Victor, who shot him. And this bat-girl named Lilith who really reminds me of Selina from Batman but in a much more creepy way. I can't tell if she's a villain yet or not, but she's sure leaning that way.

What excites you the most about this novel?

The unknown. I'll get more into that later.

Is this going to be a series? standalone? something else?

Like I said, I can't tell if it's a standalone or trilogy yet. I suppose we'll have to see. XP

Are you plotting? pantsing? plansting?

I was going to plot. Trust me, I had good intentions. I even have the docs to prove it. But once NaNo came around and I started writing writing... the characters shanghaied the plot and I have no idea what is going on anymore. It's kinda fun, not gonna lie, but it's also making it much harder to keep up with NaNo than I remember from last year. XD

Name a few unique elements in this story.

1. A human that falls into another world - but one of the main characters is from that world

2. People with wings - like lots of people with wings

3. A language barrier that isn't magically resolved

4. A fantasy world without magic

5. An antagonistic (and confused) MC

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!).

I had great aspirations for this part, you guys. I was going to have a map and collages and individual character playlists and everything. However, life struck, I lost stuff, and Monday snuck up on me. So, all I've got is a handful of Pinterest boards and a playlist.

I'll share more later. :P

For now, here's the playlist to listen to while you browse the Pinterest boards. XD

Pinterest boards:

- Lyria

- Alek

- Aves in general

- Project Avian

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And that's a wrap! What are your thoughts on Project Avian so far? Have you done Know the Novel (if so I want a link)? How distracted did you get on Pinterest? :P

Until next time,

Take courage, pursue God, and smile while you still have teeth!! ;)

-Joelle