Know the Novel – Part One: Introduction

*squeals* Okay, I am SUPER excited to be participating in Know the Novel, hosted by my amazing friend Christine Smith, for the second year in a row! But before we get into all the writerly goodness, I have some life/blog stuff I promised to explain.

I am not going to stop blogging! Just wanted to get that out there first so no one freaks out. ❤ But I am going to be posting less. You have no idea how much I miss blogging. I miss answering comments and chatting with all of you! But as you’ve probably noticed, I have unanswered comments all the way back to… June-ish??

Last year was such an amazing and fun time spent blogging and chatting with y’all, on my blog and other people’s blogs, but with my wrist injuries and other life stuff taking up almost all my time it’s just not feasible at this point in my life. I need to focus on healing my hands, letting them get the proper rest they need.

I miss my blogging community, we have such a lovely little group and I love and cherish each one of you regardless of if you can comment or even like each post (though I DO love getting comments, even if I can’t reply to them right away. <3)

For now, I’m limiting myself to one post a month, maybe two (except for special occasions like the book launch tour I was able to schedule in advance and use templates.). So even though I’m participating in Know the Novel, I’m not going to be tackling a massive writing goal next month. I’m still not exactly sure what my goal will be, but I know it will be small as I let my hands heal.

So, for November and December my posts will be part 2 and 3 of Know the Novel, but after that… I’m just not sure. All I know is I’m not giving up blogging and will just have to take this new journey post by post. I hope you’ll stick around with me even if I’m posting less. ❤

Now, ON TO THE GLORIOUS WRITERLY THINGS!!

THE QUESTIONS

What first sparked the idea for this novel?

I’m going to combine the two projects I’m going to be pecking slowly away at for November. XD Christine actually suggested I do these two projects since I couldn’t decide which one I wanted to focus on. So I will be talking about Roses, Thorns, and Curses and More Than a Dream. I am SO excited to be diving back into these two! Some of this will be repeating info from last year’s posts, but it’s been awhile since I’ve talked about either and I’ll also try to sum up for new and old followers.

So, what sparked RTC was doing a prompt with my sister and while pantsing the prompt I realized it was a Sleeping Beauty retelling… and absolutely nothing I write can stay below 5k unless I force it. XD Thus, RTC quickly outgrew it’s wittle-bitty prompt-stage and became a full-grown novel.

For MTD that was a prompt I found on Pinterest and it took off from there, spiraling into yet another novel and eventually I learned it was the third (or fourth) book in what was now a series with RTC being the first book. I apparently also can’t write a standalone to save my life. >.>

Share a blurb (or just an overall summary)!

*squints* Yeah, this is always hard so… *copies and pastes the blurbs from last year’s post*

Roses, Thorns, and Curses

“They say if you dream a thing more than once, it’s sure to come true…”

“For years I have dreamt of him, I know him better than I know myself…”

“I always knew he’d find me eventually, I just didn’t know it would be like this…”

A Fae bides her time, waiting to unleash her wrath on those who betrayed her. A prince seeks the answer to the dream that plagues him. A princess has lain in slumber, but now awakes to find a world not quite right.
When Sorren finds the answer to his dream, more and more questions take its place. Before Maelle can exact her revenge she is enslaved by a beast of a man. Aurana must navigate a hostile world with more questions than answers and find a way to rescue the sister she knows but doesn’t remember.
When secrets from the past threaten them all, they must work together to find a way to stop the looming darkness, and then maybe Maelle can worry about revenge.

More Than a Dream (slightly updated)

Princess Charmina has lived her entire life yearning for more than being a pawn in the political games of the upper class. When her father announces he will hold a series of Balls in the hopes of finding her a suitor, she calls it quits. With the help of her friends, she runs away. Her plans are disrupted, however, when a lightning storm forces her to seek shelter. The nearest place she knows of just happens to be the manor house of Duchess Ellanor, the mother of her old friend and first love.

Elladar Knightley spends his time doing the bidding of his step-family. He tries his best to remain kind and forgiving, the way his parents taught him, especially since his step-father, Lord Ridley, has every right to throw him out after his mother died instead of keeping him clothed and fed. But when a girl from his past and her companions show up asking for a place to wait out the storm, things start to change. His summer-time love, who’s also the crown princess, is none to happy about how he is treated.

Furious over the fact that not only Lord Ridley abuses Ellar, but that Ellar defends his step-family from her verbal wrath, Charm creates a plan to get him to come to the Balls disguised as a foreign royal. Meanwhile she sends her friends on a mission to find out why no one was told of Duchess Ellanor’s death.

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

Both stories take place in the same fictional world but on different continents. I have yet to name the world, and I’ve either forgotten or misplaced the names of the continents (or haven’t named them yet??) but the countries are called Aurvala for MTD, and Ambrodia and Zarona, along with a different place/realm?? that my charries just stumbled upon and I’m figuring it out as I go, for RTC.

Favorite aspects would be the mystical/magicalness of the whole world. As I’ve been developing the storyworld it’s just… I love the whimsiness of Aurvala and the darker, more dangerous edge to Ambrodia and Zarona, and the places where the two combine into a wildly beautiful dance of dark whimsy.

Tell us about your protagonist(s).

Roses, Thorns, and Curses

Sorren

courtesy of Pinterest

Loyal // With you to the end // Brave // Let me fight for you // Impetuous // I am such an idiot but I’m not an idiot // I’ve been having these weird dreams lately… // Runt of the litter // Protective // Zel, quit giving me a heart-attack, Eggy, quit encouraging her // Why does this always happen to me???

Maelle

courtesy of Pinterest

Anger issues // Trust issues // Lots of issues // Don’t touch my sister // You fashion me as the bad guy to make yourself look like the hero // Leave me alone… please… // They broke my wings and forgot I had claws // I’m not the damsel needing saving from the dragon, I am the dragon and I’ll tear you apart // Broken hearts, moonlit tears, stolen dreams // He’s an idiot, but he’s my idiot // You can’t break what’s already broken

Aurana

courtesy of Pinterest

Kind // I can help // Let me help // Inner strength // I’m a damsel, but I’m not weak // Give me a chance // Trust me // …protect me… // Keep me safe // Where’s my sister? // I know you… I saw you in a dream…? // #napqueen // Why can’t I remember you? // Dreamwalker // Gentle as a kitten but with claws just as sharp

Feyden

courtesy of Pinterest

Charming // Suave // Dashing // I’m not vain, I’m just being honest // Totally vain // Maelle can’t live without me // I would die for her // Dark past // Hidden secrets // Don’t make me show you my pain… please… // Loki, but less betrayal // Sarcasm is my native language // I’m an only child // Habitual liar // Silver tongue // Hidden heart of gold // Even in your darkness, I can still show you the stars // I got way too attached to you

More Than a Dream

Charm

courtesy of pinterest

I’ll be dancing for my own hand // Love is more than a dream, or a feeling, or a thought, love is an action // I’m not an heir, I’m a puppet // Just another piece on the chessboard // There’s so much more to me // Long dresses // Even longer horse-back rides // Country girl in a tiara // Good with a sword // How does one forget they have younger siblings? // Leader of royal squad // #squadgoals

Ellar

courtesy of pinterest

Faith // Have courage and be kind // Forgiving // Ultimate cinnamon-roll // Suffers from Stockholm-syndrome out of self-preservation // Even my callouses have callouses // *friends have tiny disagreement* Can we please not fight? *puppy eyes* // Would be happy living alone in the woods like a forest hermit // Knows all of Charms tricks to get her way but still manages to fall for them

Who (or what) is the antagonist?

The plot.

Okay in all seriousness, the antagonist for RTC is still undetermined. For all I know it’s a mysterious figure who’s only recently shown up, or it’s someone from Maelle’s past, or it’s more of Maelle being “I’m my own antagonist” while also being a grey-character/heroine…

For MTD, it’s Ellar’s step-father, Lord Ridley… and possibly someone else? I’m thinking there’s an overarching antagonist in the series but *shrugs* I’m still figuring this out. XD

What excites you the most about this novel?

Returning to them!!! I have so missed writing over the past few months. I haven’t really touched MTD since November/December last year, and RTC was unavoidably temporarily shelved around July-ish while I worked on a story I’d hoped to submit to an anthology but that didn’t happen. So yeah, returning to this storyworld that intrigues and captivates my imagination is what I’m most excited about. I love, love, love this group of charries, I could almost say this group is my favorite but it’s so hard picking favorites among ones children. XD

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

This is a series, but I’m no longer sure it’s going to be a normal series… I’m beginning to think it’s going to turn into a series like Kingdom Hearts where book 2 isn’t actually the second in the storyline… >.>

Are you plotting? pantsing? plansting?

All three. Some stuff I’ve plotted, some stuff my characters tell me to do, and others I’m going in a general direction of what I want but my characters are still backseat driving.

Name a few unique elements about this story.

The more I learn about it the more I realize this series isn’t a series of retellings, it’s a series of characters inspired by fairytales who have been plucked from their original/Disney tales along with recognizable elements and reimagined within a fantasy world.

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!).

Part 1 of the linkup ends at midnight tonight and Part 2 will go live tomorrow! And I will probably be last minuting that post as well because I can only type so much in a day. XD

Are you participating in NaNo, KDWC, or WIF, or all the above? What are you writing? Are you going to stay up tonight and write at the stroke of Midnight??? *hands you coffee*

Let’s Chat! 😀

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