Know the Novel Part 1

Happy Wednesday! So, I stumbled across this tag/challenge on Instagram through a post @christinesmithauthor was tagged in. I read through her post about it and then through her blog post on it and thought it was such a fun idea! 

To preface, a friend of mine and I have decided not to participate in Nanowrimo this year because of their political stances on certain things over the past year. I just don't feel right promoting them or supporting them in anyway. However, I still will be writing 50k in November. We're coming up with a fun challenge (still brainstorming names and ironing out the details. I'll do a post on it once we figure things out). 

But I thought this tag would be a fun way to share about my WIP for this year. I'm on the fence about which WIP I'm going to work on, so I've decided I'm going to do two of these for this month's tag. One for each and then in November I'll narrow it down to just one. 

This one is for the sequel to a book I wrote in April called The Immortal Circus. This one is going to be called The Ouroboros Trials. 

1. What first sparked the idea for this novel?

The thing that first sparked the idea for The Immortal Circus is an episode of Legacies. These two characters went to a carnival, which happened to be run by a bunch of vampires. They were using the carnival to lure victims in. I had always wanted to write a story that incorporated a circus and after watching that episode, the pieces just sort of clicked into place. 

2. Share a blurb (or just an overall summary)!

The Immortal Circus and The Ouroboros Trials follows Audrey Blackwood, a girl who's been stuck in the foster care system all her life. She's been bounced from one house to the next and her goal is at eighteen to grab her Jeep and get out of there. To get on the road and not look back. That is until she's attacked by a group of vampires who claim she has a ring that could lead to the next vampire queen. Audrey just narrowly manages to escape and falls in with a circus that had been coming through town... only this circus isn't all that it's appeared to be. Those who run it are werewolves, vampires and magicians. Audrey is thrust into the world of the supernatural against her will. All she wanted was to turn eighteen and leave the foster care system behind. To strike out on her own. To be her own person and not rely on anyone or anything else. But as she spends more time with the group of the Immortal Circus, Audrey can't quite keep the barrier around her heart up forever, especially around the handsome and alluring Gil. 

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

The story takes place in a contemporary setting. One of my favorite aspects of the setting is that the story sort of turned into a roadtrip book. They never stay in one place too long and I enjoyed the fact that the characters spend a lot of time in cars, talking and getting to know each other, always surrounded by mountains or forests. 

4. Tell us about your protagonist(s).

Audrey and Gil are the two POV characters. Audrey is a guarded lone wolf. She doesn't want to be close to anyone having learned a long time ago that getting close to anyone guarantees hurt. It's just better to keep to herself, to protect herself and not get attached. 

Gil is a vampire with a dark past. He was thrown in with one of the vampire gangs and regrets a lot of what he did during his time there. He's spent his time since joining the Immortal Circus trying to heal and recover from the pain of his past and the gangs and trying to do the right thing. 

5. Who (or what) is the antagonist?

There are a few antagonists. In The Immortal Circus mainly it's several of the vampire gangs coming after them for Audrey and the ring. In The Ouroboros Trials the antagonist expands to the vampire council and anyone else who might want Audrey dead. 

6. What excites you the most about this novel?

I love the ensemble cast. I loved getting to know them better, writing their banter and learning more about their histories. One of my other favorite parts is the world I created. I love the political intrigue and how each faction of supernatural creatures have their own political systems. The magicians have families, werewolves have their packs and vampires have their gangs and they all work differently. 

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

At the moment I'm thinking this will be a trilogy. Book one is already written, I'm going to be rewriting book 2 and I know for certain that there will be a book 3. 

8. Are you plotting? pantsing? plansting?

I pantsed the entire first book, but am plantsing book two. 

9. Name a few unique elements in this story.

There's a sweet vampire love interest. Instead of being toxic, aggressive or dangerous and broody, Gil is compassionate, empathetic and loyal to his friends. 

A werewolf/vampire brotherhood relationship. 

An odd amount of cute/fluffy scenes for a book that's a bit grittier and more mature than the average book I write. 

The worldbuilding expands with each book. 

Has a very carnivalesque vibe to it. 

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!).

The playlist for this book is very carnivalesque. During one of my classes on folklore, we learned about carnival and the carnivalesque. The vibe of the carnival was really intriguing to me and with the supernatural, more gritty tone of the book and the circus all rolled into one, I wanted this series to have a slightly carnivalesque feel to it. A few of the songs on the playlist include: 

Freaks Like Us by Sleeping Wolf 

Helter Skelter by BassJackers 

Club Bizarre by John Christian

Circus for a Psycho by Skillet 

Carnival Hearts by Kayla Diamond 

Freaks by Timmy Trumpet 

Scream by SAINT PHNX 

Sound of Madness by Shinedown 

Also, I made these aesthetics for each character and I am very proud of them: 

What do you think?? Would The Immortal Circus and The Ouroboros Trials interest you at all?