Beautiful Books #1

At 12:00 a.m. on October 25, 2015, I finished the second draft of my novel, Beginning of the End. The end came together just like I imagined it would. It's still a little hard to believe. There were moments that I seriously wondered if I would ever finish the second draft (I'm not be melodramatic--I honestly doubted it). Now that it's over, I'm beyond exited. And a little sad. You know the feeling you get when you're a chapter away from the end of the good book and you're tempted to stop reading so the story keeps going? I was definitely feeling that while writing. One good thing about finishing the second draft though, is that I get to start the sequel! I'm not sure if I'll do NaNoWriMo or not, but I thought that doing the Beautiful Books link-up would be a great chance to learn some more about my novel.

{hosted by Cait and Sky}

1. How did you come up with the idea for your novel, and how long have you had the idea?
Oh goodness. How long have I had this idea? Years and years. This novel is the second book in the trilogy I've been working on for an eternity. You can read more about it here. Originally, I wasn't going to have a sequel. But then the ideas just kept coming and coming and I realized that I couldn't fit my character's story into one meager book. So here I am.

2. Why are you excited to write this novel?
I just am! The plot in this novel is probably the best plot I've ever come up with. There are surprising twists and serious character development. If everything goes as planned, I'll have my readers in tears. Mwahaha.

3. What is your novel about, and what is the title?
I can't give the full synopsis, because it has major spoilers for book 1.... But I will say that after Brynn finds out who has been betraying the rebellion (and some major bad things happen), she and the Kearney have to learn to trust each other again. Life still isn't the same, knowing that any moment the traitor could--and probably will--tell the rest of their secrets to the Government. Since waiting isn't in Brynn's DNA, she prepares to take out the spy once and for all--until the he contacts her first.

The title is Out of the Ashes. I may or may not keep the title. For right now though, I'm quite pleased with it (we'll see how long that lasts).

4. Sum up your characters in one word each. (Feel free to add pictures!)

Maverick: candid

Jay: impulsive

Brynn: lost

Riley: resilient

5. Which character(s) do you think will be your favorite to write? Tell us about them!
Maverick, Jay and Brynn. Brynn didn't have a conventional family; she had two older cousins who were absent most of her life. When she meets Jay, he initially gets on Brynn's nerves, but something about him intrigues her and eventually Jay becomes an adopted little brother. Their relationship is going to be super fun to write.

As I've said in countless other posts, the Brynn-Maverick story line was never supposed to happen. But it did. And I'm ever so glad. The interactions between these two are never dull. They both come from the same place and are so similar, yet their reactions to their experiences are completely different. Honestly, Brynn and Maverick are the two biggest reasons why I'm excited to write this book.

6. What is your protagonist's goal, and what stands in the way?
She just wants to keep what she loves safe. It's a futile goal, but Brynn dreams about it anyway. Everything she's ever had gets destroyed in one way or another and she's tired of it. Brynn finally does get the chance to protect what she loves, but ironically, what she loves ends up stopping her.

7. Where is your novel set? (Show us pictures if you have them!)
The headquarters of the revolution is based in the rolling Appalachian mountains. While the main rebel camp is set in the country, the characters are constantly fighting battles that take them to cities, abandoned factories, and small towns.

8. What is the most important relationship your character has?
Riley and Brynn's relationship is Brynn's top priority. She cares about her other relationships, but admits that Riley is the one person who has to live; he is at the heart of each decision that Brynn makes.

9. How does your protagonist change by the end of the novel?
Brynn has to make some major decisions in the last chapter that will estrange at least one person she cares about and endanger herself. In order to do that, she has to pick up the pieces of her life that fell apart in the first chapter (and the previous book). She definitely has to find her strength and rebuild everything that she lost.

10. What themes are in your book? How do you want your readers to feel when the story is over?
I want them to be in tears (just kidding). But seriously. Redemption is the biggest theme in Out of the Ashes. Choices were made in the first back that can't be undone. The person who made those choices wants to make it up and Brynn has to decide if she should kill the traitor or forgive him. Hopefully my readers will agree with the choice Brynn makes and be able to relate to my characters.

NaNoWriMo BONUS: Tell us your 3 best pieces of advice for others trying to write a book in a month.

#1.) It's okay to be strange. This might not sound like writing advice, but it is. Trust me. Do you ever make facial expressions that match your character's expressions while you're writing? If you're like me, you do. And you get concerned looks from your family. Maybe you cry when you write emotional scenes or *gasp* kill off one of your favorite characters. Don't be afraid to be a strange writer--stay up past midnight and act out your scenes if you must.

#2.) Create a soundtrack for your novel. Maybe you aren't the type of writer who likes to listen to music while you write. If you aren't, then don't worry about it. But I do recommend trying to create a soundtrack, even if you don't write to it. Find some songs that set the mood of your novel or sound like a theme song for your main character. It's a nice thing to have. If you do like to write to music, Soundfuel is an amazing site--the author created tons of playlists for all sorts of writing categories like Battle Scenes, Historical, Villains... You name it!

#3.) Love what you write. If you feel "blah" about your novel--stop. Take a break and rethink your story. One thing I've learned is that if you aren't in love with your characters--if you aren't constantly thinking about your story--then your writing is going to fall a little flat. The best writing comes from deep feelings. So love your story and it will be a great read.

Is anyone else doing the link-up? How about NaNoWriMo? 

Emily

xoxo