INTRODUCING MY 2021 WIP: Women of Iron

by - January 18, 2021


 Today I'm SUPER pumped to announce a new story! This is STILL not the super secret project *long drawn out sigh* But this one is just...I'm SO excited to announce it.

I had this idea one night while lying in bed. I couldn't sleep, and suddenly the thought of a girl came to mind. Not just a girl--a princess. The daughter of a ruling queen, abused within her castle, utterly neglected, and never given anything. (Yeah, I have SUCH nice thoughts before sleeping.)

I started thinking: what would that sort of scenario do to this girl? What would she do? Who would she become?

She became a villain.

Her name became Evinda.

And thus Women of Iron was born.

(all images in this post are from Pinterest. All rights to the original owners. I own nothing.)

THE BLURB

War will come to the land.

After centuries of unrest under the line of queens in Kindalsa, a young princess with a heart of stone ascends the throne. Civil war is rampant about her, but her hands are already dripping with the blood of those who dared oppose her and betray her. Queen Evinda and her posse of powerful women will stop at nothing to quell the unrest—for a world full of so much pain deserves to hurt, at least a little.

Sorin’s father died in the war, and now he and his family want nothing but to put their lives back together under the next tyrannical queen. But when a draft to stop rebel invaders threatens everything they’ve built, Sorin has no choice but to run to the Resistance. There, he fights to bring peace to a land rocked by turmoil for centuries—but the resistance has other goals. And they don’t include peace negotiations.

Saphira, a rebel, watched her parents’ murder when she was a small child. Now she has risen through the ranks of her army, and she marches on Kindalsa and Queen Evinda, the flame of revenge burning in her chest. Her people have had enough of the queens. It’s their turn to rule this land where they’ve had no voice for so long.

When three armies converge, there will be no avoiding war. But against a queen made of iron...who can stand?


THE PLAYERS

Credit to Pinterest for the pictures; credit to Brooke for the collage ;)

First, the villains. The dark queen and her posse, a.k.a. her girl gang, her three best friends, her ride or die. Because who doesn't want a group of deadly college age girls ruling a queendom?

Evinda. Queen. Bitterness forever. Her mother never did anything to protect her, and when she lost everything, she took the hurt and turned it into a long-term simmering anger that she poured into her land. She conquered a conqueror and assumed all power, and now she's fighting to maintain control over the throne she usurped. Except in her mind, it was her birthright. Her place. And now she just wants the world to feel a little of the pain she's felt before she lets them live again. If she can ever get rid of the rebels assailing her southern borders...

Blaze. When a hostile group from the north arrived in Kindalsa, Blaze was already a soldier of great renown. She rose to fame by holding a mountain pass single-handedly for an hour, and with Evinda's mother's general gone, Evinda appointed Blaze her new general. She's a grim optimist and will do whatever it takes to keep her people safe--even if it requires a forced draft.

Aria. Aria was the youngest in a family of brothers and desperately wanted to prove herself. Joining the army was the first step, but she quickly gained a dark reputation as an interrogator who could get anything out of her prisoners...by any means necessary. Evinda, intrigued by her reputation, put her in charge of the dungeons and finding the resistance. To most, Aria is a dark legend, and her nickname, The Iron Heel, is a tribute to how brutal she can truly be.

Reyla. Reyla alone of the four never wanted to be violent. She was a maid in the palace until the war came, and then seized the opportunity to request the position of head maid as Evinda changed up the entire hierarchy. But after only a short career in that, Evinda realized that this girl was better at leadership than she'd let on, and decided to make her in charge of the guards in the palace. Reyla is not a fighter, but she has a head for strategy. 


Now for the good guys:



Sorin. This lad just wanted a chance to help his mother in her shop, but his father, a soldier, died in the conquest. And then...a draft happened to fight the rebels. Sorin and his stepfather fled to the resistance, so that they wouldn't be drafted, looking for a way to finally overthrow a queen whose line has ruled for two centuries. Sorin still has light in his eyes after all these years, and he just wants to be okay again. He has hope. Which is a bit of a surprise to many of the resistance fighters...




Malakkai. Sorin's best friend, Malakkai is about the size of a house, and has a giant axe that he likes to throw at people. He likes thinking of himself as the sidekick, and is mostly a jokester, but when it comes to Sorin and the kingdom, he has a dark and serious streak that will stop at nothing to bring good back to the world.




Luli. Only fourteen, she's known more loss than many, and everyone in Kindalsa has lost at least one person. Luli's been raised by her grandfather her whole life, but his drafting leaves her alone, and she decides she has no choice but to lie about her age and follow him to the army. But the army is no place for a girl so young, and soon she has to fight to get out...knowing that deserters will be killed if caught.

And our resident rebel....



Saphira is the kind of girl who expects the men to respect her. And they do. She joined the army after both her parents were killed by a roving band of Evinda's mother's soldiers, and now she's out for revenge. Served hot or cold. She rose through the ranks of the army by talent and dedication alike. Now she has one quest: Conquer Kindalsa, put her own general on the throne over both nations, and watch the queen fall.


And here is the (very long) playlist for this book:



That's all I've got for now--once I've actually started this, there will be UPDATES ;) I can't wait to share more about this book! What are you writing right now? Chat with me in the comments!

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24 comments

  1. Abby ElissaJanuary 18, 2021 at 10:30 AM

    Ohhhhhhh, this looks amazing!!! <333 Looking forward to those updates!!! And Saphira and Aria . . . </333
    Haha, it seems like some of the best stories come from right before I go to sleep or (sometimes) after I fall asleep! And of course all writers aren't allowed to think *pleasant* thoughts before they go to sleep - what fun would that be?
    Actually, the WIP I'm planning and fixing to draft now came from a dream. XD And then I just kept building on it, until it turned into a suspense story with probably too many controversial topics. XD

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    Replies
    1. R.F. GammonJanuary 19, 2021 at 12:03 PM

      Thank you!!!!!

      Yes, same. Noooo, who needs pleasant thoughts? *cackles evilly*

      Oh, very nice! My favorite WIPs have usually started as dreams or been inspired by them.

      Delete
  2. Christine SmithJanuary 18, 2021 at 1:02 PM

    OH. MY. GOODNESSSSSS. Girl! You always come up with the BEST stories and characters!!! I'm literally already utterly in love with thissss.

    A definite YES to a band of villainous powerhouse young woman. I did that a little bit in my NaNo novel, and hope to expand on it in the second book. It's just way, way too much fun. *cackles* And the good guys all sound PRECIOUS. I think Malakkai is already my favorite. Gotta love the giant jokesters with more to them than what meets the eye. :D

    This all just looks AMAZING. Thank you so much for sharing this deliciousness with us! *heart-eyes*

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    Replies
    1. R.F. GammonJanuary 19, 2021 at 12:04 PM

      Thank you!!!!! I'm so excited to share more about them!!!!!

      YESSSS DUDE THAT'S AMAZING! Your NaNo novel is going to be one of my favorite things, calling it now. Ack thank you!

      THANK YOU!!!!! And thanks for reading ^_^

      Delete
  3. SamanthaJanuary 18, 2021 at 2:01 PM

    Oh my WORD this sounds AMAZING!

    A group of stabby college age girls ruling a kingdom is JUST what we all need. Absolutely.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Bree DawnJanuary 18, 2021 at 2:45 PM

    I'M SO EXCITED😍😍😍 I literally NEVER read fantasy, but I'd read the HECK out of this. Like, can you write it rn so I can read it ASAP???? PALEAAAAAASE🥺

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  5. Brooke RileyJanuary 18, 2021 at 3:14 PM

    YAY!!! YOU'RE SHARING IT!! I've loved helping you plot this one and can't wait to help you more with this <3 <3 <3

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. R.F. GammonJanuary 19, 2021 at 12:06 PM

      YESSSS you knew I would ;) Indeed. It's going to be SO fun.

      Delete
  6. Nicole DustJanuary 18, 2021 at 10:47 PM

    *dies from the amazingness* WOW THIS SOUNDS INCREDIBLE <3 <3 <3

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  7. RachelJanuary 19, 2021 at 8:18 AM

    Lowkey love the villainous girl group already. Sounds very interesting!

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  8. LiaJanuary 20, 2021 at 12:59 PM

    UM YES I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS!!

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  9. McKaylaJanuary 20, 2021 at 2:04 PM

    OH MY GOODNESS THIS IS EVERYTHING I LOVE IN A STORY AND MORE! I love a good villain, so the dark queen and her posse have already intrigued me.
    Also, I haven't even read this yet, and I can already tell that Luli will be my favorite.
    Great job! Can't wait to hear more about it.

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    Replies
    1. R.F. GammonJanuary 21, 2021 at 10:36 AM

      ACK thanks! I'm so glad! I can't wait to finish it and share more updates :D

      Delete
  10. Chloe the MovieCriticJanuary 21, 2021 at 1:34 PM

    I have no words for how intrigued I am by this. It sounds and looks and feels INCREDIBLE!!! I love me a good story with people becoming villains (I know, I sound like a crazy person. XD) while others fight back and stay strong! I now want Luli and Saphira to be my best friends, please and thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Alexa MintahJanuary 21, 2021 at 5:13 PM

    Oh my goodness, this sounds amazing!!! I am so intrigued already, by both villains and heroes. I can't wait to see what you do with this!


    Alexa
    thessalexa.blogspot.com
    verbosityreviews.com

    ReplyDelete
  12. Nicki ChapelwayJanuary 22, 2021 at 9:59 PM

    AHHHHH you know how much I love this story but augh I need to say it again.

    I LOVE THIS STORY

    AHHHHHHH

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  13. Skye HoffertJanuary 22, 2021 at 11:18 PM

    This sounds incredible!

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  14. ArielMarch 29, 2021 at 7:19 PM

    This looks EPIC! And I already can't wait to "meet" Malakki. XD

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  15. JenMay 22, 2021 at 4:10 PM

    This sounds so amazing!!!!! I want to read this so badly!!!

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