Know the Novel Part One: Dragon Tales! (working title)
by
R.F. Gammon
- October 09, 2023
Hey guys! It's that time of year: Time for the Know the Novel linkup! Christine Smith hosts this every year, and it's one of my favorite blogging events.
I'll be introducing my current novel today :D I've shared some things on Instagram already (@rfgammonauthor if you're curious) and I'll continue doing that as time goes on. But here it is: a formal introduction to my book,
DRAGON TALES
(working title)
1. What first sparked the idea for this novel?
A combination of a few things:
1. The way the trope of being immortal is handled in books
2. A sermon illustration a few years ago about selfless love
3. The TV show Arcane
4. The fact that I love the concept of a political intrigue story with dragons (House of the Dragon????) but I refuse to watch House of the Dragon
5. My love of ensemble casts
2. Share a blurb (or just an overall summary)!
Princess Delphi has a secret. She leads a colorless existence, only able to see in black and white. If she sees color, it is because her emotions have overcome her...and then, she becomes a monster. But when Delphi loses control at the worst possible moment, her kingdom plunges into civil war. Now she's leading an army in an effort to atone for her weakness, praying she won't lose control again...especially around a kind-hearted, mysterious guard named Oliver.
Nicolas Kingston has a secret. Despite his inability to eat most food without risking instant death, he's never once received a lasting injury. He's never considered that he might be immortal, but when mysterious people start stalking him and his sister, Elizabeta, he realizes that his role in this world is far more important than he could have ever imagined.
Darius has a secret. He's secretly working behind the scenes to build an indestructible empire, made to take down the king--but he needs every immortal to succeed. The discovery that he's missed one could undo his entire plan. Good thing he's ready to break all the rules to corrupt a scared boy who holds all the keys to power.
3. Where does the story take place? What are some of your favorite aspects of the setting?
My story takes place in a huge kingdom with absolutely sprawling lands and vastly different biospheres. The kingdom is divided into four regions, each of which has its own governor but is ruled by a king. The main settings are the Cliffside Castle (a massive palace built into a cliff over the ocean), the Highlands Mead Hall (where some of my villains live; very Viking), and the Underground (an entire underground city with artificial sunlight).
Oh, did I mention this story is gaslamp and features airships, electric lighting, magic, AND dragons?
4. Tell us about your protagonist(s).
We have six POV characters! (Like always. This does seem to be the sweet spot for me).
Princess Delphi
Fun fact: Delphi was going to have white hair until I realized that was /too/ similar to GoT!
broken heart//soft and sad//swordsman//flames on the side of my face//oldest sister//you can't do it anymore//colors (stripped) by halsey
Oliver Meadows
Fun fact: Oliver was originally going to be all kinds of different things, but now he's a mental health icon. Go figure.
the darkness is devouring me//do you ever wonder why?//guardian//give me something worth living for//love with his entire heart//hurt is real but love is realer//somebody to die for by the hurts
Nicolas Kingston
Fun fact: Nic was inspired by my own food allergies and the fact that I've never seen a character with food allergies in fantasy!
yeah, i'm disabled, so?//brother first, everything else second//believes in love at first sight//would be a pacifist if it were an option//scream into the void//miracle by the score
Elizabeta Kingston (Z)
Fun fact: Z was originally inspired by Jinx from Arcane, but I wanted to not make her a carbon copy, so now the resemblance is invisible.
gambling addiction//loves the spotlight//frustrated but not by Nic//secretly in love//wants to get out and see the world//there is MORE out there//hard to kill by beth crowley
Salyssa (has no last name)
Fun fact: Sal was specifically inspired by a sermon illustration.
The Eternal Maiden//dark secret//lonely dance//sometimes you wish you could feel again, you know? even if it's a bad feeling//gilded lily by the cults
Fun fact: Cyril is the least interesting person, and my strategy to make him cool is to make him just like Zuko :D
Father, are you proud of me//loneliness is the only thing//she left me//brokenness isn't real//technologically brilliant//born to die by lana del rey
5. Who (or what) is the antagonist?
Darius
Darius is kind of evil, okay. I love him dearly. But he's so so so evil.
It's been a while since I've written the kind of villain who actually was willing to do whatever it took to get what he wants. He's a control freak in a way very few of us would ever be able to be. He's raising an army of people that have to trust him implicitly to be controlled. I just scream.
6. What excites you the most about this novel?
A brand new ensemble casts! The gaslamp elements! SO SO SO much, y'all. I can't wait to share more about this series.
7. Is this going to be a series? standalone? something else?
...and as I said: a series!! It's PROOOOOBABLY going to be a trilogy, but I'd be open to more than that. I am a huge fan of big sprawling series, and this is a war series, so............it could be anything.
8. Are you plotting? pantsing? plansting?
Pantsing and the plot is in my heart. This is how I do the best writing.
9. Name a few unique elements in this story.
A lot of those rely on this being an NA and not necessarily squeaky clean story. I'm a huge fan of stories that get into the gritty and that's what I'm trying to do.
So we have:
- Underground trolleys
- Dragon shapeshifters
- A group of thirteen important people mwahaha
- Technology vs. magic
- Indesctructible immortals
- Sister relationships
- Training montages
- Rice!
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!).
And a snippet because I've already almost hit 50k on this and I'd love to share:
Z slopped rice into a bowl and passed it to him. “Eat.”
“I already ate today,” he protested.
“And you probably almost died. Eat.”
Nic sat down at the table without another word and started eating.
It was funny, sometimes, to remember that he was the older sibling. She felt so much older than him in so many ways. He’d been busy just trying to keep himself alive for years, which meant the burden of helping them both survive in other ways had fallen to her. She wasn’t much of a housekeeper or a cook, but she’d learned. They’d had to.
This house wasn’t an accident. It was years and years and years of hard work.
“You’re not telling me something,” she said after a moment.
Nic looked up. Too fast. “What?” he asked, his mouth full of rice. “Idnevahdohat.”
She rolled her eyes. “Swallow.”
He swallowed, hard. “I’d never do that. I tell you everything. You’re the one with the secrets, aren’t you?”
Nice, easy answer. He was a terrible liar, and she’d known it for years. Years upon years. He couldn’t hide things from her.
“I suppose.” She turned away. “I’ll let you keep your secrets for right now, then.”
What he did not know was that tomorrow, she was going Above for the third time in her entire life.
What are you writing this fall? Chat with me in the comments!!!
