Know the Novel Linkup//Language of Worlds Linkup YOU KNOW YOU NEEDED MORE PENTEGREENS LOL

by - October 19, 2018

Well, look at that. It hasn't even been a week yet and I've already missed a Tuesday deadline. Looks like we might be going back to Fridays, haha. There is one reason and only one reason for this: MY WORK SCHEDULE NEEDS TO PULL ITSELF TOGETHER. Sheesh.

So...I'm getting this post up a little late, but here it is in the end. XD

Today I'll be participating in two linkups for my series! They're both by pretty awesome people and I'm so excited to share more about my beloved stories with you. <3 So without further ado, here we go!




KNOW THE NOVEL

This linkup is brought to you by Christine Smith, who is only one of the sweetest and most wonderful bloggers on the internet. I highly suggest you go check out her blog...after you read mine, of course. 

This linkup is basically just an excuse for me to rant more about my Pentegreen series, because I have no other WIPs right now. However, this time you get to hear about the THIRD book! Wahoo! (Aka the book that is the BANE of my EXISTENCE.) 

Questions: Here we go! 

1. What inspired the idea for this novel?
Well, I put my characters through a TON of crud in book 2 of my series, The General's Children, where there was death and torture and destruction and fire and wrath and exploding buildings and games of cat and mouse and...yeah. Basically, book 2 was a mess, and its ending very much changed the game for my protagonist, Esma, and her friends. For a while I was thinking about giving them very little time to recover from this, but since a large part of this book goes into keeping emotions and reactions realistic, I realized...there was no way these kids were going to be back on their feet in time. They needed a break. So this is where that happens: my book 3 where there is currently no plot for half my characters, and the other half are off being a train wreck by themselves. 

2. Share a blurb! 
Well, I'm lazy, so I'll just grab the one from my other post about this novel: 

 Shifting loyalties have torn Esma from one of her allies right when she needs every person possible on her side. She has lost some of the people she loves most in the world, and a chill she'd hoped never to feel again has settled on her bones. Winter looms over her, cutting her off from her city. And Lord Dauthang himself, dissatisfied with the abilities of his servants, has determined to hunt her down himself. 

But Esma is not entirely alone. She and her companions stand together against the winter, even as bitterness and distrust threaten to tear them apart. They flee east away from the pursuit, their only goal to survive. Darkness chases them down, seeking Esma's blood. If there's a way out, she doesn't see it. 

And soon, she may have to face the darkness head on.


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

Most of this story takes place in my storyworld Sildalone's northernmost nation, Venaria, and more particularly in the wild rugged part of the country. There's mountains, forests, and since it's wintertime, lots and lots of snow. 
A huge part of not just this novel but the whole series in general is the contrast between warm and cold. Describing the cold and chill and snow is lots of fun, but it is a challenge to come up with different ways to describe it over and over, especially on the third book that has that as a theme. (Thankfully, I feel like the fourth one might deal with that topic slightly less...which is good xD) The rugged wild beauty of Venaria is my favorite part of this setting, as is using it as metaphors for what my characters are going through...mwahahaha. 

4. Tell us about your protagonist. 

Uncertainty settled on [Esma's] heart. She buried her face in her hands and let the firm presence of scar tissue on her palm reassure her that she was not a ghost. She was so tired. So weary. Her stomach pounded a delirious rhythm of hollow pain against her skin, but she couldn’t eat.

Food was as evil as anything else she’d ever known.
(basically this is her aesthetic for the entire book. I'm so kind to my poor babies.)

5. Who (or what) is the antagonist?
There's a LOT of baddies in this book (probably the most of any book in the series). The main one Esma contends with is probably the elements. Snow, cold, blizzards, a lack of shelter and nowhere to hide...a HUGE part of the story.

Although there's also plenty of human bad guys. A couple of the ones from the previous books are still hanging around, and in this book, Lord Dauthang, the big big baddie of the whole series, is actually active as well. Then there's lots and lots of assassins, and my five main characters all end up being each other's own worst enemies...

6. What excites you the most about this novel? 
Really getting to spend time around my characters, and the challenge of forcing them all to get over themselves when the whole world is crashing down around them. 

7. Is this going to be a series? Standalone? Something else?
Series! As you all surely know at this point ;) Definitely four books, and I have an idea for a prequel novel and a sequel novella (as well as a plethora of short stories) that could go with it. 

8. Are you plotting? Pantsing? Plantsing?
I have an idea of a lot of the stuff that needs to happen in this book, and I know how the next book is going to go and what needs to happen in this book for the next one to work properly...but at the moment I dunno. Mostly pantsing, because what's happening is constantly surprising everyone, including me. 

9. Name a few things that make this story unique. 
My characters? The fact that they're vaguely realistic? Honestly I don't even know, haha. I love that a certain romance between two of my character is actually sort of happening now, and that's kind of encouraging. 

10. Share a fun “extra” 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!).

Well, I made Esma a Pinterest board: HERE
And I've found two more songs for two more character relationships in these books (I do everything by characters--I'm so character-driven it's ridiculous):

I Don't Know Why by Imagine Dragons

A Sky Full of Stars by Coldplay





The second linkup today is by Liv K. Fisher, also one of the sweetest bloggers I know! This linkup was about a particular character, and since I rant about Esma a lot, I thought maybe I'd try someone different this time. A lot of these questions were huge spoilers for the two characters I most wanted to do, so I went with my personal favorite character instead: 
Captain Derek Ternarnthien

Language of Worlds

1. What does your character fear the most? 
In the end, Derek's worst fear would be to wake up and find out that there was no hope left anywhere in the world. He can find the bright side in most situations and he's a firm otimist and believer that things will always work out, and he's always been in control of the situation. 


2.) How would they handle it if they were to face their fear?

He'd be a mess, definitely. Probably he'd go into shock and wilt and fall over or some such thing. xD

3.) Do they want to get married? Why or why not?
Marriage is...not the first thought in his head. He's actually a bit of a lady's man and very much enjoys hanging out with girls, although he's never really been in a  true romantic relationship. His best friend is a girl, and so he doesn't really like to spend time with other girls. That may or may not be changing soon...  ;) 

4.) What is their love language (i.e. words of affirmation, physical touch, gifts, quality time, acts of service)?
Oh sheesh, this is a tough one. I think it would be words of affirmation. Derek loves to do the affirming. As far as his own love language (the way he likes to receive it)...basically, all he wants is to hear that he's doing well and that there's still good in the world, so yeah, words. Hands-down. 

5.) On a scale from 1 (messy) to 5 (organized), how do they rate?
5. A total 5. He's the neatest neat person you will ever meet in your life. In book 2 Esma, who rates as more of a three or so, complains that not even dust dares enter Derek's room. And it's true. 

6.) How do they feel about debates/disagreements?
Arguments with guys usually end with Derek and the other guy coming to a better understanding of each other's positions and moving on with their lives. 

When it comes to girls, though, it tends to be more like: 

Girl: *angry accusation* 
Derek: *cheerful assertion as to how things will improve soon*
Girl: *sideswing verbally* 
Derek: *speechless*

Sort of a more real-world idea of what he looks like (not entirely accurate; his skin is a bit dark er than this) 


7.) What do they bring to a battle (figurative or literal)?
His sword, his years of training as both a leader and a spy, his ability to convince people to do pretty much anything, his healing ability (a literal ability, too), and his empathy. 

8.) What's their favorite thing to eat for breakfast?
Anything that isn't standard military rations. 

9.) How do they treat themself after a long day?
Derek's favorite thing to do at night is Not Sleep. So...he lets himself sit down and do nothing for a few minutes. Or maybe even lets himself think about something unrelated to the war. These moments are few and far between. 

10.) What do you most want readers to glean from this story?
If I've said it once I've said it a thousand times: hope. That no matter how dark it gets there's always still a speck of light out there somewhere. Derek exists largely for that purpose: he's the confident practical optimist in a gang of kids who are angst-ridden balls of grief and issues. There's days where he's upset, but they're few and far between, and he's very difficult to rattle, unlike practically everyone else. 

The message of this series, really, is hope.

I hope you enjoyed reading yet another post about my series, haha! I'm going to be diving into edits for book 1 soon, yikes, so I'll probably be posting about that before too long. What's the message of your most recent story? Have you done any of these linkups yet? Do you like Sky Full of Stars? Chat with me! 

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20 comments

  1. (I AGREE WITH THE TITLE OF THIS POST 100000000%)

    Book three sounds intense! And *gasp* Esma says that "food was as evil as anything she'd ever known"??? I am genuinely concerned for her........ :)

    (Also, I love the theme of the series. We desperately need more hopeful books in our world today.)

    Good luck with book 1 edits! Also: are you doing NaNo this year?

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    1. (Haha, I'm glad :D)

      It's SO intense :P That may be one of the reasons it's taking me so long to write it. :P And definitely be concerned for her. She's a disaster, lol.

      (THANK YOU! I agree so much.)

      Thank you! And yes, I think I'll be doing the edits for NaNo, haha XD

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  2. The first two sentences of your blurb REALLY scare me. *hides under bed* Like... WHAT HAVE YOU DONE????

    Ahhhh, Derek. Smol bean. <3

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    Replies
    1. *awkward chuckle* Haha, oh, ignore that, please, Lila...definitely ignore that. It means nothing at all. I didn't kill anybody and abduct anybody else in book 2, not in any way whatsoever... *backs away*

      Yes <3 He's my precious love.

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  3. EEEEEEE!!!! YOU DID THE LINKUP. Both of them! :D I ADORE Liv's linkup. AND PENTEGREEN THIIINGS. Yes we most certainly DID need more Pentegreen goodness!

    But oh my goodness gracious, this book sounds so emotionally painful. Which...I LOVE. Bwahaha! The heartrending ones are my faaave. XD And I LOVE how character-centered your stories are. That's EVERYTHING. I can just sense the love and passion you have for these characters, and I know that's going to jump off the pages. And that's the key to amazing books. Just....EEEP. I love everything about this!

    I also think it's fun it's set in the winter! I love some good wintry scenes (even when it's a "we're all dying of hypothermia" type of wintry scene eheheh). But I feel your struggle of constantly having to come up with new ways to describe the cold! The majority of my 2015 NaNo novel was set in a frigid area and after a while I was like how do I describe that it's COLD 29384 different ways??? XD

    OKAY but I'm already in love with Derek??? I adore the fun-loving, calm types. He sounds like just the type of friend the other characters need. I love it!

    I LOVE ALL OF THIS!!! Thank you for sharing! And joining my linkup! :D

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    1. YES I DID! And I'm so happy to have done them. Awww, thank you <3 That's the sweetest.

      IT REALLY IS. IT'S SO PAINFUL. I love it too, but ouch it hurts, so it takes forever to write :P They're my babies, and I can't wait to share them with the world <3

      I knowwwww. Wintertime is the BEST, and way more fun than summery humidity (this is the moment where I realize I will never even attempt a summer romance. More like a Christmas romance. Haha). And yeah, eventually you run out of words...and it's SO ANNOYING. *howls*

      He's my favorite character and I would hands-down marry him if he was real. xD And the others would all die without him, I think, because he's the majority of both their impulse control and their sanity. So...that's a problem mwahahahahaha.

      THANK YOU CHRISTINE! Your whole comment was just the sweetest <3 I love this linkup, and can't wait for the next bit!!!!

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  4. I loved getting to know more about what you're writing, Faith! =D GOOD LUCK ON EDITS. *sends you all the chocolate* These link-ups look really cool--I'll have to join in on the fun soon! =D

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    1. Thank you Micaiah!!!! *munches chocolate* YES YOU MUST. I want to know mooore about your amazing story <3

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  5. OHHHHHH this is good!! I can’t wait to hear more about Esma and Derek! This was really good!!

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    1. Thank youuuuuu Julian. I love the both of them <3

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  6. This series sounds so good, Faith! Love that you torture your characters, and that your books are character driven.
    Character driven books are the best.

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    1. They are the best <3 I enjoy torturing my characters...I probably shouldn't but I do xD

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  7. Faith, THIS SERIES SOUNDS SO EPIC. I NEED IT. O_O I love how character-oriented it is! Characters are always the absolute best part a book for me. But... the poor babies...Faith why. Why do you do this to me. T_T Also, SKY FULL OF STARS. I love that song. <3

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    1. Well, I could write a nice book...but it’s unlikely at this point. I’m always horrid to my characters. XD

      And isn’t it the best song?!

      Delete
  8. Oh, this looks so intense! I love intense books :) That snippet too is rather chilling. Poor, poor Esma. Also, I love the sound of Derek. He sounds like my sort of fellow, full of hope and likes words of affirmation :)
    Best of luck with it!

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    1. Yeah, poor girl 💕 Derek is terrific, and definitely one of my favorites.
      Thank you!!!

      Delete
  9. "Kids who are angst-ridden balls of grief and issues". *Claps* What a lovely description.

    I really loved reading about your characters, especially Derek. I feel like I'll like him a great deal.

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    1. *bows* Why thank you. I’m rather proud of all the little messes myself. XD

      I really hope you do! ^_^

      Delete

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