Know the Novel Part 1

A friend recommended Know the Novel to me, and I immediately found it super interesting! Unfortunately… my forgetful mind once again made sure I only did this post at the very end of the month… but better late than never. 😂

Now… When the Stars Shine Again isn’t a full novel, but these posts will still hopefully provide some interesting information on it, and help me further craft the story.

So… without further ado…

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1. What first sparked the idea for this novel?

A post over on Madi’s Musings had made me mention to Madisyn something about wishing I had a book published (my main WIPs aren’t quite finished and publishable yet), and she suggested I publish a short story.

I had created enough backstory with my main WIP trilogy that the idea for this story popped in my head almost immediately. And it quickly grew to be much longer than a short story. 😂

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

At the dawn of time, there was said to be nothing but darkness. 

The same could be told of Ailnirha centuries later, now shrouded by the same Black Mist that has haunted the Countries since the beginning of time.

One of many cursed by the Mist, Wren has always been an outcast. Scorned. Abandoned. Unwanted. But when she encounters a strange Man, who acts more like a lord than the pauper He appears, her life is forever changed. 

She isn’t the only one altered by the Man. Soon all of Ailnirha is feeling His touch, and light begins to break into the darkest of shadows. 

But the Mist doesn’t give up its hold on the elves that easily.

How can one hold out hope when darkness threatens to overtake them all?

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

It takes place in the elvish country and city of Ailnirha (they share the name Ailnirha🤭) and a broken, more-rubble-than-town place surrounding the city, by the name of the Unwanted.

I really love the beauty of the architecture and the countryside of both Ailnirhas, and getting to describe it is so fun. And I love the pain and brokenness I can write into the Unwanted.

4. Tell us about your protagonist(s).

The POV protagonist of the story is a young elf girl named Wren. She was abandoned by her parents to the Unwanted when she was around ten, and has spent the past near-decade believing she is worthless and unworthy of love.

Some of the other protagonists go by the names Zandier and Ronan. They both have claimed top-spots in some of my all-time favorite characters to write, and they’re both so interesting and sad in their own ways.

5. Who (or what) is the antagonist?

The Black Mist. A dark, powerful, and shadow-like mist, that has almost complete control of Ailnirha, and taints everyone it touches. It’s a bit allegorical to Satan and sin, but it’s also just a fun way for me to write something unusual and slightly creepy.

And about halfway through the story, another antagonist arrives. High Captain Oulixeus, who would have nothing else than see a certain character dead.

6. What excites you the most about this novel?

Probably the fact that I finally get to try my hand at an allegory. I have always loved allegorical books and have wanted to try doing it myself, and this novella gave me the perfect chance to do so.

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

It’s mainly a standalone, but it’s also a sort of prequel to my main WIP trilogy, Light out of Darkness.

8. Are you plotting? pantsing? plansting?

Mainly plotting, with a bit of switching it up as I go along.

9. Name a few unique elements in this story.

That the elves are the bad guys. Usually in fantasy, elves are the characters that are viewed as perfect, or always following the right path and doing everything beautifully and right. In When the Stars Shine Again, the elves still seem do everything “perfectly,” and everything is still beautiful, but their hearts are cold. They aren’t truly the elves most readers are used to, and you can see the evil taking over their lives as the story progresses.

That, and hopefully the way I’ve done the allegory, with a bit of a loose take on Mary Magdalene’s story.

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!).

I… really should create a Pinterest board for this story, but I just haven’t gotten around to doing it. 😂

So here’s some aesthetic collage things I made for the protagonists.