I always rebel for Nano – I work on existing projects. (But I only count the words I write in November, promise!) This year, I wrestled between working on Razing (Book Three of the main series) or Illusion/Reflection (prequel duology), which is so dang close to being finished.
Never fear, for I have decided.
Also, I am crazy, because I’m seriously going to try to finish two books. *cue hysterical laughter and sobbing*
ILLUSION/REFLECTION
GENRE: Dystopian/fantasy/romance (yes, the romance is like, not just a subplot)
RATING: Erm…darker than my main series? Haha! New Adult (NA) but…cleanish. I mean, like, my version of clean…
CURRENT WORD COUNTS: Illusion sits at 143k (AND IT IS NOT EVEN DONE WUT); Reflection is 30k
BLURB:
“Stay away from them. Whatever it takes.”
Emian is one-fourth itzalin, alone and on the run from the advancing Hulcondan army. But no one and nowhere is safe. With enemies on both sides of the war, her best hope is evading them all and keeping her heritage a secret.
Ruthless and hard-bitten, Hasiak has earned his place as a Hulcondan commander despite secrets of his own. After years on the battlefield, compassion has no place in his heart or life – until he stumbles upon a young woman in desperate need. A mix-blood who embodies everything he wants.
Faced with the choice between certain death and a way to hide in plain sight, Emian takes the risk of going with her enemy. But in a world where being part itzalin is a death sentence – and those who aid them meet the same fate – they must find a way to trust each other if they hope to survive.
THE CHARACTERS
Emian
Sweet, genuine, and a healer at heart, Emian seeks the best in people and circumstances and strives to be the best person she can be. But as the world around her descends into chaos, a survivor rises from the wreckage of her soul. Emian refuses to let her parents die in vain, and she will do anything to survive.
Hasiak
The opposite of sweet, Hasiak is a cold, hardened soldier with no patience for anything (or anyone) inefficient. His loyalty to the Hulcondan regime is unquestionable – or is it? Just what does a desperate man do when the choice of life or death stands before him? Could he possibly be hiding a heart somewhere under all that literal and metaphorical armor? (I mean, that’s a silly question…he’s one of MINE, so…)
QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE…
UM, WHY ARE YOU WORKING ON THIS INSTEAD OF RAZING?
So, this was my biggest struggle here, since I’ve been doing stuff in Razing and I truly do not like jumping back and forth (though I can and do haha). But as Illusion/Reflection take place before the main series and includes some backstory elements for certain (*cough* important *cough*) characters, I have also sort of felt like I need to write it first so I know exactly how certain things happened…
HOW DOES THIS FIT INTO THE MAIN SERIES?
Illusion/Reflection starts in the Second month of 2787 and goes through the Seventh/Eighth month of 2789. Sowing (Book One of the main series) starts in the Third month of 2799.
SO…Illusion/Reflection starts about 12 years before Sowing begins. That means that characters in the main series are absolutely alive within the timeframe of the duology. We might even see a few of them as younger versions of themselves (*cough* like teenage Mas *cough*).
ARE YOU ACTUALLY WRITING A STORY WITH THE ROMANCE AS THE MAIN PLOT? WHO ARE YOU RIGHT NOW?
Illusion and Reflection do show us the first couple years of Em and Hasi’s marriage, and their relationship is a major plotline, but there is so much more going on than just that. It isn’t even so much their romance that takes center stage here but just their relationship in general. The backdrop is one of war and a brutal hunt for part-itzalin people, a darker time in my world’s history than the main series shows (since that’s happening during a time of “peace”).
Both Em and Hasi are dealing (sometimes poorly) with intense grief, PTSD, trauma, prejudice/racism, unforgiveness, fear, survivor’s guilt, betrayal…among other things. Definitely some “enemies to lovers” stuff going on here, but if you’re looking for a somewhat easy transition between those, you will not find it here. (Mostly because Hasi is ridiculously stubborn and also an idiot. No, I’m kidding! He’s just…a…mess.) It’s kind of a story of two hurting people learning how to heal – in a lot of ways, and from a lot of things.
My poor babies. I’m really mean, guys.
CAN WE BE NANO BUDDIES?
Um, yes! You can find me here!
I HAVE OTHER QUESTIONS YOU DID NOT ADDRESS. HOW RUDE.
Feel free to ask anything else you’d like to know!