#underwingchallenge

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*I was busy all day yesterday and I completely forgot to post, so I'll catch up today!

Day 6) What does your portfolio look like? Talk about as many other WIPs as you’d like here.

I have so many WIP's swirling around in my head (and in my notes app) so I will just include a few of the ones I have given the most thought to!

The Rikvi the Brave series: When I was 15, my friend came up to me and told me she was participating in something called NaNoWriMo that year, and that I should join too. She explained the concept to me, and even though we were already well into the first week of November, I decided to give it a try. That horrendously rushed, poorly (as in, no at all) planned out, trope-filled story has evolved into the fantasy saga I am writing now. Granted, it is practically unrecognizable and has absolutely nothing in common (apart from genre) at this point with that original NaNo novel, but it will always be a descendant in my heart! Very loosely, it centers around the heir to a fallen kingdom who would do anything for revenge. He took everything from her-her throne, her parents, her future-and she's going to take his life.

Unnamed graphic novel: I tend to get really invested in creating a story in a certain medium, no matter how difficult or unlikely it is that I will have the opportunity to write it that way. This one is heavily influenced by the shoujo manga I read growing up, responding to the hyper-sexualization of women and sexual violence in manga and comics. Again, very loosely, it follows four girls with magical powers fighting an evil corporation.

Unnamed musical: Yes, a musical, because why not make my life harder and set myself up for disappointment? As a grad student in art history, I have spent considerable (too much) time reading accounts of the lives of women (mostly noble) in 15th and 16th century Italy. I wanted to explore the agency these women had, or lacked, in a musical format.

Unnamed Ariadne retelling: The last I'll saddle you with is a feminist retelling of the subject of my favorite painting of all time: Titian's Bacchus and Ariadne. While I want to feature the romance depicted in this painting, the story focuses on Ariadne and her journey from Crete to Naxos to the Heavens. YES, I do know that Jennifer Saint is publishing Ariadne this year (and you better believe I have already preordered it) but, from what I can tell, my story takes a much different approach and draws from different sources, so I think it is still safe :)

Day 7) What kind of partnership are you looking for in this event? Friendship? Somebody to bounce ideas off of? Something else? What sorts of people are you hoping to meet and adopt?

I've never been on writeblr before, and the support I've gotten so far in the Underwing Challenge has been really wonderful! I hope to continue connecting to other writers and form a support group (who can also hold me accountable) and will give me feedback on my ideas. I have also been enjoying seeing others' works, and I look forward to continuing to read the beautiful stories everyone has been posting!

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Day 8) Simple one for today: Just post a message with your username, links to the past seven days’ responses, and a message to the effect that you’re open for adoption.

DAY 1 // DAY 2 // DAY 3 // DAY 4 // DAY 5 // DAYS 6 & 7

Hello all! I am open to adoption!

I'm still kind of new to this whole challenge (and writeblr in general 😬) so hopefully I'm doing this right!

[a-duck-with-a-book]

created by blindthewind

Day 2) Introduce the WIP you’d like to highlight this month. What’s it about? What are some themes/vibes it covers?

I'm currently writing a book that I'm (temporarily) calling Ash on Fire. It is a stand-alone fantasy novels with LGBTQ characters, centered around a witch and a witch-hunter who begrudgingly team up to save a kingdom. It is still in the early stages but I am hoping that sharing this with others will push me to working on it more regularly!

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created by blindthewind

Day 1) Let’s start with the basics. Introduce yourself and your blog! What genres do you like to read, and which ones do you like to write? Give us a few facts about yourself too!

My name is Francesca and I am a grad student with too many books and even more anxiety. I created this blog to try and get back into the bookish and writing community after an extended departure due to the workload of my undergrad and graduate programs. I'm active on Goodreads and Youtube as well!

I absolutely love fantasy, both in terms of reading and writing. Within fantasy, I love darker themes and horror. Some of my favorite novels are Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand, The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter, and Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore. I'm also drawn to LGBTQ themes (as a bisexual woman myself), and I hope to contribute to the growing lists of books with queer characters in fantasy books.

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Day 4) What’s the world of your WIP like?

The story takes place in the kingdom of Enhearth, ruled by King Bragien. Left heirless after the disappearance of his infant daughter and the subsequent death of his wife, the king has succumbed to rage and grief. While all of his predecessors upheld the Folten Laws that condemned all witches to death, none have pursued them with such fervor. Emboldened by his Chancellor, Lady Thora, he is determined to hunt down every witch hiding in his kingdom until he finds the one that stole his child nearly twenty years ago.

That should be easy-the brightly colored hair that all witches are born with makes them easily identifiable. Yet no matter how many his Cardinal Knights bring to the capital, how many Lady Thora tortures, how many he watches burn from his balcony, more and more are spotted throughout his kingdom, and none seem to provide a lead as to the fate of his daughter. All of this changes when Thora informs him that a new lead has appeared in his search for the lost princess-a coven in the mountains, lead by an old witch who supposedly stole the child to give herself youth. Without hesitation, King Bragien summons his Knight of the West and sends her to capture his daughter's kidnapper-soon, he will have revenge.

The Folten Laws

By royal decree of the House of Ederai, His Majesty King Bragien III, and the Council of Four, all citizens of the resplendent and peaceful land of Enhearth must abide by the following laws on pain of death:

The First Law

No citizen is permitted to cut, dye, or in any way alter their hair.

The Second Law

No citizen is permitted to practice any profession which may serve to alter any Enhearthean citizen’s hair, nor hold tools which may be used in such manner.

The Third Law

All children born with unnatural hair must be reported immediately to the appropriate authorities and surrendered to the Crown.

[a-duck-with-a-book]

created by blindthewind

Day 3) Who is your main cast? Describe as many of your OCs as you can cram into one post.

Elynnia:

Physical description: Tall and muscular, black hair and dark eyes, her armor covers the countless scars she has received throughout her training and battles.

Personality: lawful good, loyal, serious, noble

As one of the elite Cardinal Knights, Elynnia is the guardian of the western provinces of Enhearth. Trained from birth for the task, she is fiercely loyal to King Bragien and his Cardinal Advisor, Lady Thora, dedicating every fiber of her being to protecting the king's land and subjects. She is known as a serious and noble warrior who rarely lets anything up to chance. Tasked with capturing a dangerous coven of witches hiding out near an isolated mountain village, Ely's mission seems routine-until she runs into Ash.

Ash:

Physical description: short and petite, extremely long bright green hair, brown eyes with a seemingly constant mischievous grin

Personality: chaotic good, boisterous, trickster, a softy deep down

She may be tiny, but she is fierce. A witch forced to survive off of thievery and cunning, Ash loves creating chaos wherever she goes. Now, she has undertaken the most important mission of her life-a conspiracy that may put an end to the oppressive regime of King Bragien. The next step is simple-convince the witch-killer pointing a sword at her to betray her king.

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Day 5) What’s your favorite excerpt from this WIP so far?

“Give me the key” Ely said, her voice as sharp as her blade.

“No.”

“Ash.” She stood firmly in front of her now, one hand held out, her gaze as stern as a schoolteacher scolding a particularly naughty student. “Give. It. To. Me.”

“No!” Ash repeated mutinously. In a flash, she brought her hand to her mouth and swallowed the key, sticking her tongue out afterwards for emphasis.

Ely gaped, frozen where she stood. Suddenly, she took a step forward and bent down until she was face to face with the witch. “I’ve had goats more well behaved than you!”

With that, she stomped off, momentarily forgetting she was chained to Ash until she heard a soft plop behind her, Turning, she saw the witch sprawled in the ground, her manacled arm hanging limply in the air, her face a mix of discomfort and victory. Seeing her laying on the forest floor, Ely assured herself that she would not be fooled by a common, thieving witch. Especially not the most infuriating, immature, disagreeable creature she had come across in all her years of hunting. Sure, she had seen villages razed and trade routes terrorized by her kind, but never had she experienced the kind of anger she felt now as she watched the tiny green haired monster who had chained them together with a simple slight of hand. A slight of hand! Elyanne of the West, one of the greatest witch hunters in Enhearth, fooled by a measly street rat. I’ll show her, she promised herself, what a grave mistake she made when she thought she could best me. Bringing her shackled hand to her shoulder so that the chain (and the attached witch) were slung over her back, Ely began striding forward.

She only made it a few steps before she was jostled backwards by a sudden force, so great that she fell flat on her back. Propping herself on her elbow, she turned to see Ash conjuring thick roots from the nearby trees, willing them to wrap around her legs and waist. Ely’s eyes flicked up to the witch’s face, and in that instant she wished she hadn’t done just that. Ash wore that same victorious smirk she had donned when she had evaded her at the market, and once more when she had slipped the shackle around Ely’s wrist.

A small, green branch slipped down and lightly flicked Ely's nose before propping itself against her chin.

“As I was saying,” Ash started, “we won’t be going to the capital. I find myself in need of a strapping knight to heroically fulfill a quest for me, and as you frequently remind me, you are one of the greatest in our fair kingdom. Now come with me without any more fuss and I promise to get you home before bedtime.”

I’m going to kill her. Ely thought. I’m going to take that stupid green hair of hers and I’m going to tie it around her throat.

She entertained herself with such thoughts for the next couple days, thinking up how she was going to murder her unfortunately conjoined travel partner as they marched through the woods-in the opposite direction of the capital.

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Hello, it was good to hear from you! Hope you're doing good! Day 14 question with no pressure: tell usa little about Lady Thora. What drives her to want to hunt down the witches? What does her background look like?

☆ thank you so much for your question!

Lady Thora, matriarch of House Ignativa, descends from a noble family that is second only to the House of Ederai in terms of power. She has served the royal family in many forms for the majority of her life, and her continued service has earned her the title of Chancellor to the King and Head of the Council of Eight. As Head of the Council of Eight she is also in charge of the Cardinal Knights, working as a bridge between them and the king.

28 years before the beginning of the novel, when the previous king was returning from a visit to the neighboring kingdom, Roadelle, his party was ambushed by witches. The death of the king and his eldest son left the then-Prince Bragien to inherit a title he never thought he would hold. Many credit the smooth transit of power and the sensible diplomacy of his early reign to Lady Thora, who remained close to King Bragien's side. At a time when revolution could have swept through the kingdom, when chaos could have upended centuries of order and peace, when witches could have risen from the shadows of the kingdom, Lady Thora's guided the new and inexperienced king until his hold on power was secure.