I'm going to start on #WritingWonders a bit late. I confess I've fallen into a Fortnite hole and randomly become hyperfixated on this kids' f2p game, which is why my posting in general has been sparser. I'm writing a lot! But then I jump from my writing into the game and do nothing else. Like shower. Anyway.
All answers will be coming from #AtopTheTreesBeneathTheMountains.
#WritingWonders day 1: Introduce the WIP or book you'll be sharing this month.
#AtopTheTreesBeneathTheMountains is a romantic fantasy novel. Think Kushiel's Dart meets Tim Curry's Legend meets JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.
Esor an Amen is a young Low Elf hired to work as tutor by a mysterious Lord Mayor in an uberwald distant from his small town home. Arriving in S'elasdur, Esor finds himself drawn into the sordid, deadly secrets of embattled Great House Kovemisi' - and falling under the sensual spell of Lord Mayor Corvinde.
This is a hefty book in length and world building. It's a passion project I've been writing for three years now!
#WritingWonders day 2: If you could live in your fictional world, would you? Why or why not?
My fictional world is dying, so no. I'm basically already in that world.
One of the major themes of the book is the impact of endlessly expansionist empire upon the climate. The Elves have been abusing their world, which is literally a goddess (hence why the series is called Upon Her Divine Body), and it is manifesting in a dramatic fantasy-styled collapse of forests in something called Creep, farms to Blight, and lives to Wasting. All different manifestations of the same illness: empire.
The environmental message is partially in homage to Tolkien, but I draw inspiration heavily from Princess Mononoke in terms of vibe.
Sara Marie Reine
Wendy Parciak