Introducing my WIP

(Images Via Pinterest)

So, I know I'm in the middle of working on multiple projects for NaNoWriMo/FallFic Frenzy, but I've decided that it is high time I finally introduce you all to my secret WIP. I've kept quite about this one for an age and a half. I've pushed back this introduction post time and again because it never felt like the right time to announce it.

Honestly, I'm surprised that I've kept my mouth shut this long since we all know how terrible I am at keeping secrets. And yet here we are a whole year after I decided to start writing this story. I suppose the only reason I've managed to keep myself from announcing everything is that I've been able to keep myself busy with my other projects. I've been brainstorming this one sure, I've even written the first couple chapters, but it hasn't been my main project. That's all about to change though. I'm getting the cover done hopefully in a couple months and it's going to be one of my main projects going into 2023... so I figured I'd might as well finally introduce this story.

Once I heard the saying that, loving the hero is boring, they will always choose the right side. But loving a villain on the other hand? They'll burn down the world for you.

That coupled with my not-so-secret love and weakness for Hot Villains(TM) and this story was born. Full disclosure my villain in this is unapologetically bad and unapologetically hot.

And he's good at doing both
Image from Pinterest

He is also dramatic as heck and goes by the name Lord Grimthorne because it sounds cool.

But enough about our Grim boi. The book, I'm here to tell you about the book.

It was originally supposed to be a trilogy, but my characters (ever the troublemakers) informed me that they wanted five books instead, I think we've compromised with a four book long series but we'll see how long I hold out. These characters can be quite convincing. I plan on releasing it next year. It will be a darkly romantic series featuring enemies to lovers, illusion magic, the ties between soulmates, and doomed love. It's going to be a YA/young adult, Dark Academia Fantasy full of tower libraries, magic books, and long coats. This world is a wholly new one, not connected at all to any of my other stories. It is called Underteyrn and it is a bleak land of cliffs and fjords where the sky is eternally red and many turn to illusion magic to make their dull lives seem more interesting. The inhabitants here glamorize their appearances, their cities, and their arts until nothing that is seen can be trusted. It is the way of life and is no longer simply accepted but also expected. Better to content yourself with a mere illusion than to dabble in the dark arts of tangible magic.

Any magic other than illusions has been banned due to the unfortunate fact that the use of it is causing a giant rift to tear through the sky, merging this world with one of raw magic. A merging that no one would survive.

Grimthorne of course is an illegal magic wielder, but more than that, he's a necromancer.

My main character is named Balemila or Mila, she is a Seer who was born with the ability to see magic. An invaluable ability that helps her to be able to discern what magic is merely an illusion and what is actually tangible. She's grown up with a lot of rules. Her life is to be dedicated to her services as a Seer which means no falling in love, no growing distracted, and definitely no wielding magic of her own, not even illusion magic is permissible when it comes to Seers.

she looks like this only she has spectacles
(image from Pinterest)

The series is titled The Seer's Tapestry and it follows Mila and her epic struggle against Lord Grimthorne, the renegade Seer bent on destroying the order he left and conquering the world so he can remake everything the way he believes that it should be. And for reasons that Mila doesn't quite understand, he wants her to rule by his side.

But there's a single wrench in both Mila's and Grimthorne's plans. His name is Drake. A Seer who Grimthorne failed to kill... and who happens to be Mila's soulmate. Even though Seers are supposed to be celibate and were created without soulmates. He is a taciturn bookworm with the social graces of a cactus. Drake wants nothing to do with Mila, but the strings don't lie... do they?

here's Broody McBroody himself
(image from Pinterest)

This book has some major Pride and Prejudice vibes. Oh, and a baby imp named Scampers.

But here is what you have all been waiting for. The title and blurb!

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The Seer's Tapestry book 1

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Strings, Kings, and Dead Things

The strings say that they are soulmates

Except she serves a celibate order

And he is keeping a dark secret that could destroy the world

 

Mila is a Seer. A member of a powerful and celibate order comprised of individuals who possess the ability to see magic. In a world that has been torn apart by magical forces, all tangible magic is forbidden, and it is Mila’s duty to make certain that only the permissible illusion magic is used. She and her fellow Seers are the sole individuals who can see the strings binding casters to their magic. Gold for illusions. Black for tangible. And red for the soul magic that connects people who are fated to be together.

 

However, Mila’s world is turned upside down when a Seer named Drake arrives from a different outpost and a red string appears on her finger… binding her to Drake. Seers are forbidden from falling in in love. So how did Mila end up with a soulmate? And why would she be connected to a man like Drake who doesn’t seem to want anything to do with her?

 

Then her life takes a far more deadly turn when she attracts the interest of a rogue Seer, the wanted criminal Lord Grimthorne. But this supposed madman seems to care more about Mila than her own soulmate and the very Seers who raised her, and he is telling her that the order has been lying to her to keep her powerful magic in check. Mila is going to have to figure out what is the truth… and what has been just an illusion the whole time. Her heart and the fate of the world depend on the answers she finds.

 

Underteyrn is a land where anyone can be anything—even what they are not. Enter this world of illusions and lies in a young adult fantasy series that is perfect for fans of Elise Kova, Sylvia Mercedes, and Leigh Bardugo. It will enthrall readers who love stories about forbidden magic, strong heroines, and handsome villains.

Illustrations of Mila and Drake done by Paige Coffer

Currently I'm aiming for a summer release for this. I'm hoping to do the cover reveal in February or March depending on when it is done. I'm just so excited about finally sharing about this story! Eep.

Here is the Spotify Playlist:

And the Pinterest Board:

Well, that probably wasn't the post you were expecting this fine Monday in November, but hopefully you are as excited as I am about this new series. What's your opinion when it comes to hot villains? Are they dreamy or should they be avoided at all costs because that line between good and evil should never be crossed? Comment below!