Beautiful Books 2017

With NaNoWriMo fast approaching, it's time for this year's Beautiful Books. It's hosted by Paper Fury and Further Up and Further In, and you can find out more here. I'm looking forward to NaNoWriMo and I'm already mostly done planning. Just doing a bunch of worldbuilding now. But on to the questions!

1. What inspired the idea for your novel, and how long have you had the idea?

Well, my novel this year is a sequel, so it was inspired by the first book, which leaves off on a big cliffhanger. I've had the idea for maybe five years. I actually tried to write it back then, but like the first book, it needed complete rewriting. It's been nice starting over with a fresh slate.

2. Describe what your novel is about!

Here's the blurb and cover.

Celia and the Mad Hatter, Flynn, have been tossed back into our world after the fight in the Dark Sdoow. After first, it's not too bad. Celia is returned to her family and Flynn seems to be doing well. Then he reveals that he's been wounded and the only cure is in Wonderland.

Celia begins a quest to find a way back to the fantastical land most people believe is a myth. Through her search, she finds another descendant of Alice who agrees to meet with them, leading Celia and Flynn to head for England. But between Celia's new overconfidence and the Destroyers, who have secretly regrouped, returning to Wonderland may be harder than they thought. And time is running out for Flynn.

3. What is your book’s aesthetic? Use words or photos or whatever you like!

I'd say my novel's aesthetic starts out kind of happy, but then slowly gets darker as the story goes along. Here's a collage of some of the images from my Pinterest board to show you what I mean.

4. Introduce us to each of your characters!

• Celia Lopez- my protagonist. She's a gymnast who found out she was the descendant of Alice (from Alice in Wonderland) and now she's helping save Wonderland from the Destroyers. She's a determined, fierce girl.

• Flynn, or the Mad Hatter. He's an orphan, a hatter, and a weapon maker. He is both mentor and sidekick to Celia.

• The Queen of Hearts, Celia's main antagonist. She's cruel and wants to keep Celia from returning to Wonderland.

• Janet Liddell. Another descendant of Alice who helps Celia and Flynn find a way back to Wonderland.

• Nobody. A spy and tracker from our world who wants to go to Wonderland. He joins the Destroyers so he can get there.

5. How do you prepare to write? (Outline, research, stocking up on chocolate, howling, etc.?)

It depends on what the novel is. For this one, I did a lot of outlining and worldbuilding, but less character development, because I'd already done that for the first book and have a pretty good grasp on my characters. I didn't actually need to do worldbuilding, but I wanted to work on it more, and had some extra time, so worldbuilding I am.

For NaNoWriMo, I also get a collection of chocolate, one piece for every day of the month so I can have something to reward myself after writing so many words. Concentrating that long isn't easy for me, so having a tangible thing to look forward to helps. I also reward myself for reaching major goals.

6. What are you most looking forward to about this novel?

• Putting Wonderland characters in our world and seeing what happens.

• Pushing Celia and Flynn's relationship to the breaking point then bringing them back.

• Writing the twists and turns. (That hopefully no one will see coming.)

• And, weirdly enough, giving Flynn a makeover. He's going to have to fit into our world, but still look himself.

7. List 3 things about your novel’s setting.

• It's in our world, so I don't have as much free range as I would in Wonderland.

• There's a mansion in the mountains of Austria where the Destroyers are hiding.

• Celia and Flynn head to Christ Church in England, because that's where Lewis Carroll wrote the book. I'm looking forward to it.

8. What’s your character’s goal and who (or what) stands in the way?

Celia's goal is to find a way back to Wonderland so she can heal Flynn. What's standing in her way is her own overconfidence and the Destroyers, who want to keep them from returning.

9. How does your protagonist change by the end of the novel?

She learns to balance between being confident and being cautious. Her friendship with Flynn will also have deepened.

10. What are your book’s themes? How do you want readers to feel when the story is over?

The themes of Missing Magic are balance and friendship. I want readers to feel happy when it's over, but also want to read the next book as soon as possible.

There you have it! You'll probably learn more as the next few Beautiful Books come out. Also, if you'd like to be my buddy on the NaNoWriMo site, my username is PhantomViolin. I'd love for us to be able to encourage each other during this challenge.

Let's talk! What are you writing for NaNoWriMo (or writing currently if you're not participating)? Do you like making Pinterest boards for your novel? What are some ways you prepare to write? Tell me in the comments.