Beautiful Books: Paper and (T)horns




It's almost NaNoWriMo time, which means that Cait and Sky are hosting a Beautiful Books link-up in place of their usual Beautiful People link-up. I've decided to join in with a post about Paper and (T)horns.

Two things to get out of the way before I dive into the questions: first, I am NOT doing NaNoWriMo, although I will be working on this story for the foreseeable future; second, this is not intended to be a novel (I am aiming for a novella, no more than 30,000-40,000 words).

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


My friend Mirriam redrew the Beast from the live-action Beauty and the Beast film to make him more frightening, and I enjoyed her take on the character. In fact, I realized that I kind of shipped him with Maleficent, and thus the idea for Paper and (T)horns took seed. This was back in April of this year.

Describe what your novel is about!


A young man meets the girl of his dreams, only to have her curse him to a lonely eternity as a Beast.

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


"Beauty and the Beast" meets "Sleeping Beauty" meets The Prestige (with heavy dashes of "Cupid and Psyche")

Introduce us to each of your characters!

  •  "Beast" (he never tells us his name) is a former celebrity who has retreated into obscurity after his sister's death.
  • Molly is a magician's daughter with a powerful secret and some Fae-level emotional issues.
  • The Inventor is Molly's father, whose face is never seen and whose name is unknown.
  • Di is an Unseelie Fae with her own reasons for mucking about with these folks.


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


I brainstorm ideas for what might happen. I often talk through plot points and character development with writer friends and bounce ideas off non-writer friends to see if the idea catches them the way it catches me. I sometimes compile a musical playlist. Then I just dive in.

What are you most looking forward to about this novel?

Getting to write an actual love story? I don't usually put much romance in my stories, but this one is all about the love story, so that's going to be a new challenge.

List 3 things about your novel’s setting.


Modern city
Fae underworld
Theatre!

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


Beast wants to win Molly's heart and free himself from the curse. Molly's curse and her refusal to forgive stand in his way.

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


Let's just say that at the beginning of the story, Beast is unable to keep himself tied down to anything for more than a year, and by the end of it, he'll have to be more consistent than that.

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


Love, forgiveness, and perseverance come to mind. Masks and why we wear them.

I want readers to come away with a feeling of understanding and hope by the end of the story.


Are you doing NaNoWriMo or working on a novel right now? Join the link-up at Paper Fury or Further Up and Further In.

Comments

  1. Chelsea R.H.October 12, 2017 at 7:43 PM

    Beauty and the Beast meets Sleeping Beauty sounds fascinating!! Good luck with it!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sparks of EmberOctober 13, 2017 at 12:12 PM

    Sounds very interesting! Though it's my understanding Beauty & the Beast was always based on Cupid & Psyche but adding strong dashes of that connection sounds fascinating.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Elijah DavidOctober 13, 2017 at 12:53 PM

      It was based on Cupid and Psyche, but a lot of the aspects of that story have fallen away from Beauty and the Beast over the years, so that's why I phrased it the way it did. We can probably thank Till We Have Faces for this.

      Delete

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