#syewrites

Dager

[ Meaning of title: Cornish word for ‘tears’ ]

Genre: Psychological thriller, mystery

Setting: Present day; Cornwall, England

POV: First Person (Maeve)

Content Warning: Death, Mental Health, Suicide (mention)

They say that blood and water had mingled together, so everything was a pale red. His face was down in the water, and his lips, when turned around, was so blue it rivalled his eyes. And Christian was just stood there, staring. He must of been there an hour at least, looking at the corpse of the dead boy.

When local boy Henry Fisher is found dead, the village of Klysdowr is left in shock, all on trial until what happened to Henry is uncovered.

No one would suspect their own child, but Maeve McDonagh can’t help but question her Godson’s innocence when he starts behaving dubiously. But how could a fourteen year old be involved in a murder? And if not him, then who?

The Aenir Prophecies : Rerum, book 1

Genre: Fantasy, NA, LGBTQA+

Themes: Conspiracies, Lost Prophecies, Fate, Sacrifice

POV: Third Person, and Chapters focus on different individuals

Status: First Draft (oof)

Main Characters: Letha Marhue & Visiers Crane

Synopsis:

Each species has their place, their roles to follow, and when it is time for Letha Marhue, one of the last Rerum, to train for hers, she finds both a family and an overwhelming amount of secrets to be unfolded.

When do secrets, meant to protect, do more harm? And can we really judge our enemies, when we do not understand them?

Trying to discover the root cause of the Nocturnes sudden reappearance after three centuries of silence, Visiers Crane, a Spirit, finds a home with Letha, and a strange connection.

Tagged by @thegreyboywrites - thanks:)

I didn’t know which WIP to do, so here’s both Rerum and Dager. My first line is always way too short lmao, so I’ve added some punctuation to make it a bit longer.

[Ch1] Aeres, Rerum: The world was so thick here- people, nature and the air was so distinctly different from Tyrtes and the inhabitants there; getting closer to the capital does that, Aeres rationalised, being so far from home, dauntingly brings out all the differences.

[Ch1] Here, Dager: I had orange juice in the morning; it wasn’t sweet, more mellow, like the soft colour yellow of the kitchen walls.

I was tagged by @notanotherhour :) thanks. Rules: Answer 11 questions, make 11 questions, tag 11 people. I’m already telling ya I’m not gonna tag, instead I’m gonna hot potato it to you! fellow writerblr reading this! Boom, you’re welcome.

1. Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?

I don’t really share my work with anyone, and I’m actually rather private. Maybe secrets for myself? Like, I’ve only just realised something I did with one of the characters that was very telling of me, as an individual, and researching it further is uhm yeah, startling. But if you mean secrets, like character secrets, sure?

2. If you could ask one successful author three questions about their writing, writing process, or books, what would they be?

I don’t really know. Since I’m quite a private/anxious individual, I don’t interact with people a lot, and I wouldn’t want to bother them haha. Though, I would want to ask, how it changed them. So, how did writing about this impact you as an individual? For example, reading His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman, and Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin, really helped/changed me as a person when I most needed it. So I’d want to know how it impacted them too.

3. Do you have a library membership?

Yes, I do have one (not including college library). I even have an online app (BorrowBox) which I use my library membership for, so I can listen to audiobooks. Since my attention span for books is actually terrible nowadays...

4. Ebooks. Yay or nay?

Yay! I love paperback books, so much, but with my attention level? Ebooks genuinely help me so much- I can change the font, colour of the screen etc so then my attention lasts for longer. Ebooks are so friendly for neurodivergent individuals (i.e. those with dyslexia, adhd etc), so honestly they are so important! And more eco-friendly! (Though I still do have a thousand paperback books.)

5. What feeling do you want readers to get from what you write?

Intrigue! I love that feeling in a book when all the connections are being made and you have that sudden realisation that all those small things make this much bigger, more detailed design! That is what I would like to pass on to readers. Making people think twice, and question what they would do/think under certain circumstances.

6. What time of day are you the most productive?

Oof, I donno. I suppose really late (like now, 1 am) due to my amazing habit of procrastinating until the last minute. Ideally, I’d prefer to flip it around and have it be around noon.

7. What is your writing Kryptonite?

Actually getting down to writing, and dialogue, I believe. I always question whether it actually sounds human or not. And I’ve mentioned my attention span, and procrastination abilities haha.

8. Which scenes are your favorite to write?

When I finally get to the scenes I know every single detail about! The scenes that are 100% certain in my mind, as it fills me with so much relief and satisfaction to actually be getting this scene out!

9. What comes first in your development/outlining process, plot or character?

Ooh, if I’m honest, character with some plot- the main stuff. With Rerum, a scene came into my head with some of the characters, and the plot I had to work for- to get the main chunk out. It took me so long to get the twists, and the majority of it all.

10. What is your favourite novel to film (or TV) adaptation?

Oooh, so tricky. Defo Percy Jackson, like oh yeah those inaccuracies. I honestly don’t know- I don’t tend to watch things if I’ve read them, as it can be so disappointing- I’ll try though! I have to say, Harry Potter is the best adaptation I’ve seen. But I do read things I’ve watch, so :/ I’m really anxious about His Dark Materials being made into a series, but I’m so excited! Such amazing actors that I can just feel are gonna be stellar portraying those characters.

11. Do you think of yourself more as an artist or an entertainer?

I don’t think of myself as either. I just do what I love to do, and if that is entertaining or art, then great! That’s cool, but I don’t think of it that way.

My questions for others to answer, would be any 7 from the list above, and these 3:

How has writing impacted you as an individual?

What piece of literature has shaped you the most?

So soft and opaque are her

Intentions .

Revealing herself is not in her nature and nor do I

Pretend that I can see her clearly

For she hides from me

And dances where I cannot reach .

She is that hopeless mirage,

And though I wish ever to be closer,

Each step takes me

Rerum: Character Introduction!

Visiers is a non-binary, grey-ace Spirit. They are Letha’s closest friend, and are loyal to her, and their family. They met Letha shortly after a disaster that killed their parents (an attack constructed via the Nocturnes), and has been close to her side ever since she joined the Academy. At the beginning of the series, they are 23.

They are determined to discover why the Nocturnes have returned after 3 centuries of silence, and it is this goal that drives them to becoming Letha’s Guard when she enters Cynerr, the Royal Headquaters, since not only will it get them closer to the truth, but it will put them in a position of trust.

Visiers can come across as harsh, with a sharp tongue and quick mind they are prone to being defensive and untrusting. Only with some do they let their defences down, becoming lightly jokey, affectionate and loyal. They are gentle to animals, and have a cat named Oka.

Ironically, they are quite clumsy. If they do not deliberately think of their movements then they can very likely to trip over nothing. They once accidentally punched a hole into a painting because they tripped and tried to steady themselves by reaching out to anything. (The painting was rather valuable, and they did run away from it cursing, which Letha never lets them down for.)

They have a neutral relationship with most individuals, however over time they have developed a love/hate relationship with Idris- though both are very levelheaded, Idris is a lot less patient, and as such Visiers can be quite mocking in regards to his rather rash tactics. Idris also treats them like a younger sibling, which is where Visiers irritation often occurs.

Being a Spirit, they are able to communicate telepathically with most creatures, making whispers shared in secret almost too easy to know, if Visiers knows the right sources to ask..

It was in September.

I remember how autumn was taking its toll on the trees, the green now a vibrant red and orange, with the majority of the leaves on the pavement, rotting away. I had never liked the toxicity of summer heat, so when autumn was here again, I was glad.

There had been a colder wind in the air when the news came, about mid morning. While I had been writing indoors, smitten with the delicious warmth of the fire, people about our town had been talking and gathering, discussing news of a danger and a tragedy. I had heard Christian go out with Julian and Yusef, his school friends, a few hours earlier, and when I heard the urgent rapping on the front door, I had almost assumed it was one of the boys, until I heard the feminine shrill of Lisa accompanying it.

“Maeve! Maeve, come quick! It’s me, Lisa! Something’s happened!” Hearing her almost desperate voice calling out, a sudden chill of anxiety filled me inside, and I found it hard to breathe. Thoughts of Christian came to mind, and with that I ran to the door, swinging it open after turning the dodgy lock.

Lisa looked bright red in the face, as if she had been running, and I could see by her slightly windswept blonde hair that she had. With a strained intake of air, and a twinge of either pain or panic on her face, the words she said next haunted me.

Small extract from Dager; Maeve reminiscing over Susan.