Hello! I am horrible about updating my blog, and for that, I apologize. It is, however, because I have been so busy with writing and publishing! The Louisville Book Fest was fantastic! I sold out of all of the books they had pre-ordered for me and left with only 4 copies of the huge stack I had brought. It was truly a wonderful time. Once I got home, though, I began diligently working on my next project, A (Not So) Simple Quest.
What is so special about this new book?
Simple Quest was originally supposed to be a story about a villain who'd grown very tired of their overeager and happy-go-lucky assistant. The villain decides the only way to do this is to kill the assistant, but can't bear to do it themselves. So, the assistant is instead sent on quests that should kill anyone and yet, somehow, keeps on surviving. The original concept was exciting to me, and yet, when I set down to write it, everything changed. Suddenly, I wasn't writing a story about an assistant who can't take the hint their services aren't appreciated. I was writing about a young woman, told she doesn't belong in the world who dreams of one day being free.
When she gets her chance to embark on this quest, she learns she is so much more capable than she has been led to believe. She finds strength in her skills and learns what is truly important to her. It is a tale of self-discovery. When I went to write the first sentence, I wanted something that would create a lot of intrigue. And that's where the Good Knight, Sir Devan came into the picture. And while I hadn't set out to write a love story, that was what happened. Melodia needed someone to see her for all that she is and not what she has been told.
What's the plot?
Melodia is an elf-orc halfling. Half-breeds such as her are called 'abominations.' Her mix is especially rare and hated because the elves and orcs have always been at war with one another. The assumptions about her creation are very dark. She was abandoned as a newborn and taken in by a kind, human, sorcerer. The sorcerer's twin sister did not share his affection for the orphan. Melodia's father dies in an attack when she is only six years old and is then raised by the sorceress. As she grows, she learns sorcery and is also told many tales of how cruel the world would be to someone like her. As such, she has never stepped foot outside the castle walls, not even onto the lawns. One day, Sorceress Catrin's guards capture the Good Knight, Sir Devan. Melodia often helped with the prisoners and over time grows fond of Sir Devan, which he uses to one day escape. Melodia is blamed for this. He is recaptured and escapes two more times, the last time stealing a powerful potion ingredient (Ghost Wart) from Sorceress Catrin.
Melodia volunteers to go and find more of the ghost wart to make up for the trouble she'd caused by letting Sir Devan escape. On her travels, she runs into the very knight who'd taken advantage of her. He has no ill feelings toward Melodia, although, she cannot say the same. When he learns where she intends to go on her quest, he insists she'll die if she goes alone. He invites himself to join her. Over the course of their time together, Melodia begins to notice her feelings shift about Sir Devan and she begins to wonder if she should return to the castle at all.
Who is this book for?
This book is a coming-of-age tale and falls into the Young Adult category. It is a Fantasy Romance with slow-burn. You don't need to worry about this book falling into younger hands as the romance is kisses only. This is not closed door, there is not door. Everything is very PG.
Simple Quest deals with some hard topics, like self-acceptance. Melodia has lived a challenging life and despite Sir Devan telling her what she should do, she is the only one who can change her life. This lesson is a hard one for her to learn. My trigger and content warnings for this book include: Death of a Sibling (off-page), Death of a Parent (off-page), Mental and Emotional Abuse, and Gaslighting.
What are the tropes?
