Hello my dear readers!
I hope you are doing well and you had a good start to your weekend.
Today’s newsletter is going to be a long one, so grab your coffee mug, tea or hot cocoa and cozy up in a warm blanket while I tell you about my current WIP, A Sweet Disruption, and introduce you to two of my favorite characters in the story.
Let me answer the most obvious question first: Why did I decide to write a short novel?
We have to dig a bit deeper for that. At first I started writing short stories of only a few pages, ostly romantic, that I published on Ko-fi and Wattpad. I don’t use Wattpad anymore, but I still publish stories on Ko-fi. The last short story I posted was a Halloween special for this October called Haunted Love, although the romantic part in this one is is very subtle. You can read it for free on Ko-fi right now. I’m playing with the idea of moving my short stories from Ko-fi over to Substack, but I will tell you more about that when the time comes.
I had originally planned to write a longer novel, a psycho-thriller called ONE. (Those of you who have been following me on Instagram for a while know which story I’m talking about). And I still love the idea of finishing this novel one day, but I honestly felt quite intimidated by the thought of writing 300 pages. My patience isn’t the best, so I wanted to start with something smaller to build up my confidence, which led me to write my current wip in a genre I have always loved: romance.
A Sweet Disruption
A Sweet Disruption is like a breath of fresh air for me and a challenge at the same time. I get to explore the different facets of writing a fiction novel and learn a lot of new things that help me grow as a writer. There are many difficulties that come with entering a new “level” of writing, but I love that I can decide every single detail of the setting and characters, and build a longer story with more detailed background information, not just a scene of a few pages. Which is just as hard as it is exciting.
Synopsis
The story is about a young girl in her early twenties called Liana Aymes. She lives with her mother Rowenna Aymes, who owns the book café Baked Novels, in a small town named Danbore. The town is home to Danbore University where she studies literature and often meets up with her best friend Tia. In special folklore class, she meets Arthur Leroy who is only a few years older than her, and they become study partners. The two hit it off quite well after working on a project together, but then a dark part of Arthur’s past comes back to haunt him and put their newly budding relationship to the test.
I wanted this short novel to feel super cozy and loving, like a warm hug, but because I like a little drama, some thrill can’t be missing. I have decided against a complicated plotline or worldbuilding so that I don’t overwhelm myself for my first book.
If I’m honest, it’s not creating the plotline or the characters that are the hardest for me, it’s the writing itself. Imposter syndrome hits me pretty hard, so I haven’t even come close to my NaNoWriMo (National Writing Month) word count yet, but that won’t keep me from achieving my goal of finishing this story. It may take longer than I planned, but that’s alright, as long as I don’t give up.
Favorite Characters
To look on the bright side of things, let me introduce you to two of my favorite characters! (Aside from the Mcs.)
Rowenna Aymes
Rowenna is Liana’s mother and the owner of the cozy book café Baked Novels, which is an important setting in the novel. She opened the café when Liana was 14, after saving enough money to buy a nice store in the old but beautiful town square of Danbore. Her husband left her when Liana was five and since then, she has taken care of her little girl alone, showering her with all the love and care she can give. Rowenna is a great baker, so her cakes and pastries are always a hit with the people who come to visit her store, and her gentle nature makes her beloved by just about everyone she meets. I created her character to be a healing soul and a comfort place in the novel.
All the characters in this book carry a part of me with them, and Rowenna shows my longing for a very caring and openly loving mother figure in my life.
Don’t get me wrong, I have a wonderful family and I love my parents dearly, but when I was growing up they were both busy either working or raising me and my four siblings, so neither of them had the mental capacity to spoil all of us individually after trying to get our chaotic butts first through school and then university.
Sicilia Moreen
Sicilia is the only other full-time staff of Baked Novels apart from Rowenna. She is also a single mother, and her daughter Tia and Liana have been best friends since she started working at the café three years after it was opened. Mrs. Moreen is a kind and fun-loving soul, though you need to be careful around her as she is very curious and doesn’t hesitate to ask the most direct questions about your private life. She loves cats and her gray cat Louis is one of her favorite living beings aside from Tia, Rowenna and Liana. The five of them are like a little family.
With her love of books and her knack for baking town-wide famous Christmas cookies, she is also tightly involved in the store’s management. No part-timer gets hired without her approval, and she carefully selects all of the books that are displayed in the store. You could say she is the soul of the bookstore while Rowenna manages all events that are held in Baked Novels, as well as the the café portion of the store and the finances.
Sicilia is my definition of a fun aunt, she cares about her loved ones and is interested in everything they do, and even though she can be a bit much sometimes, she never means any harm.
There you have it! I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into A Sweet Disruption, and if you already fell in love with the story and its endearing characters like me, don’t forget to subscribe so you won’t miss any future WIP updates!
In the next WIP Special I will introduce you to my two main characters and talk about why I like men with cats and why I wrote a female lead who both bold and shy at the same time.
I wish you all a wonderful week and I will see you in the next newsletter!
- Nika.