I’m currently writing an adult dystopian sci-fi novel. It’s the first establishment in the Polaris Trilogy, and I want to tell you all about it.
Some background on my novel writing journey:
I’ve been writing since I was at least 10 years old. I wrote short stories and plays and novellas. I read and then I wrote and then I read some more and wrote some more. That’s pretty much how my whole life has been.
And then I found Wattpad and had a field day. I wrote a few stories on there but only completed one story. When it hit 8k reads I was beside myself. For some reason I thought I had hit the jackpot in readership and I was on the road to becoming an author! I would never go back in time and tell myself any different.
Then I grew up, realized I could actually write a book if I wanted to because nothing was stopping me. I was getting my Bachelors Degree in screenwriting and story consumed my life in every single media form. Movies, TV, books, plays, etc.
In December 2019, I was in Barnes & Noble with my friend (shoutout Abby) in NYC while we waited for Kristen. I can’t remember if I had my novel idea there or it was right before, but I just remember talking to her about it and what the story was going to be about.
Covid hit and I was unemployed so I thought that I had nothing else to do other than watch OBX and play animal crossing, so why not actually write the book? I had really no experience with outlining a full fledged novel and then writing it, but that didn’t stop me.
This starts my first ever novel idea: Moonlight Mountain. Currently, it is finished at like 60k words. I haven’t touched it since the first draft. I would definitely go back to writing it, but almost everything about it has to be changed. It was a sapphic book about a girl, Theo, who moves to Colorado and starts working at a ski resort called Moonlight Mountain. There she starts working alongside the resort owner’s daughter, Ariana, and in time of course they fall in love.
It was a YA romance and I had a book cover designed. I paid $300 for it and at the time I remember it being the best thing to ever exist. I had finished the book, had a book cover, and then never really went back to it.
I also wrote an angsty romance that was originally a fanfiction turned into an actual novel. That is going through some MAJOR rework and may never see the light of day, but it’s one of my favorite stories that’s just mine. For right now, at least.
Dystopian novel info:
I’ve had a novel idea for a dystopian book since 2018 but it has been through MANY ideas/versions since then. Until, in today’s day and age, I’ve settled on a plot, some characters, and a basic world. This was my very first novel idea before my *above* romance but never felt like I was ready to write it. Until now!
I know…you just want me to shut up and tell you what the book is about, huh? Fine.
Book Blurb
Inside the walls of Polaris, Layne Tolliver has always known what it means to be safe.
Polaris was built after the collapse of civilization, protecting its people from the dangerous world beyond its wall. Layne has never questioned the rules that keep Polaris alive or the leaders who maintain them.
Until his brother disappears.
When Tristan Tolliver is publicly exiled beyond the wall, Layne is left with a trail of hidden clues and an unfinished investigation Tristan never got the chance to complete. Determined to uncover the truth behind his brother’s disappearance, Layne follows the path his brother left behind and discovers secrets buried beneath the city he has always called home.
To finish what Tristan started, Layne must turn to Annika Latcham, the President’s daughter and future heiress to Polaris. Together, they uncover a truth that challenges everything they know about their city, their history, and the world beyond the walls.
This is the book blurb (as of now) which I’m sure will change once the novel is actually complete and goes through revisions. I’m very excited about this idea. I’ve already written 30k words so far, which is more than I’ve ever written for anything since my previous two romance novels.
For those of you that don’t know, a novel is classified as 40k words or more. For my genre, the publishing standard word count is 90k-110k words. I’m low-balling it and aiming for 90k words (which I believe I will surpass at the end of draft one). As I write this blog post, I’m currently sitting at a little more than 30k words. This is huge for me.
My book will explore themes of a society that seems perfect but is not, rules to control obedience, a main character who figures out who they are without someone telling them, and way more.
Still deciding on whether or not I want to self publish or query for traditional publishing. Both paths have their pros and cons, which I will tackle as I get closer. Still a long way to go, but I’m super excited for this book. I’ve posted on my Instagram story every once in awhile about writing it, but only Kristen knew about it. Even she hasn’t read it yet.
I’m in a time in my writing journey (and life!) where I’m not as embarrassed to share with people that I am writing a book. It’s a huge thing to tackle and can take months to years to even finish. I’m proud of myself and regardless of people’s opinions, I will continue. And succeed.
If you want to follow any part of my writing journey, the best place to find me is on Threads here. I write and operate under a pen name for future safety. So yes…that link is me!
Always down to talk about writing whether that be my creative projects or yours! Happy writing.
