Meet My New Novel - The Damned Ones

Hello everyone! I have a new novel coming out soon 🎉

In June 2020, I released the first in my fantasy series The One and the Other. The One-Sided Coin begins the story with Monoria Fledyia who is trapped in a mental institution and forced to decide who she can trust: a scientist with questionable methods or the mystical parasite he's trying to save her from. You can read more about it here.

In just a few months, I'll be releasing the prequel in the series, The Damned Ones. Read on for more information.

1. When is it coming out?

January 14, 2023

2. What is the genre?

It is the same as The One-Sided Coin--gothic fantasy. However, it lacks dystopian elements since it occurs before the dystopian society in The One-Sided Coin, and The Damned Ones centers around a royal family.

I like to describe this series as my love letter to all things gothic. It includes the tropes of fair maidens, dangerous but misunderstood beasts, madness, and the good and evil of humanity. Also, several poems are sprinkled throughout the narrative as one of the main characters of the series is a Jemalgee, a creature that speaks only in poetry.

3. What is the plot?

Crown Princess Labeth has grown up hearing the gruesome tales of the Jemalgee like everyone else. Creatures of darkness that travel in clouds of black smoke when they’re not possessing someone to satisfy their corrupt desires. When she comes face-to-face with one, it does the unthinkable—it saves her life. At first, she’s determined to stay away, but when circumstances force them together, she finds a kindred spirit.

The Jemalgee wants nothing more than redemption so it can return to its place in the sky as a star. Despite the other’s warnings, she vows to help save its soul. But when a different, jealous Jemalgee sets its sights on her and her country is forced into a war it can’t win, Labeth will have to decide how much she is willing to sacrifice to prove nothing is beyond saving.

4. Where is it set?

The whole series is set in the country of Loreiak, a small part of the world of Azain.

Thousands of years before the events of The One and the Other series, an unexplained force created magical boundaries that separated the world of Azain into eleven parts, each with its own rules of magic.

The practice of mysticism, channeling magic, and the existence of the Jemalgee and other similar beings are what make Loreiak unique.

All of The Damned Ones occurs in Loreiak's capital, Soros Cereminir. The capital sits to the south in the Nixceenac Mountains, only a day's travel from the coast. It's positioned on the coast of Lake Urvuspha and surrounded by five mountains, Mts. Raseynor, Vashilien, Rel, Odons, and Jakor.

When you read the book, you'll get to explore the Temple District and the monument of The Celestial on Mt. Vashilien, the cells in the cliffs of Mt. Jakor, and the palace, beautiful waterfall, and dark caves on Mt. Raseynor.

Other cities in Loreiak are mentioned as the country is at war with its neighbor, the Toa. While the section the Toa are in does not allow for any magic to exist, they have technological advancements unseen in all of the other sections. They've been able to share some of these inventions with Loreiak but remain hungry for the magic they cannot have. After trying and failing repeatedly to bring magic back to their section, they've decided the only way to get what they want is to conquer Loreiak.

5. Where did you get the idea?

I knew I wanted to tell the story of Labeth, the girl who first meets and establishes a connection with the creature Monoria knows as her Ghost in The One-Sided Coin. My original plan was to include Labeth's story as a flashback episode in the first book. But I didn't like what it did to the pacing so I cut it out and tried to put it in Volume Two. When I started outlining that book however, it didn't work either. This story needed to stand on its own.

I planned for it to be a novella of about 20k words and it is now a whopping 50k, a novel in its right. There was so much more story to tell than I had ever realized.

6. Introduce us to your main character.

Labeth is the crown princess of Loreiak. She's a dreamer with her head in the clouds and a quill in her hand as she tries to make known what's inside her through words. She wants what's best for her country but often has trouble keeping up with her day-to-day duties of being a crown princess. She aims to see the best in everyone and to never lose hope.

7. Will I like this book?

You'll like this book if you're a fan of Edgar Allan Poe and Libba Bray, like fantasy with complex world-building, and philosophical discussions on the inherent good and evil of mankind. The ideal reader is someone who is not afraid of going to dark places because that's where the best redemption stories are found.

8. Are there any trigger warnings?

Yes. The Damned Ones deals heavily with rape and suicide.

9. Do I have to have read The One-Sided Coin beforehand?

It's not required to have read The One-Sided Coin to understand The Damned Ones.

However, the subtitle of The Damned Ones is The One and the Other Episode Ten. The One-Sided Coin includes Episodes 1-9. I made The Damned Ones Episode Ten because I feel it is best to read it between Volumes 1 and 2 like how it was written.

10. Will there be bonus material?

Yes! There will three pieces of bonus material: an explanation of Azain, the greater world Loreiak takes place in; an excerpt from the Mystic Codex; and the first chapter of The Metal Flower: The One and the Other Volume Two. You won't be able to read these anywhere else!

11. Where can I buy it?

The Damned Ones will be available in ebook and paperback on Amazon. News about pre-orders will be coming soon. Consider signing up for my newsletter so you don't miss on when that becomes available. Also, you'll get the first episode of The One-Sided Coin as a free download if you haven't read it already.

I also update my Instagram frequently with news and behind-the-scenes looks at my projects.

And don't forget to add The Damned Ones to your tbr on Goodreads!

Thank you,

Mary K Gowdy

#writing #indieauthor #fantasyseries #books

A Published Book, A Finished Book, A New Book, Oh My!

I know it's been a while but I'm back with several pieces of exciting news, so let's get to it!

My poetry collection is out! *screams incoherently*

Where Have We Come From, Where Are We Going? is available on Amazon in paperback for $9.99.

Though a small handful of poems were written earlier, I started this collection in 2018, so it took me fours years to go from my head, onto the page, and to you. It's a very personal and political book as the political is often personal. It's the pouring from my heart all the fears, doubts, tears, and hopes that I have felt over the last six years.

While I hope anyone can find something compelling between its pages, it speaks best to young Christians or non-Christians who grew up in the church and have since become disillusioned by the American church for not looking more like the Jesus they were taught about.

"Where Have We Come From, Where Are We Going? is full of journeys – innocence to adulthood, faith’s march through deconstruction to renewal, and Time’s unstoppable trek as it takes us to hope or destruction. It chronicles the poet’s life during the personally, nationally, and globally tumultuous years of 2015 - 2020 which saw a young girl questioning what she thought she knew, the deepening of a nation’s divisions into cracks that can never be hidden again, and a pandemic that changed the path of everyone’s lives. Touching on the topics of faith, nationalism, linguistics, love, and history, Where Have We Come From zeroes in on America. It analyzes through personal narrative the white-outed parts of its history, its relationship to Christianity, and its society's polarization. No one would disagree that this is a dark, uncertain time in our nation’s history. And Time always keeps going, so the question becomes: where are we headed? "

And that's not all the news I have ;)

The second draft of the Labeth Prequel has been finished!

This book has taken so much longer than I had anticipated. It was just supposed to be a quick project before starting TOATO2. But no, this book DEMANDED more time. I intended for it to be 20,000 words and the 2nd draft is a whopping 49,370! I had to stop calling it the Labeth Novella.

Ya'll, Labeth's story is a wild ride--equal parts horror and beauty, despair and hope. I love this character even more, and I'm looking forward to sharing her story with you all.

But first, we must beta-read, and edit, and proofread, before we can publish. I'm setting my eyes towards a mid-to-late 2023 release.

Until then. . .

I can finally start drafting The One and the Other Volume 2!

Granted, if you've been following my Instagram, you know that I've already started it. I wrote the first two chapters late last year, but NOW I can give it my full, undivided attention as I take a break from the Labeth Prequel.

I am so excited! I've been dreaming about writing this book for literal YEARS. I love all my characters so much--Monoria, Attalayla, Celond, and Jeriph--and I can't wait to journey with them as they grow and face new challenges. LOYALTIES WILL BE TESTED. NEW BONDS MADE. OLD BONDS BROKEN.

Anyway, I gotta go back and write ;). Thanks for reading! Till next time!

Writing in the Time of COVID (2021 Review)

2021 feels like a fever dream to me. I can't believe that any what occurred in my life happened or that the year is over. Somehow, 2020 feels more real than 2021, and 2021 might have been a harder year for me personally. My mental health suffered greatly this year, and it affected my writing in a big way. This was a much less productive year than I had wanted it to be. It's frustrating when there's so many projects I want to write and I feel like I'm failing when I don't follow through with my goals. But I was just too tired and unmotivated to write.

Here's an overview of my year:

• In January, I got stuck in this one scene in the Labeth Prequel--a poem to be exact that I could not figure out for the life of me.

• Then in February was the snow storm, and I live in Texas so I had on-and-off power for several days straight--not good for writing.

• I wrote and revised some poems in the spring, but in the summer, I got on anxiety medication. For several months, it messed with my sleep and energy levels. I slept the majority of the summer away.

• September was a great month for writing! I revised so many poems, sometimes 4 in one day. And I finally finished the poem I had been stuck on from the Labeth Prequel in January and then proceeded to finish Chapters 2-5 by the end of the year.

• On November 18th, I started the first draft of The One and the Other Volume Two, something I've been dreaming about for years.

• There were some other mental health stuff that happened later in the year but I would rather not go into it.

Though my writing productivity improved in the later half of the year, 2021 was hard to the very end. And I do feel that even though things improved, I didn't utilize my time as best as I could have and that I could've done more. I envy the consistency I had back in college. But I write all of this to remind myself of what a hard year it was and that I gave what I could considering the circumstances. I'm torn between wanting to rise to my full potential and being compassionate and understanding towards myself. I low-key hate these posts because it reminds me of all of the things I had wanted to accomplish in the previous year but didn't. But I push myself to write these because I want a record for myself and I'm trying to be more honest with others about how I am doing. And this is (some of) what happened.

There were good things that happened this year:

• I went on a road trip to Big Bend, Carlsbad, ABQ, and Santa Fe - it was my first time traveling that far west, and I loved it! I had been wanting to go on a trip like that for so long.

• Got my first tattoo - another goal I had been waiting for years for the right moment to do it. The words are Proverbs 23:18 - "Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off."

• Volunteered to help in ESL classes for refugees - helping refugees is a cause I have carried about for several years now. Post-graduation, I was going to go on a mission to help those crossing the border but that didn't happen because of covid. While the news was disappointing, it was nice to be able to stay where I am, and it's been so great to find ways I can help refugees in my hometown.

• Got my first full-time job - and it's working with refugees!

• Lastly but definitely not least - I had poems published by TWO different literary magazines. Not only ONE, but TWO.

(my reaction when the first poem was published)

"10,000 Hours" was published by the Bridge: Bluffton Literary Journal, and "In Her Hand" was published by Sheila-Na-Gig. Both are online literary magazines so you can read them at the links.

Now, onto talking about the major projects:

In my previous end/beginning--whatever you want to call it--year post, this project was called Poetry Collection or Poetry Book #1, but it FINALLY has a name! Coming up with the title was a huge win this year because if you had asked me in 2020 what I was going to name this manuscript, I would've told you that I had no idea and what titles I had tried to come up with weren't very good. But I love this title so much! When it came to me, I immediately knew it was the one--no need to brainstorm for others.

There are nine poems that need to be revised along with some minor edits in other poems, but then it'll be done. I've talked before about submitting this collection to traditional publishers and using self-publishing as a fall-back. I'm not so sure about that plan anymore. I'm at a crossroads, and I'm trying to figure out the best option. I'll update you once I've decided.

This project definitely suffered from my mental health struggles this year considering I didn't touch it for six months. While writing The One-Sided Coin, there was a long gap due to mental health struggles as well. I had hoped to write this book a lot faster, but I'm really proud of how this book is coming out. There's definitely an improvement between the Labeth Prequel and The One-Sided Coin.

Current Status: over halfway through with draft 2 ("the rewrite draft"). I just got over the hump of the midpoint and am heading towards the end.

Volume Two Draft One is underway! The first chapter and a half have been written, and I am loving every second of it! It has flowed so well so far. Fingers crossed that it continues that way.

I had wanted to create a detailed outline before drafting this time unlike in the past where I've only had a bare bones outline and started writing. I did this new process for the first three episodes before getting stuck on episode 4. After a couple months had passed where I didn't get anywhere, I decided to just start writing it. Recently though, I figured out the plot of Episode 4 and am in the midst of outlining it in its entirety. I had given up on experimenting with this new writing process, but this recent victory has made me think that perhaps I can do it. I am really happy with how the first couple of scenes are coming out so maybe I'm on to something.

Until I finish the second draft of the Labeth Prequel, this is my side project. I only intend to work on this when I'm too tired to edit my other projects but I still want to get some writing done. This will be a new writing experiment as well and I'm interested in seeing how it plays out.

Other Projects

Chervaux (NaNoWriMo 2018 Project)

Still no major updates though some songs have recently given me new ideas for one of the character's arcs. The songs are "Oh Lord" and "The In-Between" by In This Moment. Go check them out!

It's 2022?

I keep wanting to write 2021 on everything. My mind thinks that the year now turned 2021 because it doesn't truly feel like the year happened or that it could be over already.

It's good to have a new job, and there's some other exciting things coming up in my personal life this year. I'm also nearing the completion of two major projects: Where Have We Come From, Where Are We Going? and the Labeth Prequel. I would love to publish one of them (maybe both) this year. Do I worry that life will get in the way like it did in 2021? Yes. I just got to keep doing what I love which is to write. And try to find the balance to strive and rest amidst the struggle.

Till my next post, ✌️

Thanks for reading.