Beautiful Books - the NaNo Novel

So I finally decided to do one of these. And apparently it turned out quite fun, and plus cool new pictures.

I love making cool new pictures. And fiddling around to make it a unique/quirky/yeah just plain random header picture is always good fun.

So today I get to introduce you to the novel I will be writing for NaNoWriMo. Agent Kit, book #2 of The Outlaw Legends! Including lots of car chases, outlaws, guns, bashing things, grumpy Generals, and mushroom clouding explosions.

As I said. Good fun.

So I'm gonna answer some questions so you know a little bit of what I'm talking about.


1. What inspired the idea for your novel, and how long have you had the idea?

Well, it's a sequel to Monsieur Scattlocke, so it came somewhere while I was writing that and I realised that this story totally wasn't about to stop. And plus, that character totally needed a story from his point of view. I'm guessing I had Agent Kit in my head since about...June/July-ish.

And book 1 didn't satisfy my thirst for dystopian (considering most of it was actually in 'the Experiment' which is all faked medieval-times), so I needed more of the hacking and tech and flying cars (called Vans) and guns and security-camera-dodging and all of that stuff. Wherefore, Agent Kit is lacking in none of them.


2. Describe what your novel is about!

Synopsis time!

AusIntel Undercover Agent Benjamin Kit never meant to get lost. He'd been minding his own business spying in the Middle East when he took a wrong turn and found himself in the middle of Britain.

Now back in his home-ground, he thinks that maybe things will start making sense again. It doesn't last long. 

When tragedy occurs, throwing the AusIntel Headquarters into chaos, Ben is determined to prove Will Escarlate's innocence, and find the man who actually did it.

With mad car chases, narrow escapes and gun shots flying in all directions, Ben is doing what he was trained to do.

And being hunted by the entire world isn't as easy as he'd thought. 

So yeah, basically it's about Ben Kit and Will Escarlate running around in the Great Federation making the General (leader/head dude of the GF) very annoyed and trying to save the world.


3. What is your book’s aesthetic? Use words or photos or whatever you like!

Not sure if I should mention that all these pics are reasonably innocent and happy compared to the blood and gutsy stuff of the actual book...Nah, I'm not going to mention that. 
I mean, take a look at that little gap the guy is jumping across. Pfft. That's got nothing on jumping from a flying Van, smashing through a window and...whatever Ben decides to do next. You never know with Ben. He could be dropping in to buy hot chicken for all I could guess.


4. Introduce us to each of your characters!

(Main Character)
Ben Kit: a quirky dork, good (depending on your definition of the word) at driving in a car chase even though technically he can't actually drive, AusIntel (the Australian Intelligence Service) Undercover Agent (not 'officially' finished training, but that's just another technicality), loyal to his friends, reasonably good when it comes to all those fight scenes, including the one just after he got shot. Oh yeah, spoilers. *laughs evilly*

(MC from book 1/second main/what even does he do in this book other than get motion sickness?)
Will Escarlate: Big time outlaw (from everywhere but Australia, and that's a tentative statement at the moment), was the leader of the Sherwood outlaws before--nah scrap that, more spoilers. Not a good person to have on car chases as he has a bad case of getting motion sickness, a highly good companion when it comes to all things running, outlawing, sneaking around the Great Federation and


5. How do you prepare to write? (Outline, research, stocking up on chocolate, howling, etc.?)

Howling. Lots of howling. Oh and plotting. I've done a bit of that, but it's still pretty vague as of yet. And NaNo is tearing down on me like a...like a...a Van that Ben is driving. I think my doc after NaNo will be very keyboard-slam-filled.


6. What are you most looking forward to about this novel?

Writing it. And falling in love with the characters again. And explosions. And fight scenes. And I promise I'm perfectly sane.


7. List 3 things about your novel’s setting.

Uh, dystopian. Big city with lots of flying Van things. Erm...Lots of explosions. The setting is...okay, I'll revert to a picture.

Allll the gloomy darkness. That actually looks sort of depressing. Probably because it doesn't show any of the snarky comments and Ben's often-amusing thought train.


8. What’s your character’s goal and who (or what) stands in the way?

Erm...*thinks hard* *jumps onto Scrivener to check out the planning sheet* Um. Basically he's tying to prove that Will didn't do you-don't-know-what and you-don't-know-who actually did do you-don't-know-what and to do that they need to get by you-know-who/the villian/General Malevich.

So...yeah.


9. How does your protagonist change by the end of the novel?

Ahem. Well...he's got several more scars. He knows more about actual fighting, not just training. He's in trouble up to his neck (no difference there). To be honest I haven't plotted all the way to the end so I'm just making this up as I go right now. He and Will are now permanently inseparable friends. *has a flash of inspiration* Ooh that's mean...that's really mean. I gotta go write that down.


10. What are your book’s themes? How do you want readers to feel when the story is over?

They should be in the depths of despair and agony of course. Not that I know how it's ending, but I'm pretty sure it's not gonna be happily ever after. Hence there's a book 3.

On a more serious note, I think some of the themes would be loyalty to friends (and friendship in general), and standing up against the wrong and stuff. And explosions.

Well...I blew that serious moment just then didn't I? *laughs*

I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. Except I'm not.


And now you have a few snippets more of an idea of what this book is even about. Not that I know very much. But that's what the NaNo-prep month is for: freaking out about not knowing.

But I'm really looking forward to NaNo. Bashing my head against the keyboard. Killing the laptop battery. Carrying around my Agent Benjamin Kit pens (WHICH ARE SO AMAZING AND IT'S LIKE FANDOM SWAG STUFF OF MY OWN BOOK THAT I HAVEN'T EVEN WRITTEN YET, THANK YOU OH MY SISTER OF EPICNESS).

In general: It's gonna be great.

I mean, I might die, but I'll have fun doing it so...*shrugs*


So what are you doing for NaNo? 
(if you aren't doing it, how's the general writing stuff going?)
Was this at all informative, or are you just as clueless as me?

|| Jane Maree ||