Know the Novel-Part 1

Hey guys today I'm participating in Christine Smith's Know the Novel Tag.

There is only one problem, I have two WIPs to choose from...

A few weeks ago I was all set to write my contemporary fiction, but uh... a week ago I started plotting out a historical fiction.

So I am absolutely torn between these two wonderful stories and which one to write for November's sprint!! So what's the solution you may ask? Doing both.

Yes get mad at me and tell me that you're only supposed to focus on one. But this is honestly better for me because if I try to focus on just one project I'll get bored and start making wild decisions just to make it more interesting for me.

But for this blog tag, I'm going to talk about my Historical fiction.

1. What first sparked the idea for this novel?

How do I say it was a TV show without saying it was a TV show? But truthfully it was also some friends of mine and just random Pinterest quotes and stuff.

Then once I got into plotting and researching it, I found this to be such an interesting timeline.

2. Share a blurb (or just an overall summary)!

Here's a rough blurb/summary thing

War has a way of making people deal with the real issues, and that’s no more true than for the Adamski family. Taking place in Poland only a year after WWII starts, the family is forced to make decisions they thought they’d never make.

Lena Adamski has lived her whole life putting a smile over pain, after her mother’s death she did what was needed and moved on, or more realistically she buried it. When her brother is supposedly killed defending Poland from Germany she isolates herself into helping in a resistance to sabotage the Germans and help others. Denying her pain and grief to do what’s right, but things take a turn when she falls for a Jewish man she has to protect and face her father who’s working as an informer for the Germans.

Filip Adamski didn’t want to betray his country or help the Germans. He’s constantly sick with guilt, but after losing his wife due to a difficult labor, he’s been heartbroken. And he refuses to lose his beautiful Alicja (who’s blind and would no doubt be taken by the Germans) so to protect her he helps the Nazis as an informer. While most see a traitor very few can see a heartbroken man who is truly decent.

Marek Adamski managed to survive the battle between Poland and Germany, but the horrors he saw in battler were enough to constantly clutter his dreams. He holds guilt over not being able to save the soldiers who helped him. And in the battle of Dunkirk, he receives serious injuries and is taken to a hospital in France, where for a year he goes through recovery only for Germany to invade France. Now he’s helping the Jews and other targets escape camps and saving everyone to somehow help his guilt and bring an end to the aching nightmares.

Eleanor Lewis is a British and beautiful girl with a broken soul. She grew up in an abusive home where her father would punish her with pain. She moves to Poland to get as far away from home as possible. She struggles to trust anyone but Marek manages to break through and brings out a side of her she never thought she had, hope. But when he's “killed” in battle she’s left torn. So she takes her revenge on the Nazis, doing terrible work with little remorse. All just to hopefully find peace.

This is a faith, romance, action-packed story that shows hope and God in desperate times.

and for anyone who's confused here's the whole family.

Filip (father)

Marek (22) oldest child

Lena (19) oldest sister

Alicja (10) youngest sister

Eleanor (21) is not related to the Adamski

3. Where does the story take place? What are some of your favorite aspects of the setting?

Poland and France.

Probably the culture and houses in these countries, and just capturing how the Nazis affected the beautiful cities of these countries.

4. Tell us about your protagonist(s).

Marek is a cunning and wonderful man, who is terrible at flirting. He has dirty blond hair and sharp blue eyes. He has terrible PT-SD and is overwhelmed with guilt. He has a somewhat strong faith but he has doubts in the Lord.

Eleanor is kind of like an anti-hero because truthfully she takes a turn for the worse when Marek is said to be dead. She does terrible work to stop the Nazis and shows little remorse. Yet she still has a kind and sweet side of her. She has dark brown hair and piercing green eyes.

Lena is truthfully sweet and innocent, but when war strikes, she finds a strength she never knew she had. She leans on the Lord for guidance but she still keeps one part of her life away from God, and that's her deep grief. She had beautiful bleach-blond hair and beautiful blue eyes.

5. Who (or what) is the antagonist?

Filip is really not the villain, but he does make things difficult so I guess he sort of counts. But please don't hate him, this man is trying to protect his daughter!!! but Filip was left broken when his sweet Anna (his wife) died and was left to raise three kids. And then he's told he lost his son and his daughter is at risk of being taken, so he helps the Nazis as an informer.

and there are obviously nazis soldiers and other people who cause problems but none of them are really that important to know.

6. What excites you the most about this novel?

I love all the different characters in this story, and how they tackle the situations they're put in. They're all relatable and sympathetic and all have their shadows.

7. Is this going to be a series? standalone? something else?

Uh... I think a standalone but who knows? XD

8. Are you plotting? pantsing? plansting?

I am Pantsing on both books, so yeah, we'll see how that goes.

9. Name a few unique elements in this story.

It's a four-POV story, which is a lot, but kind of necessary.

And also Poland hasn't been the most popular place to set a historical fiction, so that's fun. I've also enjoyed writing this genre since it's so important to bring light to such a tragic time.

P.S. It took a lot of research XD

10. Share some fun “extras” of the story (a song or full playlist, some aesthetics, a collage, a Pinterest board, a map you’ve made, a special theme you’re going to incorporate, ANYTHING you want to share!).

I have boards!!!!

First is Marek's

And Eleanor's

And Eleanor & Marek's board

Lena's

Filip's

Word Goal

30,000 words for both WIPs, but we'll see. (set the bar high so at least you get a rounded number)

Anyway, thanks for reading!!!