I’M GOING TO DO A THING!

This is kind of like NaNoWriMo, but in October, and it’s not about me saying I have to write a book in one month, but instead, wouldn’t it be fun to write a spooky novel during spooky month?

WHAT’S GOOD IT’S SISTER WITCHES TIME

I’ve been thinking about the sister witches a lot lately, and I’ve officially decided I’m only reading spooky books for October, so what better time to write this silly, campy, sometimes spooky little book?  I’m going to try to write it in its entirety from now until the end of October.  I’m also still editing Saints 2 and Saints at sea, and that will not stop, but my priority is going to be writing sister witches.  I did some thinking (at Jaho, of course) about it today, and I’ve finally come to the conclusion that rather than being in all three of the witches, plus the demon, plus the evil witch’s POV, I’m just going to do the main witch, the demon, and the evil witch (and maybe another demon down the road, shhhh).

Thus, since I’m actually going to be diving into this story, I thought it’s high time I introduce you to the cast.  (As an aside, this is kind of a weird and novel experience, to be setting out to write a specific book.  Usually, they just kind of crash-land in my brain–which, to be fair, this one did do when it first came to me–and take over.  This time, I’m actually setting out to write it.  Kind of cool.  We’ll see what happens.)

First up: our HWIC, Henley.  Fresh out of college, Henley and her best friend, Adelaide, decided they wanted to live together and do wicked things under the full moon.  They quickly became a threesome when Henley’s girlfriend, Luciana, came to live with them, and though Luciana knows that they’re witches (I’m talking actual magic, guys), she doesn’t know that their roommate is an accidentally summoned demon (he’s next, don’t worry).  Henley is the head of their small coven, the one to enter into the year-long deal with Theodore, in charge of finances, crafting the bigger spells, and is the sole reason so much of this takes place in Jaho.  When she’s not a barista at the coffeeshop, she teaches yoga, flips people off who don’t let her cross the street, vehemently loves the summer, is overly protective of Margot, and makes a year-long deal instead of the customary one-month deal with Theo because she can see it so clearly that he’s running from something, and man, she’s been there done that, and she gets it.  They’re bffs 5eva.

Theodore, resident greater demon and lover of cats.  He can take many forms, but his favorite (other than human) is a cat.  He’s an orange tabby because of the red hair he always seems to have in human form, and he’s a little put out about that because, come on, the aesthetic of a black cat.  I mean, seriously.  He is 1000% a hipster, loves his skinny jeans with knee holes, thank you very much, wears hats with flat rims and stupid sayings on them like sad ghost club, would like it never to be summer because flannel duh, brokered a truce with the girls by bringing home the largest elephant ear plant he could find, likes to steal books, and is stupidly fond of his little witches that have let him into their lives.  Truthfully, when they accidentally summoned him, Theodore did his best to appear nonchalant and amicable, but Henley saw right through him, and he’s immensely grateful to have a place to stay that’s not his dad’s house (in hell).  He loves to cook, has way more powers than the girls realize, and is a greater demon, which means he’s more badass than your typical run-of-the-mill demon.

Here for the aesthetic 24/7 is Adelaide.  I’m talking wide-rimmed circle hats, little booties, and cable knit sweaters at every chance.  Winged sunglasses?  Check.  A tiny purse with cat ears?  Check.  Trying to convince Theo to be her familiar?  Checkcheckcheck.  In college, Henley met Adelaide, decided to acquire her, and hasn’t been able to get rid of her since.  Despite Henley’s general attitude tipping toward hostile, Adelaide remains a bright spot of sunshine and constant chatter.  She is the glue that keeps the girls together, and is horribly fond of Margot’s boyfriend, Eliot.  She’s determined to make Eliot and her boyfriend, Roman, best friends, is currently the best cook in the house, and refuses to be the judge of Theo and Henley’s ongoing plant war.  She leaves most of her read books on Theodore’s bed, appears in Margot’s doorway looking for crystals, and is the only one that kept her head when they accidentally summoned Theodore.

Rounding out the coven is Margot.  After Henley and Adelaide moved in together, they were feeling a little lonely in their four-bedroom apartment and two-person coven, so they decided to descend upon the Salem population (of course this takes place in Salem, duh) and find someone suitable.  They stumbled upon Margot trying to buy all the herbs in their favorite shop, Coven’s Cottage, and started to follow her down Essex St when she disappeared in a cloud of smoke and reappeared behind them.  They offered her the room and to join their coven on the spot, and she’s been a permanent fixture for the last year.  She’s soft-spoken and sweet, and always the one to ground the others in their spells.  She went to school in upstate New York, where she met Eliot after a failed beekeeping class.  If it was socially acceptable, she’d wear overalls every single day of her life, her weakness is Theo’s cookies, her and Adelaide have a magnet-buying addiction, and she’s the first person after Henley who gets to listen to Luciana’s songs.

And then we’ve got Wren, Henley’s estranged sister and the Big Bad of this story.  Wren and Henley haven’t spoken in almost a decade, though they both practice magic and grew up close friends.  After their parents’ death, Wren’s magic started taking on a route that Henley wasn’t comfortable with, and after several harsh conversations at a loud decibel, they parted ways (definitely not amicably).  Wren has come back to Salem, though, and she’s summoned a demon to take something from her little sister–or, rather, someone.  It’s no secret in hell that a greater demon was bound to a year-long contract, which rarely happens, and Wren wants not just Theodore, but his power.  Wren spent much of her youth watching out for Henley, teaching her to maintain and control her magic.  When their parents died, Henley was still young, and Wren immediately took on the role of mother, though she was only a few years older than her.  She started meddling with dark magic before their death, but her grief amplified her urge for it, and soon, she was trying to convince Henley to practice with her.  When Henley left, Wren packed her bags and traveled across the world.

There are others, as well.  Eliot and Roman are Adelaide and Margot’s boyfriends, respectively, Luciana is Henley’s girlfriend, and Finn will be Theo’s love interest (don’t worry, this is not an immortal demon/human situation, Theodore has a very strict Edward Cullen policy).  Wren is sure to have some ancillary witches, as well.

Now, if all of this sounds very campy and silly, that’s because it’s supposed to.  This is just a fun little story that will occasionally sucker punch you with feelings and then surprise you with an actual plot.  It’s supposed to be something you roll your eyes at a lot.  It’s supposed to be fun.  But it’s also got a lot going on, and the more I talk about it, the more excited I am to start digging into it.

Stay tuned for how this straight-on approach to writing a novel goes!