Ummm, a Halloween themed writing tag? COUNT ME IN! Thank you so much to Caro @ Bookcheshirecat for tagging me in this because it looks absolutely amazing, and I’m so hyped to go through each question. Also, definitely check out Caro’s answers because I am going to absolutely perish when it gets published someday. This was originally created by Sam Kassé on Tumblr!

Rules:

• Thank the person who tagged you but also link back to the original post!
• Provide a short description of your story!
• Don’t use the same character for more than 3 answers!

Okay, I know what you’re thinking. Obviously, I should choose sister witches for this tag because they exist in a spooky universe, and the supernatural are already part of it, but there’s actually a huge Halloween party in the second book, and it takes up, like, half of the story, and is very integral to the plot. I’d just end up copying things directly out of that party and spoiling everything, so instead, I’m going to use the book I’m currently working on. It has no title right now, but I fondly refer to it as the researcher & the librarian, or just Freddie’s story, and here’s a quick description of it:

Set in Portugal in the 30s, Freddie Wright is bound and determined to prove everyone wrong–demons do exist, and he’s going to summon one. Armed with his fiery twin sister, Florence, and his reluctantly assigned librarian, Hugo, Freddie dives deep into his research until, finally, after exorcising several ghosts and convening with hell spirits, Freddie is ready.

If you want even more info, I just posted my NaNoWriMo announcement on Monday, and it dives deeper into the story and its characters! The MCs I’ll be talking about are:

• Freddie Wright: occults researcher, redhead, a bit of an asshole because he’s right about everything, highly intelligent and knows it, but also a clumsy sweetheart
• Florence Wright: astronomer, likes to set things on fire, frizzy blonde hair that she hates and loves, will cut anyone who even looks at Freddie wrong, knows how to box and stubbornly wears men’s clothes
• Hugo Santiago: librarian, sighs a lot, cannot believe that he’s fallen in love with the researcher he was convinced would be nothing more than a nuisance, tall, dark, and brooding with a sharp jaw and brown curls to boot
• Irene Peláez: residential wealthy daughter of an esteemed family, loves to sew, makes most of her own clothes, in love with her handmaiden (it’s requited, they’re lesbians), thinks Freddie is just the bee’s knees

There are a whole heck ton of others–the two scientists Florence hangs out with, the three other librarians that Hugo’s friends with, Hugo’s sister & Irene’s girlfriend, Amélia–but that’s way too many people, and these four are my core main characters, even though Irene, sadly, doesn’t get a POV.

Tudo bem, let’s get started!

 It’s Halloween night!
What is your protagonist dressed up as?

I want to say that Freddie would go as Lucifer just to be that obnoxious, but honestly? He’d probably dress up as Virgil from Dante’s The Divine Comedy, and no one would have any idea who he was because he’d just look like himself. It’d be like that scene in Love, Simon, when Nick dresses up as Cristiano Ronaldo and everyone’s confused.

Irene, however, would get it into her head that she and Florence had to go all out, and so, she’d make Florence a gorgeous golden dress so she could go as the sun, since she’s already blonde and fair, and Irene would have a sparkling silver gown as the moon. She’d put a crown of crystals in her dark hair, and she’d look an absolute dream.

Who in your cast refuses to dress up
and shows up at the Halloween party without a costume?

Annnnnd, I didn’t mention Hugo above because he’s definitely the fart of the group, and he’d 100% refuse outright to do anything but put on a comfy sweater and “pretend to be Virgil’s Dante”, which is a load of shit, so. Look, Hugo’s tired, he has to deal with Freddie all day long, and he just wants a nap at the end of the day.

On Halloween, werewolves, vampires,
and zombies are on the prowl.
Which of your characters gets caught in their clutches,
and which creature do they subsequently turn into?

Spoiler? There’s a fair amount of supernatural creatures already in this universe, and while we don’t really encounter a whole ton of them, there are some, even if the characters don’t know that they’re supernatural, and it’s just, hopefully, my eventual reader picking up on the hints. However, let’s say they don’t know about these supernatural creatures, and that those creatures are evil (mine generally aren’t, but there’s bound to be some), Freddie would, without a doubt, get turned into a vampire. Look, he’s a soft-hearted fool who wants to help everyone, and he would definitely unknowingly let a vampire into his home, get his feet swept right out from under him, and wake up the next morning with fangs. The best part, though, is that he’s such a scholar that he’d be super hyped about it because WOW THINK OF ALL THE RESEARCH! I’M GOING TO WRITE A PAPER!

Florence would get caught by no one because she’ll no nonsense everything into a grave, or light them on fire, but Irene would probably succumb to a werewolf, and Hugo would just quietly lock himself into his flat and not come out until it was all over.

Who wins the contest for best costume?

Oh, Irene, duh. Not only is her moon gown handmade, she goes all out for her crystal crown and glitter makeup. Florence might have had a chance, but Irene will also do something spectacular with her hair, and she’d eventually rope Freddie into a different costume, probably a star or a planet, because you can’t really deny Irene, and so they’d all eventually end up in cosmic regalia orbiting their lunar queen.

Who hands out toothbrushes to the trick and treaters?

Tudo bem, I know that Hugo is a square, but even he wouldn’t do this. Irene would be horrified at the idea, and Freddie would flat out refuse. Hell, Freddie and Florence would probably eat as much candy as they were giving out. There’s no way any of them wouldn’t hand out candy.

Which two of your characters decide to pair up
and do an angel/devil costume together?

Freddie & Florence, for sure. We’re pretending Irene hasn’t ensnared them, and Freddie is actually ditching his Dante idea to be the devil, but, in reality, he’d end up as the angel because he’d spin it that he & Florence were going as the same character, Lucifer, but playing on both of his sides–fallen angel and terrible devil. Freddie would play the charming, handsome angel figure falling from heaven, and Florence would play the devilish demon of hell.

Someone is too scared to even attend the Halloween party.
Who is it?

Hmmmm, tudo bem, I’m going to use one of my side characters. The only thing Freddie is afraid of is his father, Florence just laughs in the face of fear, Hugo’s got a stern, steady vibe about him, and though Irene is often afraid of everything, she’s also determined not to let it get in her way. Amélia, however, (Hugo’s sister & Irene’s girlfriend) would jump ship at the first opportunity. Irene ends up helping Freddie with a lot of his practical research, so that’s why she’s kind of settled into the core main characters, but Amélia hates everything that’s even remotely spooky.

Who overdoses on Halloween candy and ends up sick?

Definitely Florence. She’s not a fan of cooking, though she’s gotten a little better at it, but she loves to eat, and she’d totally just eat all of the candy–before, during, and after–and it’d end in misery with her groaning on the sofa and Freddie dutifully plying her with tea and shit-eating grins.

Which character is most likely to place a curse/hex on someone
and who would they curse?

Florence, again. Freddie’s very mild-mannered, and Hugo wouldn’t have (and wouldn’t want to have) the knowledge of how to curse/hex. Irene just wouldn’t because she’s too sweet, though she could probably be convinced if her friends were in danger, and that was the only way out. Florence, however, is a badass through and through. She’s ready to destroy everything at a moment’s notice if it means protecting her found family, and I think, if she had the tools/knowledge, she’d likely have already cursed her father.

And that’s a wrap! I’m tagging The Orangutan Librarian, Chelsea D.G. Bartlett, and Kim @ Traveling in Books!