Know the Novel Part 1 // Project: Acid Rain

THE TIME HAS COME. “For what?” you may wonder. “National Novel Writing Month?” Well, that IS about to happen, yes, but yours truly isn’t participating this year. “What then?” you ask. Why, it’s time for Christine’s Know the Novel blog challenge! I’ve been itching to share more about my new work-in-progress… so what better opportunity than this?

1. What first sparked the idea for this novel?

I was on the hunt for inspiration and began cobbling together several interesting bits that had washed up on the shore of my life/mind…

• A conversation about acid rain, in which I privately wondered just how acidic is it?
• A lakeside family vacation in a small, cozy town, during which I discovered this town has no First Street because it sank under the lake (!!!).
• A different trip (my honeymoon, actually), during which I came across a tourist sign about a crater lake being created by a mythological dragon (aka a comet) plummeting from the heavens.
• My husband’s latest original LEGO creation, a custom-made submarine.
• And, unwittingly, Mulan.

This all led to dreaming up the story’s setting first. More on that in Question #3!

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

This is all SUPER new and in the rough draft stage, so bear with me!

When Ret Holst’s father falls deathly ill, she disguises herself and takes his place as an underwater miner in the acidic depths of Lake Merit. At 17, she’s too young to qualify for her own mining license, but this is the only way to keep her family’s home. More importantly, it’s the only way to afford the medication keeping her father alive.

Her mining partner, Tycho Kron, has worked on the lake longer than most people his age. Overshadowed by his brother on the town Assembly, he wants nothing more than to leave Lake Merit behind and forge his own path as a military pilot. But the flight academy’s application window is closing soon—and he may not be able to afford tuition in time.

To fund their growing desperation, Ret and Tycho begin mining scraps illegally. But their plans are halted when something else appears in the water with them. Something big. A creature with teeth strong enough to shatter oxygen tanks and limbs large enough to drag boats to the bottom of the lake.

As miners are picked off one by one and mining operations shut down, Ret and Tycho are left with one choice: kill the monster in Lake Merit… or lose their dreams, their families, and each other.

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

A large portion of the story is going to take place in the lake as well: a body of highly acidic water bigger and deeper than any of the Great Lakes in North America.

Separating Lake Merit from the rest of the world is the Breach, a massive rift in the ground that’s nearly impossible to cross.

As of right now, I’m not even sure if all of this takes place in our world (albeit a damaged, dystopian-esque version) or a completely secondary world. But this gritty, survive-or-die location is SUCH a change from the classic fantasy setting of The Brightset Thread, and I’m loving it as a palate cleanser!

4. Tell us about your protagonist(s).

Margret “Ret” Holst

Age: 17 going on 18.

Enneagram: 8.

Role: Driller.

Headstrong as a bulldog, Ret has a fiercely independent streak and a willingness to do anything to protect her family… what’s left of it, anyway. Her mother passed years ago, and her father is currently bedridden. Her little sister now takes care of him while Ret keeps up the mining charade.

Ret’s daredevil ways frequently get her into trouble (and freak Tycho right out), and she’s way too reluctant to let anyone see her vulnerable side, but if you present her with a challenge, she’ll face it head-on.

Tycho Kron

Age: 19, almost too old to be accepted into the flight academy he dreams of attending.

Enneagram: 6.

Role: Spotter.

Loyal and calculating, he’s the first to put the brakes on Ret’s crazy schemes, but also the first to jump into danger with her when needed. (Someone’s got to have her back, right?)

As an Assembly-born, he enjoys the few benefits Lake Merit’s upper-class life can offer. But living in the shadow of his elder brother, Tycho also resents being overlooked and fosters dreams of an entirely different life beyond the Breach. A place where he can make his own mark as a fighter pilot.

5. Who (or what) is the antagonist?

Well, the lake monster, for one. This monstrosity puts Loch Ness to shame. (And I am likely going to terrify myself writing it. I hate toothy, mouthy things in the water.)

Lake Merit is an antagonist in and of itself, too. I mean, these poor miners have to go swimming around in a giant vat of death every day. Not fun.

Various other side characters are up to unscrupulous things in town or have morally grey agendas. Needless to say, Ret and Tycho have their work cut out for them!

6. What excites you the most about this novel?

The biggest thing is that I’m finally loving writing again after a long dry spell! But now that I’ve fully committed to a new WIP, it’s also been awesome to apply all the lessons I learned from The Brightest Thread. This draft already feels stronger from the get-go!

AND I’m just excited to write all the scary monster scenes.

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

It’s a standalone… buuuut with strong duology potential! My husband and I have already brainstormed a partial plotline for book 2, lol.

8. Are you plotting? pantsing? plansting?

Plantsing all the way, baby! After trying both in-depth plotting and the total chaos of pantsing, I’m finally settling into a comfortable middle. Which, for me, means:

• A running bullet list of the bigger plot points
• Plotting each chapter before I write it
• Devouring just enough mining and deepsea diving podcasts to fuel my worldbuilding
• And making up the rest as I go!

9. Name a few unique elements in this story.

It’s dual POV, which is fun, but also a bit of a pacing challenge! The Brightest Thread was dual POV too, but the difference was that those characters were physically separated for most of the book. Here in Acid Rain, they’re with each other a LOT.

This story is also a different genre than my usual high fantasy fare! I’d peg it as… science fantasy? The sci-fi vibes are definitely there, but I can already see a fantastical flair weaving itself in.

Speaking of which, it’s been tricky to locate comp (comparison) titles. It seems like all the sci-fi out there is about space and robots! The closest match I can find at the moment is actually my own published flash fiction story, Seven Canisters of Dark.

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!).

This collage is currently my desktop wallpaper!

And I’ll share a short playlist too! (Here’s the YouTube link.)

• The Breach (Starset) – vibes for the whole book
• Unstoppable (Red) – a very Ret song
• Deliverance (CHVRCHES) – a very Tycho song
• Jumpsuit (Twenty One Pilots)
• Whatever It Takes (Imagine Dragons)
• Maverick (David Chapell)
• Pacific Rim main theme (Ramin Djawadi)

That’s it for now, friends and fellow questers!

Thanks for taking time to read this. It’s incredibly fun to share my new WIP with you. Did anything stick out to you about Project: Acid Rain? and what are YOU working on these days? Let me know in the comments! <3