All The Write Stuff: The Chase Begins

The Chase Begins

Catastrophe Incoming Volume 1

by Aimee Donnellan

Genre: New Adult Epic Fantasy

A war. An escape. No time to lose.

"She's escaped. Gods help us all."

The Theocracy of Izirm is losing a war against dragons. While the Bishops scramble for a solution, the holy city of Kequm faces a more immediate crisis: the murderous mage, Nightingale, has escaped prison and only one person can stop her.

Lark is a devoted follower of the Scholar god who searches for adventure around every corner. Ever since apprehending Nightingale three years ago, they've done whatever they can to forget the hole she ripped through their heart, and can think of nothing worse than facing her again. But when Nightingale's meddling leaves Kequm vulnerable, Lark has no choice but to act.

A whimsical New Adult fantasy adventure set in a queernormative, mysterious world begging to be explored.

Stuff about you:

Can you, for those who don’t know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author?

I, like many others, wanted to be an author from a young age, and got into writing when I was about twelve, with fanfic. My first fanfics were Twilight, but then branched into Doctor Who and a few other fandoms. I went on a bit of a hiatus when I discovered Dungeons and Dragons and got into story creation through that medium, and eventually realised I had created stories I wanted to write down. I started learning about the publishing world, and ended up deciding the freedom of indie publishing was going to suit me and my fantasy world the best.

What is something unique/quirky about you?

I am an avid video gamer, and love to try my hand at challenging games like Bloodborne with the help of my partner, who is like a living walkthrough and thus can provided the closest thing such games have to an easy mode.

Where were you born/grew up at?

I was born in Tauranga, New Zealand. It’s a lovely place that has a good mix of rural, town, and beach. It’s changed a lot since I left, though, and going back isn’t quite the same.

What are you passionate about these days?

I’m passionate about education, as I’m an early childhood teacher for my day job. I’m constantly working to do my part in the revitalisation of the Māori language here in New Zealand, as we work towards some really significant goals for the language through the population by 2040. I also continue to hope for the freedom of Palestine, and for the rights and happiness of my trans friends in the LGBTQ+ community all around the world.

On a lighter note, you can never quite find me shutting up about Dungeon and Dragons, either.

What do you do to unwind and relax?

I love to either curl up with my kindle to read or to jump onto a button-smashing roguelike game with my partner.

Describe yourself in 5 words or less!

Energetic, kind, chaotic, eccentric, sparkly.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I think from the moment I was publishing my fanfic and getting reader comments, I felt like a writer, but it’s certainly another level now having books out.

Do you have a favorite movie?

Knives Out is the one that really inspired me to try my hand at mysteries, both with The Collection Awakens and with my free novelette The Curious Matter of Myron Manor. For the latter I was obsessed with the idea of how to capture a screenplay style interrogation scene with multiple suspects, but in book form. I’m really happy with how it turned out.

I’m also a huge lover of Stardust, Ever After, the Princess Bride, and Rosaline. Something about that old-fashioned and/or fantasy romance just always hits beautifully.

Which of your novels can you imagine made into a movie?

I think I’d love to see Catastrophe Incoming as a limited series. It would be such fun.

Stuff about the Book:

What inspired you to write this book?

I wanted to start off in the indie author market with a series made up of shorter stories, and once I realised that was the approach I wanted, the idea for this series started to form – and then we already had the perfect historical event in the history of our world for the end of the series to culminate on, so things fell into place quickly.

(When I say we, I mean myself and my partner Ty, who helps me with the worldbuilding and story creation.)

What can we expect from you in the future?

I’m a romance writer at heart, but someone who cannot resist mixing adventure, romance, drama and comedy all into one. I have plans for a whole lot of fantasy romances set in Aboria, and I am hoping that I might be able to put out the first in about a year’s time – a sapphic vampire/werewolf story with a lot of angst and pining that I am having a blast drafting at the moment.

Do you have any “side stories” about the characters?

I do! Most of them are made available as preorder goodies, or in the case of The Collection Awakens, release week goodies. If people are interested, for this week you can fill out the form on my twitter with proof of purchase and get the prequel written from the POV of the evil goose Ferdinand. I had a blast writing that one.

Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in Catastrophe Incoming?

What a group of disasters they are, in the best way. Lark is a genius who is always making the wrong decision, Wren is made of common sense but is a fish out of water in the Theocracy and in any setting full of magic. Reverie is… drama and spite incarnate, but trying to be better.

And then there’s the goose. Who would love to see them all choke and die.

So, you know. Fun group.

How did you come up with the concept and characters for the book?

Some characters, especially Lark and Nightingale, came from my love of some characters in Doctor Who but have certainly evolved into their own characters as I wrote. Wren and Reverie are totally original, though Reverie did originally belong in a different story altogether, set about 150 years later. I think I’ll write that book at some point, and release it as an ‘alternative history’, because it goes into the politics and mess of the city state Skarn where the adventuring guild is based, and that’s just too much fun.

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

The Chase Begins always comes back to the Lark/Nightingale relationship, I think, and everything around that was the most fun no matter how much I enjoyed Palla getting frustrated all the time. The Collection Awakens always has to be the back and forth between Reverie and Ferdinand, the mutual hatred that fuels them so well.

Who designed your book covers?

I worked with the amazing Katelyn McNeely to discuss poses for the characters on the cover, after giving her an idea of the character design, and she brings the characters to life. Then, I handed the art and information to Marten Norr, who chose the typography. I am so stoked with how they have turned out by the end of the process.

What is your favorite part of this book and why?

For The Chase Begins, it might be where Lark and Wren are preparing to rest for the night and Lark ends up explaining some of the unknown magic lore that they’ve uncovered, that the average person has no idea about.

For The Collection Awakens, I think it’s a tie between Reverie’s turn with the illusions, and the entire scene where the culprit is revealed.

If you could spend time with a character from your book whom would it be? And what would you do during that day?

I think I’d love to go to some theatre workshop with Reverie and sing all day. It would be wonderful.

Do your characters seem to hijack the story or do you feel like you have the reigns of the

story?

I think the best thing is when there is a balance between the two. My characters absolutely have the power to hijack the story and take it to new places, but I also know them inside out, and can often predict where they’ll move, so I tend to outline more or less in the correct places. I’m always delighted to be taken for a ride, though. My characters are always hot messes trying to act like they’ve got it together, in different ways.

Have you written any other books that are not published?

I have a fantasy romantic-comedy adventure that was the first original book I finished when getting back into writing, and its working title is A Whisper of Mischief. It is set in Cypethus, the city mentioned in The Collection Awakens and goes into the guild dynamics of the Blades and the Whispers, the assassins and thieves of that capital city. It’s got Hannah Montana-style double identity shenanigans and the most chaotic bisexual romance plot you could imagine, and one day when I get it tidied up the way I want I will unleash it unto the world.

Stuff about Writing/ Reading:

What are your top 10 favorite books/authors?

In no particular order, these are some ones that have really stood out as I have gotten back into reading in the last couple of years.

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

A Song of Silver and Gold by Melissa Karibian

Dragon Queens by Kathleen de Plume

Don’t Hate The Player by Alexis Nedd

Babel by RF Kuang

Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

Sacrilege by TN Vitus

A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall

The Gideon Testaments by Freydís Moon

A Ruinous Fate by Kaylie Smith

What book do you think everyone should read?

With everything going on in the world, right now? Babel, by RF Kuang.

How long have you been writing?

About 11 years now!

Do you see writing as a career?

I’d certainly like it to be, one day, if I can find the audience that I know is out there and hold their attention. I know my books are fun and full of heart, and I know that is exactly what some of us need right now and will continue to need.

What do you think about the current publishing market?

I think that people should be seeking out authentic stories from authors of colour, maybe three or four for every white author you find yourself reading. The market is still oversaturated with white authors, and while there’s nothing wrong with us publishing our stories, we need to be sure to use our platform to try and boost others whose voices need to be heard all the more.

Do you read yourself and if so what is your favorite genre?

I love to read fantasy, either adventure or romance or both, but also love a good contemporary rom-com. I have dipped my toe into queer horror a bit, but mainly because Freydís Moon is such a genius. I need to continue to branch out.

Do you prefer to write in silence or with noise? Why?

I can only really focus when I have headphones to zone myself in, but I can write to a playlist of pop music as easily as instrumentals.

Do you write one book at a time or do you have several going at a time?

I’m always working on the next novella as well as a romance novel, or at least that’s the plan! Just gotta keep working on that writing routine. Because it’s all in the same world, even if the stories might be 150 years and many miles apart, it’s easy for me to keep everything straight.

Pen or type writer or computer?

I’m a laptop and phone writer! I’m always at my best and fastest with a laptop, but until this week I’ve had an hour commute to work and I would do my best to make the most of it by writing on my phone. It was surprisingly effective!

Tell us about a favorite character from a book.

The first two that come to mind are Keladry of Mindelan from Tamora Pierce’s Protector of the Small series, and Gideon Nav from The Locked Tomb series. I guess I love tall, buff women who mean well but don’t take shit without giving some back.

What made you want to become an author and do you feel it was the right decision?

I have stories in me I am itching to share, and I’d love for those stories to be able to help me get by financially one day, so I have no doubt it was the right decision.

Advice they would give new authors?

Be kind, love your writing neighbours and boost them up, and write what makes you happy and excited more than anything else. Your love for your stories will shine through.

Describe your writing style.

Whimsical, irreverent, maybe rambling in places. The close third-person POV means I like to let the characters take control of the prose, which I think can be delightful.

What are you currently reading?

I’m currently reading three wildly different books:

She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan (historical fantasy)

Elemental Ruin by Alx Chan Yee (romantasy)

The Dos and Donuts of Love by Abida Jaigirdar (contemporary romance)

What is your writing process? For instance do you do an outline first? Do you do the chapters first?

I like to do a rough outline that falls somewhere between the four act structure and Save the Cat, which works pretty well. These are nowhere near the only structures that work but they work for my stories, and I don’t get too caught up in them, they’re just good starting guidelines. I might just make a few bullet points or I might try to match some beats. It depends on the story. I almost never go down to chapter level in the outlining stage, personally.

Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?

Ultimately, I always write what I want, what brings me joy. I know that there will be readers who have similar tastes to me. It’s always good to try and have a fresh spin on something, but chasing originality can be a path to madness. It will be original because of how you did it, down to the details and context, and that’s all that matters.

Besides, some tropes are good every time, so long as they’re in a context fresh enough.

If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

Keep going. You’ve got something good going, and I need you to keep it up so that I get to where I am now.

How long on average does it take you to write a book?

I could knock out a novella first draft in a month, with the right routine and no big hiccups. I can write 1k in an hour, easily, and 2k in an hour on a good day.

The real trick, for me, is the consistency. That’s the tricky one. I’m about to start a new job that I am hoping will allow for me to build better routine, but I’ll believe it when I do it.

Do you believe in writer’s block?

Absolutely! And there’s so many supposed solutions. I think I have heard one neat piece of advice that if you’re blocked on a scene, the problem likely lies with the scene BEFORE. I haven’t tried that myself but I can see how it would apply.

My advice for writer’s block is what no one wants to hear: push through it, no matter how agonsiing. Write shitty sentence after shitty sentence, one an hour if that’s what it takes. Eventually, you’ll break through into a different part and you’ll get back on track. You can go back and edit that shitty part, but right now moving forward is more important. That’s my process, but I also firmly believe in everyone finding their own things that works for them.

Opening excerpt from The Chase Begins (chapter 1 opening):

The first shimmer of magic through the sky interrupts a mouthful of fried bread and a convoluted story about a drunk wyvern.

“Did you see that?” Lark asks, to check that the flash of blue hadn’t been their dragon eye playing tricks on them.

“See what?”

Gravy stains Wren’s chin from how quickly she has devoured her own bread, and her face is still caught in laughter. It should be a crime to look away from something so wonderful and yet —

Lark glances up. The sky is clear now, and they mourn the days when they could trust their first impression of the world around them. The market they are standing in is full of people who haven’t paused and are continuing to shop and chat.

“Come on, what happened after it got kicked out of the vineyard?” Wren asks.

“Oh, I offered it a lift, wherever it wanted,” Lark says, snapping back to attention with a grin. “It didn’t exactly have faith in my mode of transport, but it told me about its home nest in specific detail. And off we went.”

“And that’s how you ended up in a snowbank.”

“And that’s how I ended up in a snowbank.”

Wren shakes her head as another laugh rocks her body. “I don’t know why I believe you. Ever.”

“Because you know it’s true!”

“But it shouldn’t be! So why do I believe you?”

Lark blinks at her. “Well, I’m told I have a very honest face. When people aren’t put off by the dragon eye, that is.”

“One day, you’re going to tell me how you got that.”

Lark grins, if only to hide the sting of the memory in question. They push down the voice that had coaxed them into it, any and all memory of that voice and the person it belongs to.

“Oh, Wren. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” they say. That part is truthful enough.

A flash above them — magic like crushed sapphire in an arc, revealing the dome shape of the city wards. Horns start blaring and a hush falls over the marketplace, followed by a wave of uncertainty and hesitation. A moment later, people begin to disperse at top speed. Fearful whispers of dragons linger in the empty spaces.

“Alright. That one, I saw,“ Wren says, gaping. “Are they right? A dragon, incoming?”

A dragon would make the most sense in the current war climate. Lark’s hometown, being in fact the holiest city of the Theocracy and the most westward city, is a crucial and dangerous location. And in their entire time in the city, they have only heard the horns once, when the first dragon attack had seen a massive creature of ocean blue scales decimate a quarter of the city.

“It can’t be a dragon,” Lark says, licking their lips, their hands beginning to gesture excitedly, “by all logic, the only danger should be a dragon, but… they’ve just changed the wards to inward.”

“So it’s not just not a dragon,“ Wren says, voice slow, “it’s something serious enough… they’re leaving us exposed to dragons. What could that even be?”

“I have no idea!” A laugh escapes Lark’s throat, inappropriate and delighted. “I love not knowing.”

Wren snorts. “You hate not knowing.”

“I love the not knowing that comes before the knowing, Wren, or else there would be no cause to be excited about knowing anything in the first place. Although there is something to be said for the acquisition of knowledge you never knew you were lacking—”

“Lark,” Wren says with fond amusement, “possible crisis. Do you have a plan?”

Lark runs a hand through their chin length dark hair, eyes darting around the city and mentally mapping routes and destinations before returning to Wren’s face. “Well, we could head to the ward hub and see what additional information was passed on with the order to invert the wards. The temple of War is bound to know something, and my own temple is of course in the know by nature—”

Wren’s eyes have drifted beyond Lark’s shoulder. “Or we could ask that city official who seems to be headed straight for us.”

Lark whirls around. A well dressed person bearing the city office crest is striding towards them with purpose, flanked by a pair of guards. They are talking animatedly to the guards as they walk and getting little in return. A long braid of white blonde hair comes past their partly elven ears and hangs over their shoulder, while their red and cream robes mark them as a follower of the Everflame, God of Summer and Fire.

“Seeker Lark!” they call out. “Wonderful to meet you in person.” They offer a hand in greeting, and when Lark takes it they shake vigorously. “The name’s Cillian. Emergency admin.”

“Good to meet you,” Lark says, returning their hands to their trouser pockets. “What can I do for you? There must be something going on if you’ve inverted the wards.”

Cillian grins as an odd, possibly nervous laugh escapes them. “One could say. I’ve been asked to escort you to the Tower of Justice. Your assistance is required.”

Additional excerpt from The Chase Begins (opening of chapter 3, introduction of antagonist)

Lark has spent many rogue moments, many midnight hours, and countless forbidden allotments of time imagining what it might be like to see Nightingale again. What it might feel like to hear their name roll off her tongue, soft and tender and like a kiss in the dark.

The reality is visceral; a chill rolls down their spine, trembles their entire body every inch of the way, and it is apprehension and desire and a battle for restraint all at once. Their stomach is meanwhile choosing violence.

They try to speak her name but cannot — she hasn’t turned around. The magic instilled in Lark’s being demands a strict protocol and will not release their voice until it is followed. A little choked noise comes out instead.

“Oh, darling, I’m sorry. I forgot.”

Nightingale turns. Violet eyes, rimmed in large round glasses, meet Lark’s and light for a moment like the pulse of an amethyst. Then her gaze flicks to Wren and narrows, the light dying as her lips purse.

Her right hand begins scribbling in the notebook she has strapped to her right thigh, face up. How many has she gone through?

Naturally, now that Lark can speak to her, their mind conjures no words whatsoever.

“How have you been?” they ask, without meaning to.

Nightingale laughs. “Oh. You know. Incarcerated. Thank you ever so much, darling.” The sass slides from her face and voice as she adds, “Thank you for the notebooks. Truly.”

“Of course. I wasn’t sure how much you would need them, but I know you can’t—”

“Guards talk. I filled four.” Her eyes flick to Wren and she smiles, prettily, like a venomous snake. “Introduce us?”

“Oh!” Lark claps their hands together. “Yes yes yes, Nightingale, this is Wren.” They glance at Wren and gesture wildly. “Wren, Nightingale.”

Wren has perfected a new art of expressing bafflement with impeccable rigidness of body. As Nightingale waves with a waggle of fingers and a disturbing giggle, Wren gives a polite nod in return.

“So, it’s official, then, that you like redheads?” Nightingale asks with a smirk.

As Wren’s pale cheeks glow pink, Lark sighs. There is genuine, threatening curiosity veiled in the question, paired with burning in Nightingale’s eyes of who is she to you? Is she what I was?

As if anyone, ever, could be anything close.

“Wren is a friend,” they say.

“How nice,” Nightingale says, and Lark hears it as how nice that she can continue breathing. “So, tea? Dinner? A night on the town?”

Down to unfortunate business then.

** On sale for Only .99cents!**

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Book Links:
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Books2Read: https://books2read.com/u/mdX2ME

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The Collection Awakens

Catastrophe Incoming Volume 2

"Well, you have armour. It's the lyre and the goose that have me a bit confused."

The Dragon War has left its mark on everyone, and Reverie Rosetia is no exception. After her brother is struck down in a skirmish, it is on her to take up the family legacy of greatness – no matter what her plans might have been before that. She must find his sword and bring it home.

With no better place to start her search, Reverie arrives at the Collection, an isolated place full of magical oddities and artifacts. Soon after her arrival, the eclectic visitors to the Collection and its owner find themselves trapped inside. A magical force has broken free and is determined to break them, one by one. Can Reverie solve the mystery of how their attacker manifested and put it right before it is too late?

Reverie meets adventurers Lark and Wren as the trio are trapped in this claustrophobic and irreverent fantasy mystery, which may have more to do with Lark and Wren’s chase than they think…

** New Release! **

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Book Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CKNC66BZ

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Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/194945588-the-collection-awakens

About the Author

Aimee Donnellan is an author of whimsical queer fantasy for new adults. She is proudly bisexual and on the aromantic spectrum, and loves to write bisexuals even more chaotic and disastrous than herself.

She lives in Wellington, New Zealand with her fiancè — who helps her write and worldbuild — and dreams of dog ownership when not playing video games or Dungeons and Dragons.

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