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I am so excited for this first post on my novel in progress, Maroon! This novel is one I've been working on for a few years, but I recently went back to the drawing board to more intentionally outline a plot. I am now rewriting/starting afresh, and I will definitely update you as to progress, as well as post excerpts from time to time. I'm looking forward to sharing more, but for now, here's a summary.
Dr. Poppy is a Learned Man who is the laughing stock of all of his peers. Considered eccentric and even insane, he is determined to discover all he can about the mysterious mirror hanging in the palace. It’s supposedly a blessed gift from Galdia, but he’s not so sure. Used to being mocked, he pours himself into his work, hoping someday to justify walking away from his Father and his past.
But when the Region’s goldsmith disappears with no natural explanation, Poppy is commissioned to go after him. He must use his expertise to track down the very man he most wanted to forget, leaving behind Maroon, a girl he believes loves him. Searching and traveling through different realms, duty becomes desperation as he is haunted by terrifying dreams of his Father’s plight. All he wants is to rescue his father and return to Maroon, but strange happenings force him to acknowledge that his past can’t be discarded as easily as he would like. His Father’s plight is a far greater threat to his home and his love than he could have dreamed.
Poppy must ask the question: what wouldn’t he do for Maroon?
Maroon looks at her cousin Scarlet and sees what most people see, a brilliant jewel of society, seemingly free from inhibition, shining so brightly that those around her live in her shadow. It is Scarlet who has been the cause of all the great disappointments in Maroon’s life. Even her very suitors are drawn to Scarlet, and the last betrayal leaves her weary and indifferent to the attention of anybody. Her only comfort is the companionship of her brother, but her stability begins crumbling when he must leave her.
Then, when she is swept into experimentation with the mysterious mirror hanging in the palace, her entire way of life is upended. Someone gives up his life for hers: an eccentric doctor whose earnest admiration has not left her untouched. Maroon longs for him to return to her, against all probability. Time is ticking as Merlot, her steady suitor, waits for her to make up her mind. Little does she know that Dr. Poppy’s actions are every moment determining the fate of her dearest loved ones. Her only hope is to work with Merlot to prevent irreparable damage to herself and her home.