Happy (almost) May!
As many of you know, I finished my 20th novel, a YA fantasy vampire book called KINGDOM OF V a few days ago. Since then, I've been plotting out my next novel.
Introducing GHOUL SCHOOL, my 21st novel! It's a middle grade fantasy novel. I've written three MG novels in the past -- THE GIFT GIVER, ELLATHINA, and DREAMWEAVERS -- so I'm excited to return to children's fiction! I love writing books for kids. It's just so fun!
I'd describe GHOUL SCHOOL best as a mix between Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, and Gregor the Overlander, some of my favorite MG fiction. As much as I love wizards, I also love vampires, werewolves, mermaids, hybrids/crossbreeds, and zombies, too -- which is why all those races can be found at Ghoul School!
("Ghoul" is the umbrella term for monsters in my book, and it also rhymes, which is why I chose it. I wanted the book series name to be catchy. I'm planning six books in this series. I'm not sure what the other books will be titled yet, but stay tuned!)
Here is the blurb so far:
"When twelve-year-old Alexander Perry gets on the wrong school bus on the first day of school, he’s shocked when it takes him to a school of vampires, werewolves, wizards, mermaids, and zombies. What’s even more shocking is that the glamour—the magical illusion that prevents humanity from seeing monsters—doesn’t work on him.
Although the teachers want to erase his memory and send him back, Principal Ambrosia decides to let the only human boy stay, hoping it’ll be the start of an alliance between humanity and the monsters one day. But as Alexander tries to focus on his studies, someone is out to sabotage and threaten him, and the person clearly has a grudge against humanity.
When humans start going missing in the real world, Alexander realizes Ghoul School isn’t safe—and if he doesn’t find the culprit fast, everyone he loves will get hurt."
I'm aiming for 55 thousand to 60k words, somewhere between 2200 and 2400 words a chapter for 25-26 chapters. I prefer to keep my middle grade novels short, as I remember when I was a kid, I had a short attention span and preferred slimmer books to thick tomes.
I start writing the first chapter tomorrow, and I'm so excited! I can't wait to write the adventures of Alexander Perry and all his ghoul friends. So far, he has:
Hazel Bronwyn, a witch and the most popular girl in Ghoul school
Nico Necros, a scatterbrained zombie but with a heart of gold
Zeke Sable, a boy genius and a warlock/vampire hybrid
and Teala Tweedy, a happy-go-lucky mermaid
I can't wait for everyone to meet the recurring villain, too -- Edison Exor, better known by his nickname as 'Exor the Exploiter'. He is a trickster with some fairy blood and a desire to cause mayhem and exploit trouble, and knows the school principal -- Moira Ambrosia, a vampire/witch hybrid -- from a long time ago.
As always, thanks for reading and I hope you're staying safe and healthy out there!
Sincerely,
Dana
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