Day 13 of #AprilAdventure Una’s oldest friend was Siofra. She was offered up to the Woods six years before the story began, and has not been seen since. The only place to find answers to Siofra’s fate is in the Dark, but maybe some truths are better left buried… #AidingInAbomination

Day 12 of #AprilAdventure Coming in late but here’s a snippet from Una’s start in the Woods… #AidingInAbomination

Day 13 of #AntagonistApril The Queen That Is and Was is revered by her people. She leads with fear and intimidation so many Strangers view her as a competent and deadly ruler. Those that don’t smartly keep their mouths shut, for fear of no longer having one if they don’t… #AidingInAbomination

Day 12 of #AntagonistApril Specifically one of the reasons the cult of the Withered Flower has been so secretive is because their leader went into hiding to avoid this. The justice of the Queen That Is and Was is very painful, and the cult’s leader was not prepared to risk it… Until now…

Day 13 of #AprilWorldbuilders Hmm, this is tricky to say without going into spoilers. For now I’ll just say that there is a purpose behind the Strangers demanding sacrifices from the nearby village beyond just their own amusement. Make of that what you will… #AidingInAbomination

Day 12 of #AprilWorldbuilders The more powerful Strangers can connect to the Woods and feel what is happening through that. Sometimes it acts as an additional sense, other times as an extension of their own. For example, the Queen That Is and Was has many eyes, but not all of them are on her body…

Had more than enough entries for today’s #WIPSnips, so I chose one that gives a different perspective. Memories mix with fear in these glimpses into both Una’s past and her fears about what could be… Her heart is with her family back home and so then lies her guilt. #WriteSky #AidingInAbomination

Don’t have any “lanterns” for this #WIPSnip so I’m using glowing lights instead. An unfamiliar room in an unfamiliar place, with a strange glowing crystal in the centre… A Strange thing to find, especially in a place as dark as the Woods… #WriteSky #AidingInAbomination

Day 11 of #AprilAdventure I’d say the entirety of the Woods is something of a surprise that Una has to constantly adapt to. The truth of the Woods is obscured by rumour and hearsay, with even the few survivors too traumatised to talk about what they saw in the Dark. #AidingInAbomination

Day 11 of #AntagonistApril The Withered Flower cult is notorious among the Strangers. They’ve been quiet and working in the shadows while whispers of them remain despite the Queen’s orders of silence. But as their plans near fruition they won’t stay secretive for long… #AidingInAbomination

Hey #AprilWorldbuilders Putting aside the magic of it all, Strangers are FAST. As in can cover short distances in a blur fast. This is limited to some extent, they are sprinters not long distance runners, and over any significant distance they have to move at a much more human pace.

Day 10 of #AntagonistApril For the most parts my villains dwell less on morality and more on plans and self interest. Not on what is right but what is best (for themselves). Morality isn’t really a concern, at least not one large enough to get in the way of their plots… #AidingInAbomination

And I’m caught up to today’s #WIPSnips so here you go! A much needed outfit change for Una after far too long in her ceremonial robes… #WriteSky #AidingInAbomination

Day 10 of #AprilAdventure Una’s first big encounter is with the Abomination. A hulking creature of peculiar inhumanity, even for the Strangers, they are a more than formidable hunter. And in these Woods, humans are nothing if not prey… #AidingInAbomination

Using “things” here instead of “stuff” for this #WIPSnisp as apparently I don’t use that word a lot 🤷🏻‍♀️ Una is learning that sometimes appearing to competent or dangerous can have unexpected consequences from even more unexpected sources… #WriteSky #AidingInAbomination

Lots of needs to choose from for this #WIPSnips but here’s something from the end of a chapter. The more Una learns about the Strangers she is trapped in the Woods with the greater her chance for survival, so she is digging into every hint she can find. #WriteSky #AidingInAbomination

I had one whole entry for this #WIPSnips so not a lot to pick from 😂 Una gets a glimpse of home and safety, but sadly it’s still out of reach with a ways to go before she can make it home again… #WriteSky #AidingInAbomination

Day 9 of #AprilWorldbuilders The Strangers look down on physical fighting as they see it as base and beneath them. When they have to fight they use magics their own magics, although they prefer not to fight at all. They prefer to use deals, schemes and traps to take care of foes where they can.

Day 8 of #AprilWorldbuilders The Strangers are an inhuman species that reside deep within the Woods. There is an eerie sharpness to them that makes them hard to look at and they are impossibly pale from a life spent in the Dark. They are deeply feared by the villagers and for very good reason…

Day 9 of #AntagonistApril There are definitely antagonists whose motives Una can empathise with. The Woods are Dark and the workings within them wicked enough to twist anyone’s mind. Whether they can be reasoned with is as much a question as if she’ll have a chance to try… #AidingInAbomination

Day 8 of #AntagonistApril Not so much a villain, but the first antagonist Una defeats is trying to survive. Conall is one of the sacrifices offered to the Woods. Desperate and afraid, he’s turned against his fellows to survive, with dangerous and possibly deadly consequences. #AidingInAbomination

Day 7 of #AntagonistApril The villagers don’t know enough about the Woods to fear any specific being. However, the Strangers are very much aware of the Withered Flower cult. Rumours and whispers abound about their leader’s identity, albeit only where their Queen can’t hear… #AidingInAbomination

Day 8 of #AprilAdventure According to tradition, she should have had no supplies with her at all. But Una doesn’t care about tradition and has snuck in a knife under the Elders’ noses. Which is fortunate, because where shes going she’ll certainly need a weapon… #AidingInAbomination

Day 7 of #AprilAdventure Dread to put it shortly. Una has (correctly) predicted that she is to face the Woods and given all that she has heard of it is rightly terrified. There are other mixed feelings in there: sadness, anger, grief, longing, etc. But dread is paramount. #AidingInAbomination

Hey #AprilWorldbuilders As a small village Prysena doesn’t have the infrastructure for sewers and the like. Things like that are dealt with rather medievally I’m afraid. Aside from that I haven’t cared to think much more on this topic to be honest 🤷🏻‍♀️

Day 6 of #AntagonistApril Treading carefully here. I will say yes on surprise, twist or late reveal antagonist. No on there being any fake outs. Aside from that all I’ll comment is that trust is a precarious thing in the Woods and all must be careful where they place it. #AidingInAbomination

Day 6 of #AprilAdventure Oh, absolutely not. Una would like nothing more than to get out of the Woods and return to her family and “normal” life once more. It is only when she learns what’s truly at stake that Una tries for more than just escape. #AidingInAbomination #WriteSky

Day 5 of #AntagonistApril Ooh what to say about this without spoilers for #AidingInAbomination Safe to say yes on the sympathetic villain. Grief, fear and anger can twist even the best of people. Especially when certain opportunists take advantage of those feelings for their own ends…

Hey #AprilWorldbuilders Prysena village has buildings made out of simple materials. The houses have thatched roofs, with the walls made up of large pieces of timber. All buildings are one floor and most only consist of one or two rooms at most. In essence a very simple low tech village.

Using “face” as I don’t have any “mug” entries to pick from for today’s #WIPSnips. Darkness descends and certain fates are set into stone with the ominous arrival of the inhuman Strangers to a once peaceful place… #WriteSky #AidingInAbomination

Day 5 for #AprilAdventure I’m choosing a part of #AidingInAbomination where Una commits to do more than just survive her ordeal. So much of the book is about just that, so a real turning point comes when Una is able to start prioritising something more… #WriteSky

Hey #AprilAdventure The Woods and the Strangers within demand offerings, sacrifices really. To survive the Elders comply, and each six years some of their own are sent into the Woods. On the night that #AidingInAbomination begins Una is part of that sacrifice, but she is not going to go easily…

Swapping out “forum” for “council” for today’s #WIPSnips. Una gets a glimpse into an unfamiliar place in #AidingInAbomination, somewhere beyond the limits of her village or even the Woods. But the question lingers, not about what she’s seeing, but why she is being shown it… #WriteSky

Hey #AntagonistApril The leader of the Cult of the Withered Flower hides his identity with a mask to work from the shadows. He is unnaturally powerful, even for a “normal” Stranger, and with his followers can complete terrible workings. But first he waits until just the right moment to act…

Doing these a bit out of order: day 2 #AprilWorldbuilders Prysena Village is ran by a Council of Elders. While they focus on different aspects of running the village they make important decisions as a group. But when sacrifices must be made, self-interest inevitably wins out… #AidingInAbomination

Hey #ApirlWorldbuilders! There’s a big lake at the edge of the village that is fed into by a river. It’s a pretty clean source but they can also gather rainwater as/when needed. Unfortunately that river does run through the Woods, which does complicate things some… #AidingInAbomination

Happy day 3 of #AntagonistApril Hmm… let’s talk about Trill of the Winds. A feathered Stranger with no love for humans, she is more than willing to bend the Halls’ rules to get what she wants. And she really doesn’t care how much red blood she has to spill to get it… #AidingInAbomimation

Catching up now: day 2 of #AntagonistApril The followers of the Withered Flower is a cult made up of Strangers that are all too deadly. Their plotting raises the stakes for Una, as their plans to expand the Woods’ reach endangers not just her but everyone she care about… #AidingInAbomination.

Hey #AprilAdventure! We’re following Una for the most part in #AidingInAbomination. She’s a woman in her mid 20s who worked as a fisher in the village. Una mainly spent her time working, helping out her Nanna and raising her younger brother. A stubborn soul, but deep down a very kind one too.

Playing catchup a bit, but here is day 2 of #AprilAdventure In #AidingInAbomination we start in Prysena, a small farming village. It would be a perfectly lovely village, were it not for the dark and twisted Woods that it sat on the edge of. And the malicious beings that call those Woods home…

Switching out “convert” for “change” for today’s #WIPSnips This excerpt provides a quick description of what makes the Strangers so bizarre to someone like Una. #WriteSky #AidingInAbomination

Hey #AprilWorldbuilders! Prysena Village is the human settlement in #AidingInAbomination It would be a very normal village if it did not sit on the outskirts of the Woods. The Strangers who reside there demand human offerings in change for safety and the cost of refusing is horrific.

#AntagonistApril Hmmm… This is a complicated question to answer. Many of the Strangers don’t use names exactly, and even for the humans it’s tricky. Let’s say five(ish) for now but it could be more depending on how you count them… #AidingInAbomination

A moment of self-recrimination for today’s #WIPSnips entry. Una has been caught off guard by an unseen foe and has to plan her escape from a position of complete disadvantage. #WriteSky #AidingInAbomination

Hi #AprilAdventure! I’m Jess, I write fantasy books and am currently finishing up the polish on my debut novel: Aiding In Abomination In real life I’m not that adventurous, but I am looking to travel more and expand my horizons where I can,

Given the amount of walking my characters have to do it’s not surprising that I had options for today’s #WIPSnips. Una is worn and tired, not wanting to take another step, but the demands of the Woods and her captors mean she won’t be able to stop anytime soon… #WriteSky #AidingInAbomination

Hey #MarchWorldbuilders I’m fond of the Strangers/The Rae’teromh. As far as creepy weird beings go they work really well as antagonists and really make sure the Woods are as off putting as I needed them to be. #AidingInAbomination

Having to use vibrating instead and even then didn’t have a lot of options for today’s #WIPSnips Back to Aimil’s pov and things are going less than ideally. With their companion incapacitated, they now have to face the cult alone… #WriteSky #AidingInAbomination

A confrontation in today’s #WIPSnips entry that forces Una to confront that in the Woods, a threat can come from anywhere. Even one of her own. #WriteSky #AidingInAbomination

Switching out “royal” for “royalty” in today’s #WIPSnips. A short entry today of Una being forced to show some restraint. The Strangers are very dangerous, and none more so than their appointed royal leaders… #AidingInAbomination #WriteSky