Happy Monday, folks! Back in June, I shared my intentions for my platform and my current writing projects—and y’all insisted I divulge the deets on some of those projects. I feel like I’ve been dropping hints, so to speak, here and there about the stories over the last few months, but now that I’m really moving forward with these WIPs, I figured it was time to do an official project reveal.
So, drum roll please…
🥁🥁🥁
where the sky meets the sea
This was very much a surprise story. When I opened submissions for Of Storm & Sea this time last year (how has it been a year??? 😭), I knew I wanted to write something to include in this anthology. And I thought I knew what that was. I even spent my vacation plotting (yes, plotting) the story I had on my mind.
But the thing was, this story wasn’t on my heart. I kept trying to force it to work, kept trying to overcome my doubts, kept trying to reshape it into what I wanted it to be—but I failed miserably every time. The truth was, this story had zero heart itself. It was more about the unique premise and fantastical elements than it was about the themes and messages and characters. Which, if you know me, you know that goes against everything I am as a writer. If I’m not passionate about the theme, if I’m not using this story to glorify God, if I don’t love the characters…it ain’t gonna happen.
So instead of poring over a story I didn’t believe in, I opened up a blank document and quite literally typed the first thing that came into mind.
“You can either be wed to the man or be ravished by him. Pick your poison.”
(Arguably my best first line ever, as strange as it is.)
It’s still taken me eight months just to write 17,000 words, but boy, has it turned out so much better than my first idea. Not only is this exactly the kind of story I would want to read, it also speaks to me so much and is full not only of the tropes I love but of the messages and themes I love. It’s full of God, really. (Aka, preachy, but when am I ever not preachy?) And I’ve realized He was what I was missing all along. (Suffice to say you won’t find me writing anything other than Christian fiction anytime soon. 😉)
All the doubts I had have disappeared, and I’ve literally just been having the time of my life writing this short story.
But enough about that! Y’all are here to learn more about the story, not about my feelings for it.
the premise
I describe Where the Sky Meets the Sea as Esther meets Persephone x Hades. It’s not the most accurate description, but it’s fun. 🤭 Imagine Esther as an island princess, the daughter of a Spanish governor of a Cuban island. When her island is besieged by pirates, Rosamund Alcaçar is faced with a choice: let the pirates ransack her island or marry their captain—the notorious El Leviatán.
Naturally (unnaturally for the rest of us, of course), Rosamund sacrifices herself for her village and marries El Leviatán—but not without a lot resistance and fear. Rosamund must either trust God to bring something good from her marriage to the pirate captain, or murder the man in his sleep.
You can probably guess what she decides to do, but I won’t spoil it. 😜
the progress
As I write this, I’m almost 20,000 words into this story. It’s shaping up to be about 25k…maybe? I always seem to end up writing more than I intend to, so don’t hold me to 25k.
It’s taken me about nine months to get to 20k, which is standard for me lately. 😅 Like I’ve said before, ever since finishing BAD, I have just not been on top of things. I’m not even burnt-out, because I’ve had more motivation to write in these last two years than ever before. It’s just time. I have no time. 😭
I digress. Most of my progress has occurred over the summer (y’all may have noticed I lowkey disappeared off the face of the earth the last couple months minus some pre-scheduled posts so I could write), which is good. I wrote about 5.5k words in July alone, which is fairly decent. Though for comparison, I used to average about 14k a month (roughly two chapters in one of my full-length projects).
the vibes + tropes
ACK! The vibes of this thing!! The tropes!! It’s literally all of my favorite stuff thrown together into one lil’ story. 😍
For starters, our main tropes are…
enemies-to-lovers
unwanted/arranged marriage
deal with the devil
pirates (yes, pirates are a trope of their own, thank you very much)
redemption arc
evil bad boy, dark and brooding, strong and silent hero who’s actually a cinnamon roll (but would still kill you) (iykyk)
virgin heroine (literally and figuratively, in that our girl Rosamund is the sweet, saintly saving grace kinda heroine)
“touch her and die” (haters, y’all just gon’ hafta deal with this one 🤷♀️)
tragic backstory
I said main tropes, didn’t I? Okay, I’ll stop now.
As for ✨le vibes✨…
You may observe the Pinterest board here, or read the descriptors below.
palm trees laden with coconuts and peaches
waves breaking against rocky shores in a shower of seaspray and foam
the ocean swallowing the sun with bursts of orange, yellow, and pink
roses wilting beneath the summer sun
orange blossoms on Talavera tiles
the scent of woodsmoke and saltwater lacing the air
dawn caressing the cliffs with rose-gold fingers
dust dancing in the moonglow
the sneak peek
It’s not a project reveal without an excerpt, am I right?
Isla Dédalo, Archipelago de los Canarreos
Sometime in the 1660s (don’t mind me; I’m still figuring out the exact year)
“You can either be wed to the man or be ravished by him. Pick your poison.”
Rosamund Alcaçar quivered at her father’s pronouncement, a gasp echoing from where her mother sat at the harpsichord. The words, coarse and foul, hung heavy in the air, tainting the jasmine-scented atmosphere and slowly but certainly suffocating her.
This was not how she had pictured her marriage unfolding, not even in her wildest nightmares. What should have been a joyous new chapter had been twisted into a hasty exchange with the devil.
Instead of rejoicing, she grieved.
Silent tears streaked down her cheeks, mussing her powder and rouge, and her knuckles whitened under the pressure of her harsh grip on the couch arm. If only she were afforded time to process this, to cower under her coverlet and let loose the raging emotions within her. If only she had a choice.
But nay. The decision had already been made; it was only that her word would solidify it. It was only her word, her willingness, that stood against the destruction of an entire city.
She swallowed past every refusal weighing on her tongue and rolled her shoulders back. If it were to be her life for the lives of every man, woman, and child in Isla Dédalo, so be it.
So be it.
Padré Dios, grant me the strength to bear this burden. Bolster me as Thou didst Ester.
In her peripheral, Madré slipped from the harpsichord bench to her knees, clutching her rosary to her bosom as her body heaved with dry sobs. “Why our Rosamund, Matteo? Why my little girl, of all the women in the Archipelago? all the women in Cuba?”
Her father, at first so stalwart and commanding, cracked, his arms falling limply to his sides. “I know not, mi amor. I know only what the messenger told me—I am to deliver up my daughter or deliver up my town. In good conscience, I can do neither. I cannot risk my child nor my neighbors’ children to satisfy the salacious desires of a beast so vile as El Leviatán. But his forces have besieged us on every side and are poised to attack us at any moment, or else starve us out and take the city.”
Oh, they knew how dire the situation was. Day by day it had only grown worse, until they could not leave the confines of their homes, let alone send some sort of communique to the navy or the surrounding islas and cayos. Essentials were becoming more scarce each moment, as trade halted and merchants were closed and their resources were siphoned off by the pirates surrounding them. Only three people had dared to defy by attempting to escape yesterday—two were shot on sight.
The third wished she had been.
Either way, she was going to die at the hand of El Leviatán. The question was whether she would take the rest of Isla Dédalo down with her.
Madré fell silent, the tremble of her chin against the tensity of her jaw testament that she was resigned to the truth—as much as she could be, at least, knowing her sole child would be offered up as a veritable sacrifice.
Rosamund reached to clasp her hand, willing courage to pour from herself into her mother—though she barely had enough to sustain her alone. “Precious Mamí, I will do as I must. And rest assured, if the opportunity presents itself for me to murder El Leviatán in his sleep and I return to you, I will seize it with both hands. But if I am destined to be the pirate captain’s bride—” her stomach roiled “—then I will be, knowing that the Lord who holds the stars in the heavens holds me in the palm of His hand.”
Her mother’s eyes welled with fresh tears as she bowed her head over their joined hands. “My daughter, my only child! You are too pure for this world, preciosa Rosamund. I cannot bear to give you up. I cannot…I cannot…”
Rosamund gathered her into her arms and they clung to each other, weeping, as Padré dropped to his knees beside them and wept soft, soundless tears.
the call
Lastly, I am in need of two (sí, only two) beta readers for when I have completed this story, applied my alpha readers’ feedback, and done my own edits. So if you’ll have some free time to spare this fall and need something to entertain yourself with, may I offer my hastily thrown together conglomeration of pirates and princesses and controversial tropes? (There’s plenty of food descriptions! 🥺)
If you’re interested, please comment below and let me know! I would really appreciate it. 🥰
Anywho, that summarizes pretty much everything. I think I’ll leave y’all with a selection of some of my favorite lines from the story thus far, and then we’re out. ✌️
They could closet her away in a castle, surround her with finery, and spoon-feed her platitudes, but she would not forsake her people. She would not ignore the atrocities befalling them. She would not sit by in her high tower and watch the world beneath her burn.
There was no light. No escape. No peace. Only the darkness and the man who dwelt within.
The light wrote poems on his face. Tales of dishonor and deception in the scars on his cheeks. Epics of jungle adventures in the set of his jaw. Fantasies of stars crashing into the ocean in the constellations in his eyes. It was pretty poetry, but merely that. Carefully arranged words meant to convince one of something untrue. Ear-tickling, enchanting lies.
No, the light did not condemn her, nor did the darkness disturb her. The light reassured her. The darkness reminded her of from whence came her hope.
As her eyes adjusted, she took in the full breadth of the Carro del Diablo—patched black sails, taffrail with its curved balusters worn and splintered, rigging surrounding her like bars, broad-shouldered and sun-darkened captain at the prow. The man and the ship were one, feet and deck melting together, hair and canvas flowing in tandem, and both frightening and captivating all at once.
Dawn’s rose gold breath clung to her like skin to bone, painting her in shades of saffron and violet. Pressing her like a flower into the pages of his mind.
Her gaze bore into his hands, covering hers. His nails, chipped and broken. Broken like her heart. Her family. Her life. Him.
He saw to her every need—such as having her favorite dishes prepared and allowing her an afternoon siesta, as if churros and naps could make atonement for him. Who was she fooling? She was but a woman; desserts and sleep covered any sin.
What are your thoughts on Where the Sky Meets the Sea? Do you like any of the tropes mentioned? Which quote was your favorite? Comment below!
