The Belgrave Legacy Blog Series: Day 6

Welcome to the Day 6 of The Belgrave Legacy Blog Series. The series spans from September 20, 2016) to November 1, 2016. Each week, there will be a theme with 2 blog posts (Tuesday and Thursday).

In case you missed the last post, this week's theme is Magic in The Belgrave Legacy.

Here are the past posts, in case you missed any of them:
9/20: How I Got the Idea
9/22: The First Draft
9/27: Meet Fawn Belgrave
9/29: Meet Caleb Pearce
10/1: Book Boyfriend Giveaway
10/4: Tarot Reading
GrimoiresGrimoire. Book of shadows. Spell book. Whatever you call it, it's essentially the same thing: a witch's cookbook of magic. Warning: should not be handled by amateurs. It was a no brainer to include such an item in a story about a girl learning magic.

The grimoire in The Belgrave Legacy​ was inspired by a specific journal (left) that was just so pretty, I figured it would easily pass as a magical item. The company that makes this journal, Paperblanks, has since created another journal (right) that looks even more magical. Had this one been out when I was writing my novel, I probably would have used it as my model. Paperblanks Silver Filigree Journal Paperblanks Aubergine JournalBut what other spell books inspired the Belgrave heirloom? Well, there are a few that really stick out.Wicked: The Musical's (based on the novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire) Grimmerie. In this case, the spell book is given a specific name because it is that special a book in Oz. In the musical, it turns normal monkeys into the infamous flying monkeys, and gives Elphaba the ability to fly and effectively gives us the song "Defying Gravity." I'd say it's earned its own title.The Bennett/Michaelson grimoires from the CW show, The Vampire Diaries, based on the book series of the same name by L.J. Smith, and the spin-off show, The Originals. Basically the reason for half of the problems on both shows, and the solution to almost everything, these two families are steeped in magic and forces to be reckoned with. No one, who is a fool enough to threaten either family or their friends, comes out unscathed—more often, they're just eliminated altogether. Damon Salvatore also mockingly calls it "a witch's cookbook" in "Children of the Damned," S1E13 of The Vampire Diaries.The Circle's multiple book of shadows in the CW's short-lived show, The Secret Circle, another show based on another of L.J. Smith's series. It was probably optioned after seeing the success of The Vampire Diaries, but apparently people love witches only if they're involved with vampire affairs. Anyway, a "book of shadows" refers to any spell book just like a "grimoire" does in The Belgrave Legacy and #2 on this list. Also like the previous entry, the book of shadows in this show is one of the most thorough props on the show—including beautiful script writing (sometimes in different languages), cool illustrations and diagrams, and a powerful presence within its show.At one point, I was considering creating a full Belgrave grimoire as an exclusive for my email subscribers, but realizing I didn't have enough artistic ability or patience to come up with over one hundred spells, I decided it would be more productive to instead keep writing my other novels and think of some other side projects (like a collection of short stories about some of The Belgrave Legacy's secondary characters).

​If you had a spell book, what would you call it? Comment below.About the BookTitle: The Belgrave Legacy
Author: Zara Hoffman
Genre: Upper YA Paranormal Romance
Publisher: ZH Press
Publication Date: October 31, 2016
eBook ISBN-13: 978-0-9864279-1-6
eBook Length: 403 pages

A Reluctant Heroine. A Snarky Angel. A Big Mess.

Fawn doesn't believe in magic. But when she is unexpectedly thrust into the middle of an ancient feud, she must learn to control her powers.

Caleb is sick of Hell. But when a simple seduction becomes complicated by real feelings, he is forced to pick between keeping his past or fighting for his future.

Can this young witch navigate a dangerous world with the dark angel assigned to romance and seduce her by her side?

The Belgrave Legacy is an upper-young adult paranormal romance novel with a feminist twist. Filled with magic, witches, angels, demons, Zara Hoffman's "coming of age" story will keep you turning the pages until the very end.TBL Blog Series ArchivePNR Book Boyfriend Giveaway