A peek into the worlds of Nocturnus:

Today I’m revealing the #aesthetic and #auditory#inspirations that helped me write and revise #TheWisdomofBlood, my #adultlit#vampirefantasy / #gothicromance that is debuting on Sunday, February 14th.

The #worldbuilding in this book was HUGE, which explains why it’s close to 500 pages. There are three distinct worlds I had to build from the ground up (one of them, literally, because the #vampire realm is located deep beneath the earth’s substratum).

First is Mordecai’s world—#Nocturnus, a labyrinth of subterranean tunnels and canals. Within lives a kindredship of wealthy, ingenious, and beautiful vampires who are ruled by blood, passion and immortality. There’s other beauty in this realm, such as glowing flowers, gondolas, pomegranates, and music. Then, the foil to all this beauty: bloodthirst, savagery, and mutant underlings known as gargoyles.

Next is Gwyndolaire—Lynora’s world: a pristine castle where a sisterhood of vampire halflings hide from the darkness tainting their blood by embracing the sunlight. These sisters are well versed in self-defense, along with the lore of vampires—how they originated from #EgyptianMythology, and the role bats play not only in history but in their daily life. Unlike the kindredship, the sisterhood feeds peacefully, by throwing galas. Wearing gold makeup, they entertain unwitting donors, using hypnosis to drain their blood, then send the attendees safely away … none the wiser.

And lastly is The Cummings’ Asylum for Orphaned Children—young Father Lucien’s world: a townhouse and its occupants being haunted by either a perplexing miracle, or a hellish plague. But Lucien is not your typical priest, and he has his own demons chasing him.

Throughout the story, these very different worlds collide, brought together by the plight of the orphaned children. This final image offers a peek at some of the music that inspired the atmosphere and moods of all three worlds.

Follow this link to the Nocturnus landing page, where you’ll find preordering options, as well as links to my #pinterest board and spotify where you can listen to the #playlist.

The post A peek into the worlds of Nocturnus: appeared first on A.G. Howard.