Alexandra Scholldorf: 2020

I’m submitting a different manuscript than I ever have to Pitch Wars this year: a high fantasy adult one. It’s going to be epic.

Get ready for more bad puns, loveable (often hapless) characters, and a writer who’s ready to WORK.

THE BREATH OF TELORIA. From this novel I learned what it means to rewrite. I’ve edited and edited and separately rewritten the entire book twice in the years I’ve worked on it, and I’m ready to rewrite it again, if necessary. This story is primed for improvement, in whatever form that takes.

My History/Background

I’ve worked at a mid-size book publisher in NYC for four years now, two years as the Operations Manager, so I know a lot about the publishing business. While there’s always more to learn, I have responsibilities involving almost every department, literally—contracts/legal, foreign rights, royalties, production, editorial, print production, publicity, and finance. Because of this, I’m ready for whatever the industry throws me, and I apply the same attitude and drive toward my novels: whatever happens, I will figure it out.

This capacity to adapt helped me a lot in graduate school, where I honed my craft to receive an MFA in Creative Writing and Literature. Since then I’ve attended multiple workshops at the Highlights Foundation and led by the RUCCL, wrote three novels, and sent 98 queries for a YA science fiction with mecha battles. I’m ready to give this book its fighting chance!

The Novel’s History/Background

THE BREATH OF TELORIA has multiple POVs, but three main perspective characters— Ephraim, Travis, and Xhella (Shell-a)—all of whom are trying to reconcile their place in history and their role in each other’s future. This book also spotlights their fathers, Balfore/Stephen, Jaret, and Daonene, and their choices to protect their children, for good or bad, both in the past and the present. As I look towards eventually having children of my own, reflecting on the effect that parents have on their kids continues to be an intense experience!

The book isn’t all thought experiment, of course; there’s humor, romance, intrigue, and an interwoven epic poem! The magic system is inspired by (and in part bound by) science, relying heavily on the wielder’s knowledge of energy but also on their creativity in harnessing it. I’m a writer whose combined touchstone is logic and faith; I majored in biology in college and I’m also religious. This book’s religion plays a tremendous role in the characters’ lives and decisions. The epic poem is the creation myth for this fantasy world, and develops in tandem with the plot of the story, informing or mirroring major plot events.

Mythology and its role in society always fascinated me: the oral and written histories shared between generations, the reason why we’re all here. How our culture determines our opinion on life, our attitude towards death, and the name of the monster hiding under the bed or in the closet or in the woods outside. I wanted to explore those lofty overarching ideas in this book, but also the nuances: how a few characters’ decisions can change everything.

And that’s just it, ultimately. It all comes back to the characters: Ephraim wants the truth, Travis wants to love, Xhella wants revenge, and everyone else wants the Breath of Teloria. Hopefully they all find what they’re looking for, especially when it looks nothing like they thought it would.

Some music that has inspired the characters in the first few chapters & their relationships:

Ephraim/Travis

Halcyon – Ellie Goulding

Freakin’ Out on the Interstate – Briston Maroney

Collar Full – Panic! At the Disco

Xhella

The Healer (Redux) – KT Tunstall

My Song – Brandi Carlile

¡Viva la Gloria! – Green Day

Balfore

Blame – Bastille

Smoke and Mirrors – Gotye