It was proven on an episode of "Mythbusters" that two books whose pages have been interlocked cannot be separated, no matter how hard you might pull. One has to pick them apart, page by page. Similarly, these two books - "The Warlock," a fantasy novel inspired by Irish language and folk magic, and "Standing By," a modern romance set in the Irish theatre and film industry - have been interlocked. The reader must physically pick them apart, alternating chapters, and in doing so, they will gradually discover how the stories themselves become more and more interlocked. A bard turned bodyguard. A stage manager turned actor. Two novels. Two worlds. One interlocked tale exploring identity, language, and interpreting text and tradition. A celebration of the many forms of the Irish storytelling tradition, this collection of prose, poetry, and song lyrics contains a mixture of both English and Irish language, written to be accessible to non-Irish speakers. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: MFA, queer, Dublin-based, working internationally as a theatre artist (currently touring Germany & Switzerland), degrees in music and theatre, published poet in both Irish and English, love for fantasy - especially Arthurian-themed works - and very handy with a sword.

Requirements & Requests

I am looking for feedback regarding how each of the two novels' storylines read on their own, as well as the overall interlocked work. This project has been an unusual challenge for me, as the idea is to have two novels which would make sense on their own, but which form a third, more in-depth story when read alternating chapters. Additionally, as a queer author, I am looking for feedback from LGBTQ+ voices. In particular, the spectrums of asexuality and bisexuality are both explored in this work, as well as the idea of finding the freedom to explore and discover one's sexual​/​romantic identity later in life. There are a lot of books about young adults and teens within this theme, but fewer for 30+. If you have knowledge of working in theatre or of the Irish language, your feedback would also be extremely helpful!

Comparable Stories:

BOOK INSPIRATIONS: "Normal People," "The Princess Diaries," Arthurian Legends, "Stardust," "The Princess Bride," "Shadow & Bone," "My Lady Jane," "Catherine Called Birdie," "Good Omens." FILM INSPIRATIONS: "A Knight's Tale," "George and the Dragon," "BBC Merlin," "Dungeons & Dragons," "The Mummy," "The Three Musketeers."

Trigger Warnings:

THE WARLOCK: Brief descriptions of injuries and fantasy-typical deaths, one brief description of an animal's death, explorations into the mistranslating or misinterpreting religious texts and the potential consequences. STANDING BY: Brief, non-graphic description of a sexual assault, non-graphic description of physical assaults​/​altercations, description of characters experiencing stalking, mentions of queer-phobia - specifically relating to bisexuality and asexuality - mentions of a character's past, growing up in a religious and abusive home, and the consequences they are still working to overcome.