10 Published NaNoWriMo Novels
NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is an event that happens every November, encouraging writers to write a 50,000 word draft during the month–from scratch. I first came across NaNoWriMo, and its summer ‘camp’ events in 2012, and it fast became one of my favourite ways to get a first draft down.
My upcoming book, Fragmented, (releasing in 22 days from Prizm Books/Torquere Press), started life as a Camp NaNo novel in July 2013. During that month, I surpassed my goal of 50k and managed to write 90k. Okay, I slept very little. And of course the draft wasn’t the best. It was rushed in places, it had holes–but over the next two years, this manuscript went through so many rewrites and revisions, and changed dramatically, until it was something that I was so happy with. And then I signed a book deal with my publisher for it.
For quite a while, I’ve been interested to see which other manuscripts that started as NaNo projects managed to survive the countless rewrites and revisions and became published novels. I’m in a great NaNoWriMo group, and thought I’d ask there to see which of their projects survived, and how long it took between first draft and the release date. So, here’s a list of 10 published (or upcoming) books that begin in a NaNoWriMo event. Enjoy!
- Fragmented (Untamed 2) – Madeline Dyer
Okay, so yes, this is my second book. (Book one’s first draft was also written within a month, but not during a NaNo month…) Anyway, onto Fragmented.
NaNo event started in: July 2013
Release date: 7th September 2016
Readership and genre: YA dystopian/fantasy
Word count: 100k
Available formats: Ebook, Paperback
Publication method: Traditionally published
About Fragmented:
After the terrible battle against the Enhanced Ones, Seven and Corin find themselves on the run. With the Enhanced closing in, Seven knows they need to find other people on their side. So, when the opportunity arises to join the Zharat, one of the last surviving Untamed tribes, it seems like the perfect solution.
But the Zharat lifestyle is a far cry from what Seven’s used to. With their customs dictating that she must marry into their tribe, and her relationship with Corin breaking down, Seven knows she has to do something before it’s too late. But that’s easier said than done in a tribe where going against the rules automatically results in death.
And, with the Enhanced still out there, nowhere is truly safe for the Untamed–least of all for the most powerful Seer in the world… and Seven soon discovers how far people will go in order to ensure that she’s on their side in the War of Humanity.
Battling against the emerging web of lies, manipulation, and danger, Seven must remember who she was meant to be. Her life has never been more at stake. Nor has humanity itself.
2. Puck’s Choice – Sky Hegyes
NaNo event started in: November 2009
Release date: 3rd December 2015
Readership and genre: YA/NA Paranormal Romance
Word count: 75k
Available formats: Ebook, Paperback
Publication method: Traditionally published
About Puck’s Choice:
Puck Dupree moved in with her sister after spending over a year trapped in the form of a fox. She had hoped to move on with a normal teenage life; however, trouble seems to have followed her.
The Council wants her to partner with a mage or forfeit her life, a friend of hers has a stalker who may or may not be trying to destroy her, and a boy at school keeps watching her. If only she could decide if he wants to kiss her or kill her.
3. Bearly Awake – D. R. Perry
NaNo event started in: November 2015
Release date: 26th March 2016
Readership and genre: YA/NA [genre not submitted to me, but looks like contemporary fantasy]
Word count: 35k
Available formats: Paperback, ebook
Publication method: Self-published
About Bearly Awake:
Bobby Tremain’s life used to seem charmed, but since his dad’s crippling accident, he has an avalanche of problems. He’s the first in his family to have a shot at college, also the first to head north of Louisiana. An early snow calls his Bear to hibernate a week before finals, but he needs to pass or he flunks out of Providence Paranormal College.
Lynn Frampton’s loneliness is almost more than she can take. She went to college on the other side of the country to get away from the persistent curse of unpopularity in a small town. Once at college, Lynn’s prickly personality has pushed everyone away yet again. At least she’s at the top of her class.
Bobby needs Lynn’s help to stay awake and pass his exam, and she discovers she needs companionship more than she’d ever imagined. Lynn’s all set to transfer to a school back home, but Bobby thinks she’s his mate. Can he keep awake long enough to pass, and more importantly, convince his love to stay?
4. The Portal Prophecies: Frost Bitten (The Portal Prophecies 3) – C. A. King
NaNo event started in: November 2014
Release date: 31st December 2014
Readership and genre: YA Fantasy
Word count: not stated
Available formats: Paperback, ebook
Publication method: not stated
About The Portal Prophecies: Frost Bitten:
Willow and her friends are back and find themselves under the scrutiny of the magical inhabitants of the main world. Everyone seems to be against them including the directors, the mayor and Keith Quidnunk, the intern journalist for ‘The Empowered’ newspaper who none of them have ever seen. At the same time Lance has asked for Willow’s help but she will have to survive King Cornelius’ wrath.
Join Willow and her friends to find out what wonders await them as they explore frozen lands. Can they save Santa and Christmas from destruction? Can they avoid being sanctioned by the magical community?
5. The Portal Prophecies: Finding Balance (The Portal Prophecies 6) – C. A. King
NaNo event started in: November 2015
Release date: September 2016
Readership and genre: YA Fantasy
Word count: not stated
Available formats: TBC
Publication method: not stated
No further info is available about this title yet.
6. Guilty by Association – E. A. Copen
NaNo event started in: November 2014
Release date: 1st April 2016
Genre and readership: Adult urban fantasy
Word count: 110k
Available formats: Paperback and ebook
Publication method: not stated
About Guilty by Association
Everything’s bigger in Texas…Including the monsters.
Things look pretty crappy for Judah Black. Being forced to take an assignment in the middle of nowhere or risk losing her badge is hardly what she would call a perk of the job. But when a young werewolf is murdered on the Paint Rock Supernatural Reservation, her day goes from bad to worse.
Labeled as a drug deal gone wrong, local law enforcement passes the case off as solved. Judah knows better. An occult expert, she knows the look… the feel of magick. Despite the insistence of the authorities that the case is solved, Judah presses into the investigation but she wasn’t prepared to uncover a cunning, ancient enemy… one that proves irritated with her interference.
Using only her wits, knowledge and limited magickal abilities can Judah untangle the web of cover-ups and lies before the killer finds his next victim? Or has he already chosen one? Her son…
Guilty by Association is the bone-chilling first chapter of E.A. Copen’s Judah Black Series. Rife with paranormal mystery, this top-notch urban fantasy will have you turning pages! If you are a fan of Patricia Briggs’ Mercy Thompson series, you won’t want to miss Judah Black!
7. After Oil – Kristan Cannon
NaNo event started in: November 2012
Release date: September 2014
Readership and genre: Adult trade literary, speculative Fiction (Post-Apocalyptic/Adventure)
Word count: 118k
Available formats: Paperback, hardcover and ebook
Publication method: traditionally published
About After Oil:
WE THOUGHT WE HAD NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT…
…WE WERE WRONG
The residents of the small town of Whitefish are no strangers to snow. Used to being forgotten and digging their own way out, no one thought anything of it when, during one of the coldest winters on record, help just never came. But, as fuel runs out and raiders press in on all sides, Derek, Sheridan, and Garrett realize it’s not just the snow they need to dig their way out of…
FROM SALESMAN TO MASTER RANGER
Derek Moss was so close to an easy, and early, retirement he could practically taste it. But his well-laid plans blow up in his face when he and his wife find themselves far from home with little more than the clothes on their back—and just enough luck to find themselves on Sheridan’s ranch just outside of Whitefish.
For Derek, retirement is going to have to wait a few more years…
…He has to lead his new Rangers—formed from ragtag survivors and lost citizens—in finding their own place in a new world. Driven to find answers, and to find the only person he knows who bring back a tiny, but bright spark of hope in the form of Sheridan’s solar field, Derek sets out on a path that will change his life, and the lives around him, forever.
8. The Last Iron Horse – Kristan Cannon
NaNo event started in: November 2014
Release date: October 2015
Readership and genre: Adult trade literary, speculative Fiction (Post-Apocalyptic/Adventure)
Word count: 108k
Available formats: Paperback, hardcover and ebook
Publication method: traditionally published
About The Last Iron Horse:
THEIR BIGGEST TEST IS HURTLING TOWARDS THEM…
… ON STEEL RAILS.
With the corrupt Colonel to their east, and the slavers to their west, determined to both call Walden’s rich resources their own Derek, Sheridan, and Garrett have to act quickly to make sure their home isn’t the next to fall to the pressures from outside… and within.
DEREK SWORE HE WOULD NEVER GET PULLED INTO ANOTHER ADVENTURE…
After nearly being killed protecting Lively, Derek returns to Whitefish and learns Garrett was at the nearby High Falls. Still recovering from the injuries gained in Lively— with no guarantee of still finding his friend alive—he embarks on an expedition up to High Falls to find Garrett.
But finding Garrett ends up being the least of their worries when he discovers that the slavers to their west have an operating train with a clear path straight into the fledgling Kingdom of Walden’s heart–and to their new Queen.
9. Pirate Princess – Catherine Banks
N
aNo event started in: November 2014
Release date: 2nd November 2015
Readership and genre: YA/NA fantasy/Action adventure
Word count: 151k
Available formats: Paperback, ebook
Publication method: not stated
About Pirate Princess:
As the daughter of the Pirate King, Tilia Swanson has an unusual upbringing learning skills that aren’t often available for women. As the heir apparent for the Kingdom of Crilan, her skills set her apart as she is trained by the best in the land and taught to harness her magic. However, piracy is in her blood, and draws danger to Tilia in the way that treasure draws pirates. Some treasures are more valuable than others. Will this lesson be learned in time or will the betrayal of those around her be her undoing?
10. Mercenary – Catherine Banks
NaNo event started in: November 2011
Release date: 14th January 2012
Readership and genre: YA Fantasy
Word count: 54k
Available formats: Paperback, ebook
Publication method: not stated
About Mercenary:
Being raised by the King and Queen of the Elves has given Marin quite a diverse background. Burdened by her humanity and femininity, she must push herself and train every day just to hold her own against the elves around her. Amadis, Queen of the Elves, continues to try to turn Marin into a lady, but the one thing Marin desperately wants is to be the first girl to graduate Macon Academy to be a mercenary. Just when she thinks the goal is within reach, a kidnapping attempt puts those around her in fear. Why would someone want to kidnap her? And what is this fire building within her that she never noticed before?
Her worries seem to be compiling as not only the kidnapping attempts make her uneasy, but now her feelings for her best friend, Favian, are changing in a way she does not understand. She must begin to deal with the surmounting issues of her femininity, her ever increasing passion for fighting, her feelings for Favian, and the reason there are people trying to kidnap her.
And there we have ten published NaNoWriMo novels. Have you read any of these–or know of any others? Let us know in the comments below.
