Tundra
GRAPHIC NOVEL | SELF INITIATED | CURRENTLY PITCHING
Telling a story of trauma recovery through folklore and fantasy, Tundra is a 240+ page, full colour graphic novel set in a snowy landscape and follows the journey of Tundra, a seven year old girl, as she battles a vast dragon named Syngesa.
Inspiration for the antagonist and their all encompassing nature was found in a combination of a Buryat folktale epic; “Geser” (I had the pleasure of consulting with Esuna Dugarova - Buryat cultural ambassador and UN Development policy research coordinator - on the details of this piece of folklore), the occurrence of ‘dark months’ in countries like Finland, and personal experience with cPTSD.
The blurb for Tundra:
—
“Every five years, a vast and impossible dragon plummets into the forest, forging a wake of destruction and darkness that few can contain, but there were those who tried. Those few fought, battled, and forced the dragon back, at the sacrifice of so much and so many.
Now Tundra is left to defeat this source of all things twisted and wrong in her precious forest but fighting, battling, and forcing is a tall ordeal for somebody who feels so small and so scared. She carries the heavy weight of the very recent past on her shoulders and a responsibility to those she loves, a burden too much for a seven year old. The path to balance is fraught with noise, incomprehensible lashing darkness, and her own barriers; but all is not lost.
Far from it.
‘Tundra’ is a story about trauma recovery and finding the path most full of growth and lightness rather than the all-too-often trodden route of struggle, self-sacrifice, and fear. Specifically, ‘Tundra’ focuses on repeating traumas, ones you know will return in whatever form or level of severity, and what that process feels and looks like from the inside. It does not assume an easy process or an instant fix, but instead proudly communicates hope, emotional honesty, and the knowledge that you cannot pour from an empty glass.”
—
Tundra is currently in development and is being pitched to select publishers. If you are interested in seeing the full proposal for Tundra, please get in touch with my agent, Tracy Marchini.
