Coven

Coven is a supernatural suspense novel Katie drafted over the course of several years. It's about two friends who visit New Orleans on Halloween.

History

The original version of Coven was drafted over the course of several years, beginning in late 2013 and ending in late 2017. It made it midway into a second round of editing over the course of the following few years, from 2017-2020, before being put on the backburner until 2022, when Katie began deconstructing and rewriting it over the course of six months. As such, the plot changed drastically from one version to the next.

Plot

Ellie finds out that her favorite professor is getting married and will be on her honeymoon over Halloween. She tells her best friend TJ this after class, and TJ mentions that his dad, who normally accompanies him to visit New Orleans the week of Halloween, is unable to go this year, and that he was sure Irina, his host, would be happy to accommodate her instead. He asks if she'd be interested and she says yes, but mentions she'll have to clear it with her mother, Madeline.

Upon hearing that Madeline said yes, TJ talks to Irina, who happily agrees, intrigued to meet Ellie. He lets his father know upon arriving home, who is taken aback but doesn't protest.

Ellie tells her best friend, Piper, about her plans, and Piper expresses her envy. She asks how Ellie will keep her fire powers under control, and Ellie tries to change the subject.

She meets Irina and Taylor, TJ's childhood friends. They all seem to get along quite well, something TJ is stoked about for reasons he'd rather not share.

Taylor confides in Ellie that she knows Ellie is a witch and asks her about it. Ellie tells her that she is, and asks how Taylor knows. Taylor says she's a witch too. Taylor presses her more about her powers. Eventually, she asks Ellie how long she's been in love with TJ, something Ellie meekly answers.

Later that night, Ellie and TJ find a body while sneaking around a cemetery. They find out more information the following day through Colby, who looked into it. Colby has multiple theories, of varying levels of believable.

The following morning, TJ and Ellie decide to check out the cemetery again, this time Taylor accompanies them and manipulates the on-duty cops into allowing them through. They manage to get photos of the grave the body had been found in front of, realizing it was Marie Laveau's grave. On the way back to the house, Taylor admits to TJ what she did, revealing that she's a witch.

Ellie texts Piper to tell her about the body they found and their brush with the law that morning. During this conversation, she notices that it's begun raining and her window is open. She gets up to close it and discovers a strange black goo on the windowsill.

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Characters

Major Characters

Ellie Benoit

Ellie is the primary protagonist. She is TJ's closest friend and, later, girlfriend. She is a fire witch, able to channel fire for magical purposes. Due to an incident in her past, she hasn't practiced magic in over a decade prior to the start of the novel.

TJ Beaulieu

TJ is the deuteragonist. He sees Taylor as a surrogate sister and Irina as a second mother. He has been friends with Ellie for several years and is interested in her, but not enough to risk their friendship over. They eventually get together.

Taylor DuBois

tritagonist. She is a psychic witch in training to join her mother's coven. Due to helping Ellie at the end of the novel over her mother, she is unable to do this and her fate as a witch is left unknown.

Irina DuBois

antagonist. Taylor's mother. She has known TJ since he was very little and initially views him as a son. She is a psychic witch who uses her powers to control others. She lost her son in a bad car crash just before Taylor was born and as a result began to go mad. She was very overprotective with Taylor growing up. At the end of the novel, it's revealed that Ellie's mom is in a rival coven and Irina wants Ellie dead to be a vessel for her son's spirit.

Minor Characters

Colby Freeman--TJ's best friend, boyfriend of Piper. He's a computer science major who helps TJ out a few times during the course of the novel.

Daryl Beaulieu--TJ's father. He is unable to go to NOLA, and Ellie takes his place.

Evan Peterson--Taylor's boyfriend/sidekick. He helps her however she needs. At the end of the novel, when Taylor realizes she's about to be homeless, he convinces his mom to let her move in with them.

Madeline Benoit--Ellie's mother. They are very close, and they have a good relationship.

Piper Davidson--Ellie's best friend, girlfriend of Colby. Bit of a free spirit but rushes to help when she can.

Sarah Peterson--Evan's mother. She is a detective for the New Orleans PD and helps the group out a couple of times throughout the novel. She is shown to care deeply for both Evan and Taylor and does what she can to help them.

Genre and Themes

Coven is a mix of urban fantasy, suspense, and has romantic elements. It explores themes of family, friendship, and self-acceptance.

Sequels

A sequel is being written and a third is planned, plus some spin-offs about side characters. Further, while none of the stories in the shared universe are supposed to be super deeply connected to each other, Coven can be considered the inaugural entry into the universe.