From Life to Fiction: An unexpected turn I hadn't seen coming
I didn't realize certain chapters of my life had woven themselves into my apocalyptic romance until I wrote "THE END," filling Skies of Fire with as much realness as fiction.
I’ve never written a novel that has as much “me” in it as Skies of Fire.
I hadn’t realized this, of course, until after I’d written THE END and went back for revisions. I noticed so many blips in time from my life had been tweaked and melded into the story in one way or another.
It started as a fun side project…
Surviving Earth Chronicles was originally an idea Kristi and I had, committing to working on it when we had time — a “fun” project, if you will.
We created the post-apocalyptic world together, but my installment quickly became so much more than a survival thriller.
And I’m not only talking about the setting and disasters, but even with the characters.
Ava’s struggles were visceral. Knox felt real enough to touch. The setting made me hot and sticky (and not in a good way) just thinking about it.
It wasn’t until I was finished writing that I understood why Knox and Ava’s story felt so natural to write.
From the cattle ranch and horses to the natural disasters (sans the lava), and the family dynamics, I can imagine every layer of their journey so clearly.
I can feel Ava’s desperation to make ends meet. Her sleepless nights and bone-deep exhaustion.
I can feel her heartache, sitting at Mavey’s bedside, and her prickling fear as she lost control of her body and mind during her episodes. I also know her relief (and disbelief) in finally understanding what it all meant. Just as I know the anger that follows it, and that you never take anxious-free moments for granted again. All of it has been ingrained in my decades-old memories. Only now, apparently, I’ve given them a voice.
But for all of the struggles I imparted on Ava, I wrote a life for Knox that feels real to me too.
His ranch in itself is sensory overload, but in the best way possible.
It makes me feel warm and happy inside. The smell of hay, warm dirt, and manure. The dust coating his truck and the creak of his leather saddle. The burning sun against the back of his neck and his matted, sweat-dampened hair beneath his hat—I smell, hear, and feel it all.
Just as vividly, I can see that angry glint in Mitch Bennett’s eyes so acutely. I can feel his hatred at times, and hear the roughness of his voice, anticipating his words before I write them. Yes, that’s intentionally vague, but just know that Mitch Bennett is a fictional character based on real people I know. And the “feud” between him and Ava was also contrived specifically for the story.
Setting the scene…
I don’t know what this says about me as a person, but I experienced a massive flood in 2005 and the past five years have been riddled with evacuations and wildfires here in California. Why I thought about water and then fire and excitedly embraced writing wildfires instead. Both are terrifying. Both are devastating and traumatic. Both leave ruin in their wake. But I guess writing about a world ravaged by smoke and ash felt more relatable to me.
It helped that I wanted to set this story in Texas, knowing who I wanted my characters to be and having experienced their summers personally. When I did actual research on Texas and learned it has over 200 extinct volcanoes, it all started to come together.
The fire scars. The torched roads and aftermath of wildfire devastation . . . I see it when I drive through my home town and to visit my family. It has left its mark everywhere around me, and I think that’s why it felt so natural to write about it.
If you live in California, you know how evacuations work. Your loved ones have PTSD from being evacuated multiple times, they’ve lost pets and questioned their futures. You’re familiar with the eerie orange tint in the smoke-filled sky and the ash that falls around you like feathers, coating everything. You appreciate precious, fresh air in a way you never have before.
But the similarities don’t stop there. I could go on and on, talking about my interracial marriage and why I wanted Ava to be Hispanic. Or my work with foster youth and how they always seem to nestle their way into my stories, always for the better (Hi, Harper! You were such a pleasant surprise! Thank you for inserting yourself into my story).
It all goes to show that, as a writer, you can’t always disconnect from who you are and what you’ve experienced—I never meant to pour myself into this story, but it happened.
And for all the strange emotions I felt along the way, Skies of Fire is undoubtedly one of my favorite survival stories I’ve written. Not to mention it has all the things I LOVE to read—slow burn romance, creepy survivors, animal friends, harrowing danger and soul-stirring, endearing moments that make your chest squeeze a little.
I guess that’s why I couldn’t let it go after writing it. It’s why I wanted to immerse myself in it a while longer and create an experience readers could feel the way I felt it.
It’s part of the reason why we did the Surviving Earth Chronicles Special Edition Omnibus Kickstarter. It’s not just a hardcover, but an immersive experience, and I can’t wait for readers to go on this journey with us.
The campaign ends February 27 and you can learn more here. And if you want to take a chance on Ava and Knox’s story, you can find out more in my bookshop.
Until next time, Roguelings,
