From Sarah Connor to Waterworld - this is why my stories must have adventure, grit, with a dash of Mother Nature's fury.
It’s a trend sweeping social media—the lore that started it all. Though I often wonder who starts these trends, I enjoyed contemplating this one. Because, like, where did it all stem from? My book obsession, the must-have romance thread, the dystopian worlds, feisty heroines and broody MMCs?
As I consider each book I’ve written, I see slivers of my childhood heroes woven throughout. Now, I can’t unsee it.
It was the perfect storm…of complete opposites.
Growing up in a divorced family, you have Mom stuff and Dad stuff. There’s no way around it.
Dad time was eating meat and potatoes, watching action and sci-fi movies, and horseback riding.
Mom time was spent eating tacos, watching musicals, and “rocking” while we were camping. And no, that’s not a musical reference. We would look for rocks. That’s it. It was boring. Yet, my love of nature comes from my mom’s free spirit and appreciation for Mother Nature.
On weekend visits with my mom, I was watching The Sound of Music and every Disney princess movie out at the time. Beauty and the Beast was my favorite, and I remember twirling around the house singing along with an oversized Dolly Parton shirt on.
Little did I know, those Prince Charmings with their happily ever afters were the stories that would later inspire retellings of my own. But we’ll deep dive into my Happily Ever After obsession next time.
Rewind back to the 80s and 90s.
When you live with your dad, spend summers with your grandpa, and after school with your best friend’s brother, you gain an appreciation for all things mayhem.
Sarah Connor was my ultimate hero. I liked the survival and action elements, the grit and danger, and the cursing. Oh, and the 80s and 90s movie one-liners are still quoted daily in my house.
» Initiate storytelling hyper-drive. «
So much of the early years shaped my love for crafting stories around broody, strong, but broken heroes, and bad-ass, compassionate, equally broken, reluctant heroines.
But it’s not always about the characters. In fact, I’ve noticed, in my storytelling, the SETTING comes first. THEN I figure out who my characters are and what they’ve been through. And my need for weather-ravaged worlds and adventure all started here. Most of my favorite childhood movies center around Mother Nature’s fury.
It’s no wonder my characters have to survive blizzards and sandstorms and lightning-scorched forests. Or trek across the frozen wildlands and get tossed around by an angry sea. And I didn’t realize it’s even in every series title:
Ruined Lands, Forgotten Lands, Surviving Earth, Savage North… It’s a rabbit hole when I sit down to contemplate how my lore created a storytelling machine.
I didn’t start writing about Mother Nature against humanity (and humanity against itself). The catalyst to create my first weather-ravaged world was this movie:
After watching Book of Eli for the first time, I couldn’t get a desert, dystopian story out of my mind, set in a Victorian western landscape tormented by sandstorms.
Weave in my cowgirl childhood too, and Dust and Shadow was written (you can listen or read free!). My first dystopian adventure, and the start of my favorite saga, created so far - The Forgotten World.
Read for Free below
So, now we know.
Next time, I’m deep diving into the romance side of things—why my stories have to have a HEA, where it stems from, and any other dots I connect to the origins of my storytelling chops.
Until next time, Roguelings….
P.S. You’re invited to read or listen to Dust and Shadow free through my bookshop only.
Meet Roguely, the dino-mite mascot of our Rogue Reader Community! This isn't your average T-Rex; Roguely is a book-loving, adventure-seeking, and slightly mischievous dinosaur who embodies everything we love about stories – a dash of danger, a sprinkle of shenanigans, and heaps of heart.
Fun Facts About Roguely:
- Favorite Genre: Dystopian Survival, of course! He loves a good post-apocalyptic romp, especially if there are furry animal friends (not to consume).
- Bookish Habits: Roguely devours books whole (metaphorically speaking), and he's particularly fond of stories with complex characters and immersive worlds - especially if Mother Nature is the villain. He finds those most relatable, and yes, he may still hold a grudge. ☄️
- Favorite Treat: He loves fossil-shaped cookies and chicken nuggets. 😬
- Quirk: Let's be honest, his tiny arms don't help much when it comes to grabbing a book off the shelf or turning the pages. So, he does a lot of audiobook listening.
What Roguely Will Be Doing in the Rogue Reader Community:
- Leading the Shenanigans: Roguely will be your guide through all the exciting happenings in our community. He'll be sharing book recommendations, behind-the-scenes glimpses into my writing process, and sneak peeks of upcoming projects!
- Spreading Joy and Laughter: Roguely is here to make our community a place of joy and camaraderie. Expect plenty of dino-themed memes, cheesy jokes, and general shenanigans.
- Being the Face of Our Merch: Keep an eye out for Roguely-themed merchandise! He's ready to be your bookish buddy.
- Being a Voice for Your Ideas: Roguely wants to hear from you! He'll be gathering your feedback, suggestions, and ideas to help make our community the best it can be.
Let's make the Rogue Reader Community a place where our imaginations can run wild and our love for books knows no bounds!
Read on, Roguelings!
xo, Lindsey (and Roguely, of course)
Greeings, Roguelings!
We have a new community mascot. I saw this guy and paused, thinking, "Why don't we can a mascot - a DINO mascot?" Seem like a no-brainer if you know me. Until I get my sketching skills honed better, this little dude is our guy - what should we name 'em?
Vote on a name below!
If you backed the project, you know who you are - THANK YOU SO MUCH ❤️🔥. And don't worry. This is not the fun, personal bonus Thank You you'll get from us as part of your rewards. That comes later.
This is just a "basking in the glow of the campaign ending and the outpouring of support" thank you. 🤣 It's nice to know some of my random ideas aren't only exciting to me, but to readers (sometimes) as well.
I'm exhausted. Humbled. And excited to get the finishing touches on everything so I can get goodies out to Backers. So again, thank you so much. Backers will receive all rewards info and updates via Kickstarter moving forward.
To the rest of my patient, supportive readers, thank you for putting up with my incessant Kickstarter updates. Next week, it's back to our regular programming. Enjoy your weekend!
Linds
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,
