Today as part of the StoryQuest Academy Clean Fiction Blog Tour, I wanted to share some of the inspiration behind The Firebrand Chronicles (includes Spark, Flare, & Burn).
And don’t forget to comment on the posts for a chance to win some bookish prizes!
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I’m a firm believer God gives each of us a special gift that makes us unique and distinctive. This fact and the question “What if…?” inspired the beginning of my YA portal fantasy trilogy the Firebrand Chronicles.
What if God’s gifts were more dramatic than being a good teacher or a great speaker? Don’t get me wrong—those are valuable gifts (especially the speaking gift—I’m often unclear or awkward!) But what if God gave each person a highly visible gift, like firestarting or control of the weather? Could being able to control time be used for good or evil? How would individuals use these talents?
These questions were the basis for Spark, book one of the Firebrand Chronicles. I added another component to the main character due to my youngest daughter. Around the time I was writing Spark, she was diagnosed with ADHD (inattentive). This means rather than being hyperactive and loud, she was more often distracted and unfocused. I learned how ADHD affects children—lack of focus, impulsivity, and low self-esteem are often present. I couldn’t even imagine how an impulsive, distracted teen would handle firestarting, but I was interested in exploring it.
The YA fantasy landscape lacks characters with ADHD, especially girls. Percy Jackson’s ADHD and dyslexia are mentioned briefly in Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief then explained away. In fact, few literary characters at all, male or female, are neurodiverse (this term covers ADHD, autism, Tourette’s, dyslexia, as well as a host of other disorders). Adhdaware.org.uk says 30%-40% of the population is neurodiverse, and the CDC says 11% of American children have ADHD. The YA fantasy genre doesn’t reflect this.
In response, I created Brenna James who struggles with ADHD while also being the Chosen One. I wanted my daughter and other neurodiverse kids to know they weren’t broken or damaged; they are creative, out-of-the-box thinkers who process the world differently. They can ride a griffin, battle the evil villain, and use their gift to save the world.
Because some YA reads more adult than young, my series is clean yet with lots of nail-biting action, some snark (because snark is a teen’s second language), and a touch of romance.
Here’s a little more about Spark:
Brenna James wants three things for her sixteenth birthday: to find her history notes before the test, to have her mother return from her business trip, and to stop creating fire with her bare hands.
Yeah, that’s so not happening. Unfortunately.
When Brenna learns her mother is missing in an alternate reality called Linneah, she travels through a portal to find her. Who knew portals even existed? But Brenna’s arrival in Linneah begins the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy, including a royal murder and the theft of Linneah’s most powerful relic: the Sacred Veil.
Hold up. Can everything just slow down for a sec?
Unwilling yet left with no other choice, Brenna and her new friend Baldwin pursue the thief into the dangerous woods of Silvastamen and beyond. Exactly what Brenna wanted to do for her sixteenth birthday. Exactly. When they spy an army marching toward Linneah, Brenna is horrified. Can she find the veil, save her mother, and warn Linneah in time?
And more importantly, why on earth doesn’t this alternity have Belgian waffles?
Spark (and the entire Firebrand Chronicles boxed set!) is available at Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Spark-Firebrand-Chronicles-Book-One-ebook/dp/B06Y1DSKRB) and anywhere else books are sold.
Check out the rest of the blog tour participants below!
Today, we welcome a guest post from Laura Zimmerman, author of Keen and the soon-to-be-released Lament! For those of you who think fantasy writers don’t do research, think again! Laura studied up on faerie folklore to write these wonderful tales of magic!
But when I learned there would be a boxed set, with all three of my books plus some extra stories included, it was hard to imagine. Today that news is a reality as the
Can you think of anything better than more Fantasy and Sci-Fi titles to put under your Christmas tree?
After Burn was released, there was a flurry of emails between me and my publisher discussing this. I got to work and wrote four short stories about Brenna and beloved side characters. It was a lot of fun to flesh out the world of the Jasper Territory a bit more. I’m thrilled to share it all with you!
Ylva was raised by wolves. That is the story her clan tells of their Wolf Queen. The truth is far more miraculous. Her Gift, bestowed by the Light, enables her to see deep inside the hearts of men. Prince Rohan considers the Light mere superstition and only believes in what he can see with his own eyes. But a great evil is infecting the Four Realms. The battle between the Light and the Darkness is no longer bound to human hearts, and words Ylva and Rohan thought were just legend are being whispered again. The dragon is rising.
Tabitha Caplinger gets way too emotionally invested in the lives of fictional characters, whether it’s obsessing over a book or tv show, or getting lost creating her own worlds. Tabitha is the author of The Chronicle of the Three Trilogy, a Christian urban fantasy, and a lover of good stories and helping others live chosen. When she’s not writing book words, she’s reheating her coffee, binging a new show or teaching God’s Word to students. Tabitha, her husband and two beautifully sassy daughters desire to be Jesus with skin on for those around them. They live to love others…and for Marvel movies.
in, and Arvandus. Spending all that time with them made me imagine what else could happen to them. After finishing a story, I usually imagine different connecting points between characters and plot. Even my short story “Everwild” (which is in the anthology Mythical Doorways and is FREE, BTW…) is already a four-book series in my head. I have plenty of adventure and mayhem planned for half-fae Flint and full-fae Lila. I just can’t get all my projects written as quickly as I’d like.
Sometimes I’ll include the sixth sense, intuition (sparingly). You know that feeling of knowing when someone’s lying or when your hair rises on the back of your neck? This sense is great for creating tension.
to fists.
It’s a more intimate way of writing. The writer removes the narrator and settles into a comfy chair in the chosen character’s head. Although deep POV usually refers to third person, I’ve also found writing this way helpful in first person as well. It is limiting, though. You can’t know what the other characters are thinking because you’re firmly entrenched in your comfy chair. You can see reactions, but the other characters’ thoughts are hidden.
Avoid “distancing” words. She felt, noticed, realized, thought, looked at, etc. For example: Shari exited the shop. She noticed the dark sky. In seconds, she felt the heavy raindrops soak her clothes as she ran for her car. I’ll have to drive home carefully, she thought.
ome to #WritingWednesday. Last week we talked about a few ways to avoid boring writing. This week, I have a few more tips for you to keep your story interesting and your readers engaged!
4. “…and everyone lived happily ever after, forever and ever, with a big, red bow.” Hmm, maybe not. I NEED a happy ending. (I was very cross with Veronica Roth after reading the Divergent series. Just sayin’…) But that’s just me. You must decide how happy your ending’s going to be. Somewhat bittersweet? Tragic, like Romeo and Juliet? Or do we get the true HEA (Happily Ever After)? Even with an HEA, not every character is happy—not the villain and perhaps not some secondary characters. There may be unpleasant circumstances due to bad decisions. That’s okay. Just remember the expectations of your genre (romance readers expect an HEA or an HFN–Happy For Now). A spark of hope on the last page will satisfy your readers.