The Inkers Pen

I’ve never thought of myself as an author more of a storyteller.

Before I conceptualized or even thought to write the first of The Therans, I read historical events and a wide range of young adult novels. That’s when Callie’s story began to slowly burn within my imagination. For months before I ever gave it thought to put pen to paper, her story cried out to be told. At night, different scenes stalked my thoughts until my imagination was on overload. I kept a notebook by my bed and jotted down ideas and scenes, but I had to connect them into a meaningful storyline. That’s when my loving husband encouraged me—the girl who suffered through learning disability classes—to join a writer’s group.

So, I joined the group. That was one of the best things I ever did! I met the most amazing, supportive people in the WNG. They saw beyond my lack of writing experience, punctuation mistakes, and crafting knowledge and stayed by my side through tons of conferences and story dilemmas, and they kept me inspired. There is a piece of every one of the group members in all three books and some very dear beta readers outside, too. (You all know how much you mean to me!) My husband’s brainstorming support, my son’s martial arts skills in discussing fight scenes, and my daughter, who served as a rough model for Callie, and her advice I couldn’t have done without. Everyone has been instrumental in making this story vision come to life.

Initially, I wasn’t concerned with the geography or the society of the story world but allowing the story to unfold from my character’s perspective. Originally, the driving force of my character was her fears and aspirations, but mostly the secrets of her past (her pile of secrets, as I put it). I had no idea about the story world’s economy and social structure until I dove deeper into the story line, however, I did know the closing details. There is no right or wrong way to story build, but for me working through Callie’s thoughts, seeing her world, her experiences, and sensing her feelings and helplessness, helped me cultivate a life-like world.

Some of my story ideas came from Egyptian hieroglyphs, especially in cultivating this fictitious Atlantean civilization. The mystery behind ancient symbols, images, and the possible hidden codes intrigued me. Could you imagine being the person who deciphered the Rosetta Stone? Or an archaeologist and finding a lost civilization?

I never wanted The Therans series to be about a girl with superhero powers, but a struggling teen who desperately tries to navigate two worlds, fight against injustices, repression, and to become confident enough—in the end—to battle an evil prophecy. It’s my hope that the reader feels they get a chance to grow with Callie as she tastes rejection, feels loneliness, learns to navigate her power malfunctions while she steps deep into a two-thousand-year-old lost civilization soaked in archaeological false truths.

The underlining themes are different for each of my stories, and it’s definitely not just about Callie. The three books correlate one understanding: if we forget our history, we’re doomed to repeat it. The Theran world revolves around ‘Earth’s storage closet of historical information’ from other worlds. Worlds struggling to continue to exist.

The Therans series deals with power dynamics, emotional manipulation, and what it takes to survive in a world where justice is served through the eyes of a killer and secrets stab deeper than a blade.

I did my best to keep historical accuracy and contextual information, however, I added my urban fantastical twist in the hopes to build an engaging, relevant life-like world and plot. It’s my hope that you enjoy Callie’s story and her ‘new love’ Trystan, as much as I treasured building and exploring the multidimensional Theran world.