It all started with a memory. I’m not going to lie… my fiction is based on snippets of borrowed life. A quirk, a snippet of overheard conversation, a nemesis from my adult life. The fun thing about writing is that you get to keep people guessing. And boy, does that get interesting.
Funny enough, Daughters of Atlas subconsciously contains many familiar names, not always purposeful. Like my adult friend, Aimee, with that exact spelling. She now thinks the character is based on her. It’s actually the exact opposite, which I hope she realizes. And then there is my new workplace, which I started after completing the novel… I met several coworkers named after my book characters, which is a coincidence, as well.
Anyway, back to the purposefully familiar. The idea, almost one-point-five years ago, popped into my head and started the narrative that became 400 pages of story. I was afraid it would be a dated tale, mired in 90’s references and images, but then the latest election happened. Suddenly, ideas we thought we have long put to bed resurfaced: homophobia, religious intolerance, racism. Ugly things that unfortunately became very cyclical.
In the coming posts, I hope to shed light on the writing process and other secrets of the creation of my first book and subsequent writings. Adventures of a self-publisher, if you will. And I hope you do.
Tyler Art 