HALE

A clean explanation of this story and its origin remains elusive, mainly because it has existed in my life for fourteen years. I’ll try my best to hit the major milestones.

I grew up a huge reader. Everywhere I went I had a book with me. I consumed them like air. Because I read fantastical books, I began daydreaming, finding ways to slip into a novel-like world in my head during times when it wasn’t appropriate to whip out my books and read. And the very first daydream I had—which then became recurring like I was starring in my own TV series—was the premise of Hale.

Eventually, this daydream found its way out of my head. I began to play make-believe with my friends on the sidelines of my brother’s soccer games, treating bleachers like they were castles. When I outgrew the sidelines but still clung to the story, I began to write it down.  I created a character—an insert-character for myself—and began to recount the sequences of my daydream again. It was wholly stream-of-conscious with no planning and pure childish fun. I still have the paper I wrote the first chapter on when I was nine.

This began my love affair with writing. From this first chapter, I went on to write many more stories: a dystopian sci-fi novel (also with no planning and no attention to grammar), a novella, a collection of poetry and short stories, screenplays, and three other novels (which are unreleased).

From the ages of nine to twenty-three, I edited, re-plotted, and rewrote Hale multiple times. The world of the Kingdom continued to expand throughout my life, and the characters drew upon my experiences and emotions. This story aged as I did, changing tone and structure as I learned how to wield them. I poured years of my life and all of my heart into this story. It has been a long journey with Ember and Griffin and the Kingdom, but they have made me the writer I am today, and I will love them forever.

What I find I love most about Hale, even if I don’t think it’s my best or my most intricate writing, is the comfort I find in the story. I’ve always wanted my own little fantasy world to call home, something almost tangible and cozy. I’ve filled in the characters in these books with people I’ve met and the faces of my best friends. I’ve walked the streets of the Kingdom and hiked the mountains a million times over in my mind, and it will always be a home away from home for me. A place I can escape to when the real world is too much. I hope it brings the same escape and comfort to others. I hope people see themselves in Ember, Griffin, and Inanna. I hope people dream of a life in a corner of the Kingdom, somewhere they can return whenever they need a warm cup of coffee and a hug. That’s my hope, at least.