My first novel, Children of the Solstice, follows the journey of Rory, an Australian teenager who discovers she is part of a secret race of supernatural beings called Elementals. Her excitement at finally finding her place in the world is shattered when she learns that the whole fate of Elementals – and humanity – might rest in her hands.
The inspiration behind this novel was multilayered, like anything. It was a combination of ideas I’d been sitting on for a while, and my response to current social, environmental and political events, where I very much felt like we should all be more concerned with the future of the planet. Ultimately, the Elemental race I have created is meant to protect the Earth and take care of it. They’re in crisis, partly, because they’ve decided that the world is about to be irretrievably damaged, predominantly because humans aren’t taking care of it properly. I think that’s the little environmentalist in me. So there’s a level of ‘don’t you think we should listen when the cleverest people in the world warn us of global warming?’ at play here. For an in-depth look at some of the science and philosophy that inspired my novel, I highly recommend David Suzuki’s The Sacred Balance. I first read it in 2006, but it’s even more (scarily) relevant almost twenty years after its publishing date, when a lot of the environmental issues that needed to be addressed at the time, still aren’t being taken seriously by those in power.
According to a few scribbles in my journals, the first seeds of my plot and characters were planted in 2009 (before I really decided to write a novel), when I wrote a bunch of ‘what if’ questions, surrounding people who could control the elements, and other worlds happening in parallel to the one we are currently living in. I started to play with the idea of basing characters on their star signs – having their whole personality stem from horoscopes. When I was younger, I was often given books on astrology, witches, goddesses, and Wiccans. I was obsessed with them, constantly filling in star sign and personality quizzes in my early teens, while I tried to discover my identity. I’ve always been a huge reader of Young Adult fantasy novels, and have an interest in history, mythology, spirituality and the environment – I guess I kind of combined these interests when creating my Elemental world. I’d encountered the idea of the classic elements of air, fire, earth and water quite a few times, and as a kid I used to wish I was a part of some secret race of beings that had supernatural powers. Seriously though… who hasn’t wanted to be one of the X-Men, or go to Hogwarts?
I didn’t begin working on my story in earnest until November of 2012, when I decided to try and complete Nanowrimo and come up with some more clearly defined story goals, structure, plot, and actually get some words on the page. I think it was around then that I chose to set the story in Australia. I’ve always been proud of living in a country with a culture that dates back over 40,000 years, and has such a strong connection to the land. Plus, I’m sick of my high school students thinking that when they write creatively, it has to be set in the USA!
Early on in the piece, I also jotted down a note-to-self, saying I didn’t want my book to be Young Adult necessarily. I think this was because I wanted to explore some darker themes, with characters whose experiences hadn’t been very PG-13. I wasn’t sure how this would be received as a Young Adult novel, but I also don’t want to belittle teenage audiences. I know there are a lot of teenagers who have either had some very dark experiences, or are fascinated by darker themes. I think this is a pretty natural part of growing up, and I also think there’s no point in acting like teenagers aren’t ever encountering loss or suffering, or swearing and sexuality. As for how this will/won’t work, practically, when it comes to publishing and finding the right space in the market, watch this space.
As the story has grown and morphed, and now that I’ve finished a first draft, and had it edited and read by both friends and professionals, I’m reflecting again on my motivation behind this particular story. What is it that I want people to know? Thematically, what am I concerned with?
I want to explore how our choices and sacrifices impact others and the world around us, and how notions of destiny can foster opportunities for self-discovery, while simultaneously breeding fear and prejudice. I want to create a world that readers feel engrossed in. I want young readers to think, ‘What if this was real? Where would I fit in?’ as I remember thinking so many times while reading, both in my desire to escape the real world, and to find my place within it.
In the end, I guess, the inspiration behind this story is simply the desire to share a new and exciting, imaginary world with you all, not just to entertain you, but to help you figure out what kind of a person you would like to be. Because that’s what books did for me, and if I could individually thank every author whose world I lived in for the length of their novel (and sometimes longer) I would.
Samantha Todd 