FIREFLIES, was the first novel I wrote.
I wrote it in the spring of 2012, not having any idea what I was doing. I just knew I had to get this story out of my head and then, I had to share it with the world. By fall of that year, I managed to find a home with a small press named Ravenswood. Apparently, she saw something in the story that spoke to her and urged her to take me on. By April of 2013, FIREFLIES was published. Awards aside, if this book doesn’t steal your heart, something or someone else already has.
Here are my thoughts on how this book evolved and why it is still so dear to my heart today:
| “Fireflies” most likely started when I was born. When I make that statement, what I’m really saying is growing up as the youngest of eleven children in a blended family of five half-sisters, two half-brothers and a sister and two brothers by your shared parents, was as much interesting and fun as it could be tragic and confusing. However, this story isn’t about my family, although my experiences of being raised in such a chaotic yet loving atmosphere certainly fed my creative process and gave me tons of material to work with.
I’ve always been fascinated with history as well as the paranormal. I’ve been especially curious about the area where my mother grew up, as a second generation American of completely Welsh heritage. My father on the other hand is a mystery, except for the fact that he was Scotch-Irish. Other than that, I know very little of his lineage. My Mother, however, was able to pass down how my Welsh ancestors, primarily my great grandparents, came over from Cardiff Wales in the late 1800’s by way of Philadelphia and settled in a little town called Nanticoke, Pennsylvania. Writing “Fireflies” gave me even more opportunity to research the area and study the immigration process. My next objective was girl power. I wanted a character that embodied those formidable women who paved the road with opportunities for women of today. She had to be a brave, insightful and smart as well as possess grace, humility and the faith to go for what she wanted and be determined not to settle for anything less than her dreams. In essence, a girl who wanted it all; a career, family and love and the ability to prove to everyone that it was possible. Teagan wasn’t really ahead of her time; she was a trailblazer for women of the future. It was also important to me to prove that not all paranormal events are negative and that the objective of these spirits isn’t always to terrify and threaten. Don’t get me wrong, I certainly enjoy a malevolent and frightening haunting as much as the next reader and they certainly keep the pages turning. I just wanted to share a story about what could happen if we looked at these visitations from another perspective, through the eyes of a complete innocent. My hope is that we may all learn something from Ennis about seeing the unknown as we see a flower or a tree; it’s just there and how we perceive it, regardless of how others do, is our truth. |
May 11, 2017
Author P.S. Bartlett 