I started writing WHO FEARS DEATH as a way to cope with my father's passing. I started writing THE BOOK OF PHOENIX as a way to cope with my anger toward my immediate world. I started writing both books spontaneously, no outline, ideas, notes, no nothing. I started writing both books while sitting in the sun around noon, in the summer. And with both books, once I started writing, a very strong voice began to narrate the story to me.
While writing THE BOOK OF PHOENIX, I remember I tried to take a nap because the story was getting stressful. In the middle of my sleep, I heard a voice angrily tell me to get. "Keep writing it," the voice hissed. I dragged myself off the couch, sat back down at my computer and kept writing. Yes, it was creepy and, yes, I was a little scared.
I didn't want to write a novel when I wrote THE BOOK OF PHOENIX. I wanted to rest my brain. So, I tried to write it as a short story. When the story kept coming, I wrote it as a novella. However, Phoenix would not let me rest. Onyesonwu in WHO FEARS DEATH was the same. A relentless muse.
These two novels are sisters. Close sisters. But not twins. Their covers reflect this fact. Similar, but different. How do the stories connect? Who is Phoenix to Onyesownu and Onyesonwu to Phoenix? You'll have to read them to find out. Don't bother going in with expectations; you'll probably be wrong. ;-).
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| Winner of the World Fantasy Award for Best novel. 2010, DAW BOOKS |
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| Prequel to WHO FEARS DEATH. May 5, 2015, DAW Books |