Today I’d like to tackle a sobering subject.
As most of you know, 2018 was a devastating year for wildfires, particularly in the state of California. Regardless of where we live, we all cried when Paradise burned.
The forest will renew itself. People will rebuild. Some of those will take their losses to the grave.
Writers being who they are, KC Sprayberry wrote. She took a project of long standing and turned it into an amazing story.
We welcome KC Sprayberry to our blog today. Thank you for sharing some time with us!
Your latest book, BLAZE, is a thriller about a team of very special individuals. What drew you into using Elementals?
BLAZE has been with me for years. From the beginning, I was drawn to the Elementals as a force to aid in protecting the world from human created what appear to be natural disasters.
As you finalized the story this past summer (2O18), the California wildfires were raging. Did this have an impact on the story? On you? How did real life events affect the characters, or did they?
There is a significant impact of the California wildfires from 2011 through 2018 in this book. As a born and bred Californian, I along with many others watched the devastating fires happen year after year. There were many conjectures as to what the causes were but there were so many wildfires that it was nearly impossible to pin down if they were arson or from other events that hadn’t been discovered.
The effect of these fires on me became very intense as I researched the fires. The loss of property, lives, and very precious forest land hurt on a level close to what I experienced during my formative years. I reconnected with my friends from high school, talked with them about their personal experiences, and mourned the loss of Paradise in the Camp Fire with one of those friends. The continuing inability of the residents of that idyllic mountain town to return home because of the necessity of toxic cleanup hurts. Seeing people consigned to five to eight years or longer before they can rebuild angers me. Camp Fire happened so quickly, moved so fast there was no chance at all to save belongings. Those traversing the evacuation route were terrorized by the flames alongside the only road away from the wildfire while emergency crews tried to get up there to do their best to stop the ravaging beast. Even now, four months after that fire, it’s hard to let go of the feelings of anger and hopelessness that these people must live as refugees until they can return to where their homes once stood and attempt to remake their lives.
Firefighters working on these blazes are the real heroes of the actual fires; even though in the book there is a group of men and women with super powers working in the background to control them. The real life events were used for the worst of the 2018 fires to bring realism to the story. The Elementals working with the firefighters were added, their special skills as assistance to the beleaguered crews on these intense fires. Team Omega and the other Elemental teams are trained in fighting these fires in addition to skills such as parachuting into an area and working as hot shots. All of this is in addition to their extraordinary skills of being able to manipulate the elements of earth, wind, water, and fire.
There are so many forces at play in BLAZE, but ultimately, this reader saw it as an exciting tale of healing and redemption. Would you agree? Why or why not?Â
Yes, there is redemption, and acceptance of the duty these people must serve. This book is about being different but wanting to be the same as everyone else. Yet, it is also about handling what life throws at us and doing our best.
What’s next?
BLAZE A TEAM OMEGA THRILLER is the first in a limited series of books. Elementals will return soon, with another exciting story fighting against problems caused by old and new enemies.
Thank you very much for sharing with us today!
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Blaze A Team Omega Thriller is an exciting psychological thriller from best-selling author, K.C. Sprayberry. This particular story has been in my pile of to be completed files for sixteen years. The concept was always a group of Elementals, individuals capable of manipulating earth, wind, water, and air to control wildfires, working together and sometimes against each other. It wasn’t until I noticed a trend of brush fires in California, blazes that seemed almost unnatural, that I came up with the thrilling adventure this tale is now.
Fires ravage California for eight long years.
Into the fray of taming these beasts comes a group of people with the power to control the elements of fire, water, wind, and earth.
Their only duty is to subdue the flames ravaging the state, to assist firefighters, hot shots, and smoke jumpers dedicated to protecting the Golden State.
One team stands out among the others, a group of four twenty-three year olds. They came into their abilities while these blazes were at their strongest. Dakota Henderson, Cary Toronto, Fante Cyndall, and Luisa Henderson appear to be ordinary people, doing normal jobs. Yet, when the call out comes, they dive into the belly of the beast to protect those threatened with the flames of destruction.
One of them receives the ability to lead all Elementals, the powers to battle against rogues from their organization. Can this individual put a stop to these wildfires and bring peace back to the embattled state?
BLAZE AN OMEGA TEAM THRILLER is available through:
eBook: https://bookgoodies.com/a/B07LGB7HDH
Print Book: https://amzn.to/2S5uwYZ
About K.C. Sprayberry
Born and raised in Southern California, K.C. Sprayberry is living a dream she’s had since she first discovered the magic of books. She traveled the U.S. and Europe before finally settling in the mountains of Northwest Georgia. She’s been married to her soulmate for a quarter of a century and they enjoy spoiling their grandchildren along with many other activities.
A multi-genre author, K.C. Sprayberry is always on the hunt for new stories. Inspiration strikes at the weirdest times and drives her to grab notebook and pen to jot down her ideas. Those close to her swear nothing or no one is safe if she’s smiling gently in a corner and watching those in the same room interact. Her observations have often given her ideas for her next story, set not only in the South but wherever the characters demand they settle.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/AuthorKCSprayberry/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kcsowriter
Blog: http://outofcontrolcharacters.blogspot.com/
Website: www.kcsprayberry.com
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5011219.K_C_Sprayberry
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005DI1YOU
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