Why 'Love and Fireflies'?

 Ukiyoto Publishing just published my book Immortality of Fireflies https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09DBQP753 It is exciting and nerve-wracking and amazing and horrifying. I haven't had any reviews yet, and I'm not sure if I want any. No, I do want reviews. Do I? Yes, I do. Err... Let's just leave that question on the bench for now. 

So the book is out there. People can read it. My job now is to let them know it is there, should they wish to read it. Perhaps my job is also to motivate them to read it? Considering how many books are out there, I would be seriously honoured if someone chose my book and spent time with it, with me, after all, every word on those pages came from me. I will use this blog to talk about various parts of the book, of the writing process, the story behind the story, etc. In this post, I'd like to talk about 'why love and fireflies'. 

Before this story begins, Malina is a single mother to an inquisitive daughter, Sofia. When Sofia asked how she came to be, Malina had to invent a story and she invented one called Love and Fireflies. I've had to write the whole tale for myself, but it does not feature in the book. Who knows, maybe someday I will write the story about how Skyler and Malina met, for now, I have the tale she told her daughter. It is based on truth - Malina would never lie - but it does use poetic justice and reality is changed so that is suitable to a curious six-year-old. The row truth would have damaged the poor kid - Skyler and Malina met during the war in Bosnia, where they had a teenage, summer fling, under the bullets and dangers of war. He was a UN soldier who had to move on. She was a local who had to stay behind. 

19 years later, Malina and Sofia travel to the other side of the world, to Hawaii, to meet Skyler. This is where the story begins, but the tale of Love and Fireflies lived on, motivating Sofia every day. Malina never knew what kind of effect the tale had on her daughter. She just thought that Sofia wants to meet Skyler because he's her father. But the first time Skyler and Sofia meet and talk, Sofia asks about the truth behind 'Love and Fireflies'. Unfortunately, Skyler doesn't know how to give her the truth. This will come up again in the second part of the story ('Relationship') but in this first part, this most important factor is completely ignored. It is mentioned once, and that's it. Because that's what we do in life. We miss out on the most important parts, always focusing on the most obvious parts, and no matter how hard we try, we can't seem to get our minds to think about what's important, not only what's obvious. Maybe that's fine, but it is there.

In short, Malina told her daughter a tale called 'Love and Fireflies' because she wanted to give her what she needed, what she asked for, while also protecting her. That tale stayed with Sofia forever, etched deep within her. And that tale is the anchor of the whole story. Without that tale, this story wouldn't exist.