#BOOKMUSE: To Fight Fire with Sun
- What is the title of your book?
To Fight Fire with Sun - Is it a standalone, part of a series, an anthology, or short story?
- It is a standalone chapbook of poetry
- Would you tantalize readers with a brief synopsis of the story?
- To Fight Fire with Sun (TFFWS) is a collection of poetry that dives into the experiences of love and loss. From conception, we have known love (or the lack thereof) and have grown to understand how this experience makes us the humans we are today. Loss comes in all forms. Whether through a friend, lover, or ourselves, we seek to find some method with which we can understand this pain and heal from it. To Fight Fire with Sun is just that- a queer girl’s exploration into how one can love, lose, and heal through the power of words.
- What inspired this tale?
Though the book contains some poems I have written over the years, it truly started after my close friend, Alexander, passed away in 2020. I remember just having a week from hell and then I got the news that he had passed. I immediately booked a trip to Jamaica to be with our best friend, CC, and I started writing and compiling what is now, To Fight Fire with Sun. - Did you have to do any research – if so, what, and why?
- I mostly had to do some soul-searching with the book. I really had to get deep into my core and write about love and loss.
- Did you learn anything new writing this book – if so, what?
- I learned that I am a force to be reckoned with. I learned that I can truly face my fears, heartaches, and troubles and heal from them with the power of words.
- Is there anything specific you’d like readers to know about this piece of work?
I would like readers to know that they are not alone in their experiences of loss, even when it feels that way. I want them to be able to feel that, somehow, they are seen by reading my poetry. - Is there a moral or idea you’re trying to convey – if yes, what, and why?
- In TFFWS, I try to explore all aspects of love and loss – mainly focusing on loss and however that comes into play in someone’s life. I wanted to do this because we go through loss in many different aspects- through death, loss of friendship, loss of a lover to another. I wanted to be able to capture this in my poetry.
- What was your writing process like? For example, do you use an outline, or do you let the story flow as you write (“pantser”)?
I am a pantser through and through. I don’t write outlines at all. I tried once and failed miserably at it haha. All of my writing just flows when I get an idea. - Do you have a writing routine? Like, do you get your cup of coffee to write in your office silently, or do you prefer to sit on the deck with the radio playing in the background? What atmosphere is conducive to your creativity?
- I can pretty much write anywhere. I just need somewhere quiet and a cup of coffee! I, also, like to say that I need that elusive creative fairy on my side haha
- Where can readers connect with you and purchase your book?
Readers can connect with me on twitter, tiktok, and Instagram – @daandrews_.
I engage with my readers on goodreads as well.
My book is available for sale on major online platforms, like Amazon, and a beautiful BIPOC bookstore, called Amplify Bookstore.