Evolution Thursday: Krystal Wade

Krystal Wade's morning commute, fifty-miles into and back out of DC, is spent with hitchhikers. No kidding. She has participated in organized hitchhiking for eleven years, which gives her lots of time to flesh out the characters and plots of her Darkness Falls series. Between the love of her life, their three children, and her hours spent stuck in traffic, she somehow manages to find "spare time." It's a good thing too, because she spends it writing, and she's great at it.

Krystal, what gave you the idea for Wilde's Fire?

I've answered this question so many times I feel like a broken record. ;-) Wilde's Fire all started with an image of a young girl in a dense, green forest, reaching out to touch something shimmering. That was all I had.

Do you remember the first scene you wrote?

Well, back when I first tried to write WF, the first scene was Kate running out of her house, late for school. When she backed out of her driveway, someone was standing at the end of it, someone she'd dreamed of her whole life. Now, you've read the book, and you know that's not in there. ;-)

No, it certainly isn't. Did you have a scene that you loved but ended up cutting?

I have more than just a scene, I have the first eight chapters of the book. I also have the last five chapters of the book. Let's just say I cut A LOT. But I think what I left in works well.

It works very well!

When I'm writing, I usually have an a-ha moment, where an insignificant detail becomes something really important. Did you have a moment like that?

I cannot share my a-ha moments with you or anyone. I have them frequently though.

Fair enough. How about where the story took you. Are you surprised? Or if ended up where you planned, were you surprised how you got there?

I am quite surprised with the overall trilogy. I didn't know I had it in me. The book I originally started writing sucked by comparison! LOL

What idea is sitting in the class right now, raising his hand madly, begging you to call on him.

I have an urban fantasy plotted, but recently after seeing a young man arrested on the side of the highway, this story is BEGGING me to write it. I've even pumped up writing in Wilde's Meadow just so I can get to this story. Crazy, right?

Not so much, really. Thank you, Krystal, for participating in Evolution Thursday. Everyone, please check out the trailer and blurb for Wilde's Fire.


“There is no pain in this death, only peace, knowing I am going to die with the one I love the most.” -- Katriona Wilde

Katriona Wilde has never wondered what it would feel like to have everything she’s ever known and loved ripped away, but she is about to find out. When she inadvertently leads her sister and best friend through a portal into a world she’s dreamed of for six years, she finds herself faced with more than just the frightening creatures in front of her. She’s forced to accept a new truth: her entire life has been a lie, and those closest to her have betrayed her. What’s worse, she has no control over her new future, and it’s full of magic and horrors from which nightmares are made. Will she discover and learn to control who she really is in time to save the ones she loves, or will all be lost?

Wilde's Fire is available now from Noble Young Adult.


Next week, my Evolution Thursday guest will be Sasha Summers, talking about her fantasy "Medusa: A Love Story."