Blog Tour: To Ashes We Run

Running From Your Problems

“I can’t do this.”

“I’ve let it go for too long already.”

“It will be hard.”

“It won’t make a difference anyways.”

…I’ve thought these things on many occasions. Recognizing this pattern in myself is probably what wove the theme into To Ashes We Run so strongly. It was kind of like confronting and understanding a flaw in myself by unfolding it all on a grand scale in a world that was (at the time) only real to me. I could use story to show myself what might happen if a pattern of avoidance was never changed.

In TAWR, Adisa (our contagonist) has a problem in the form of a witch. He thinks she’s a small problem that will disappear on its own, so he pretends she doesn’t exist. But the problem only grows and becomes stronger, more dangerous.

So he runs away. He escapes discomfort for a short time, and he thinks he’s avoided any repercussions…but problems don’t disappear. They fester.

Adisa’s “little problem” begins to affect more and more people. Others’ lives are altered and put in danger because he keeps running away from something that would have been much simpler to face in the beginning.

But changing a pattern in yourself is incredibly difficult. It doesn’t just happen. Adisa only begins to see that change is possible when he meets Dieon, our protagonist. Dieon is his opposite. If a problem arises, he faces it. He doesn’t let it negatively dictate his life.

Sometimes the harshest wakeup call is when we see someone so different from ourselves. It can be bitter, but it can also be the strongest instigator of change. Adisa hates Dieon at first. He doesn’t realize that it’s because he sees Dieon as the person he once wanted to be.

This knowledge forces him to consider how out of hand his problem has become…but it can be incredibly difficult to stop running and do what needs to be done. Especially when it feels like things have spiraled out of control.

When it feels like no matter what you do, the only thing waiting for you is ashes.

Writing TAWR taught me to have the courage to face things I wouldn’t have before. My gut still flips and my brain still tries to ignore it, but I know that if I avoid these things, they will become problems. And problems left alone become ashes in your wake.

My one hope is that, besides enjoying the story, those who read TAWR will walk away with the courage to face whatever obstacle is casting a shadow on their life. To be a Dieon in a world of Adisa’s. To lean into their problem with bravery rather than run away.

Because on the other side of your problem is a stronger, more confident you. 🙂