The Dream That Inspired Final Life

Every story has an origin. For Final Life, mine started with a dream. Actually, several dreams. And they were terrifying!

From Lawyer to Writer

When I finally decided to take the leap from lawyer to writer, I wasn't entirely sure what I wanted to write.

My first thought was to write about the Garcia family drama. I mean, every family has stories, right? And I certainly had plenty of material. 😂

Then I thought better of it. I still wanted my family to speak to me when the book came out. 😅 And truly, I didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings.

So... back to the drawing board I went! And that's when I remembered a series of dreams I'd had when I was in college.

The Dreams I Never Forgot

In the dreams, I was being chased by an evil being. I didn't know who he was or why he was after me. I never even saw his face. I only knew that I needed to get away from him.

One of the dreams in particular stayed with me.

I was standing in the middle of a red desert. The being was behind me, holding a knife to my throat- ACK! And then I woke up.

Here's the really creepy part: my throat hurt!

Even after all these years, I still remember that painful feeling. As frightening as those dreams were, the writer in me started looking at them differently.

Instead of thinking about what they meant for me, I started asking questions.

What if this happened to a girl in a story?

Who was the girl? Who was the evil being chasing her? Why did he want to unalive her? And, most importantly...

How was she going to survive?

Dominique's Story Begins

Those questions eventually led me to Dominique, the heroine of Final Life.

Her story begins with terrifying visions she can't explain—visions of a crimson desert and a sinister presence that seems to be after her.

As Dominique searches for answers, she begins to figure out that what she's experiencing may be connected to something much bigger than she ever imagined.

Her past.

And possibly even lives she's lived before!

The dreams I'd had in college sparked the story. From there, my imagination took over, and the world of Final Life began to grow.

The Beginning of Something Much Bigger

Final Life became the first book in a four-book series and my first published novel. I love that story so much! And years later, the characters and family connections that began there would grow into something much bigger… the Garciaverse.

A series of terrifying dreams in college eventually helped inspire a book. That book became a series. And that series became the beginning of an entire universe of stories.

🌹 Rose