a girl who can control the dead...

That’s the power my main character, Chelsan, has in Riser. I wanted to create a futuristic world where a pill allows you to never age, but this young teenage girl can control the dead. Necromancy goes back to Greek and Roman times and I wanted to make Chelsan’s power innate. Not like in the legends and myths about Necromancy where spells and rituals were used, but literally a power she was born with. Of course, even I got sidetracked as the appeal of a scientific world mixed with magic overtook my imagination. Eventually, I came up with a combination of both. Chelsan was given her power as a baby when her father sacrificed himself to save both her and her mother in a powerful ritual.

It makes for a fun and interesting ride, to actually have to think of ways Chelsan has to get out of a dangerous situation using dead things.  From a dead fly to a human corpse, Chelsan puppeteers the deceased to save herself and others from danger. I’m a firm believer in the female lead being the hero of the story. Don’t get me wrong I love a good “Cinderella complex” story like Twilight or Infernal Devices, but my favorite stories are the ones where the girl is the champion, like Buffy or Vampire Academy.

I tried to do that with Riser. In a world where she’s hunted for her powers and she has to protect her loved ones from the men who want them all dead, Chelsan is always the one who saves them. It’s a much bigger burden to be the one who is responsible for the safety of everyone that means anything to her.  Added to the fact that she’s in high school and has to deal with being the “leper” of the school.

I wanted to give a different kind of perspective. A teenage girl with teenage problems, but she also has this huge secret power she has to keep from everyone. A power she could easily use to destroy the bullies and mean girls of the school, but Chelsan’s character would never even think to do something like that. She’s a true hero and let’s face it, she’s kind of bad ass as well, lol.