L.K. Simonds
Hi Shani! Thank you for the question. There isn't much similarity between Cami's personality and mine, I'm afraid. I wrote her braver and way more reckless than I am, and I admire those qualities in her. I believe Cami is more self-absorbed than I am (at least I hope she is!)
I will tell you something we shared, though. There's a scene in the first chapter when Cami sees her reflection in a vacant kiosk and has this moment, a moment she's had many times before, when she wonders why she's on the planet because she feels so disconnected from everyone. I drew that moment from personal experience. I used to feel disconnected like that. Here's the strange thing that happened: After I wrote Cami, I didn't feel that way anymore. It was as if I wrote those feelings out of me and into her, as if she were a scapegoat. I wrote the first manuscript for this novel twenty years ago. I think I needed to write it when I did, even though it wasn't published until now.
Thank you again, Shani!
I will tell you something we shared, though. There's a scene in the first chapter when Cami sees her reflection in a vacant kiosk and has this moment, a moment she's had many times before, when she wonders why she's on the planet because she feels so disconnected from everyone. I drew that moment from personal experience. I used to feel disconnected like that. Here's the strange thing that happened: After I wrote Cami, I didn't feel that way anymore. It was as if I wrote those feelings out of me and into her, as if she were a scapegoat. I wrote the first manuscript for this novel twenty years ago. I think I needed to write it when I did, even though it wasn't published until now.
Thank you again, Shani!
More Answered Questions
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more