A look into the Dawn of a Rebellion

An interview with the delightful Michelle Lynn, author of the exciting Dawn of Rebellion Trilogy...

Dawn of Rebellion is a young adult dystopian book trilogy that follows the stories of two British sisters as they try to find each other in a strange land.

Gabby has been arrested and sent to a slave camp in what used to be the US. Dawn embarks on a mission to save her sister.

They find more than just each other in this wilderness as they are helped by wild Americans that live among the ruins on a once great nation.

The adventure takes the girls places they never imagined and shapes them into people they never thought they would become.

Can you tell us why you decided to become a writer?

My path to becoming a writer is a little strange. I didn’t grow up scribbling stories or dreaming of my first book. I got a business degree and planned on living out my dreams in a high rise corner office. But life doesn’t care what your dreams are.

An illness that I have suffered with my whole life grew worse and became disabling. I could no longer work outside the home. I was bedridden for about 6 months and that’s when I started to write. I finished my first book during that time and was suddenly in love with something like never before.

I couldn’t imagine not writing. It allowed me to become someone else and live in a different world. In a strange way, it saved me from a depression that could have accompanied my disability.

What do you love most about writing?

Creating the characters. I can mold them into who I wish I was or make them do the things that I can’t. It’s a great feeling to have the ability to be someone else, someone of your own making.

Where do you get you inspiration from?

Everything. My family, my friends, animals, nature, sporting events, books, movies, and so much more.

How would you describe Dawn of Rebellion?

Dawn of Rebellion is an epic adventure. Parts of it are based in history to determine a plausible future so I guess it’s also a little scarey- to see what can become of this world and the people in it.

Why should people read the Dawn of Rebellion trilogy?

In the end, it’s about family. Through all the action and the romance and the history- family is what matters at the end of the day. Your family by blood but also the family you create.

Where did the idea for the series come from?

I’ve always been fascinated by the future. Not the one from movies with robots and fancy gadgets- the plausible future. The one created by us and our lack of understanding when it comes to global warming and the famine and war that will develop because of it. It’s fascinating to study how people and countries will react and what drives someone to evil actions.

What do you expect to accomplish through your books?

I want to provide an escape for people that need it. That’s what the best books do. When you are stressed or depressed, you can open the book and travel to a different world.

What can you tell us about Dawn of Rebellion, without giving away any spoilers?

It’s exciting and that excitement only builds throughout the series. Things get worse and worse and, by the end of the series, a lot of people are dead and everything has change. It’s also very hard to decide who to trust because there are bad people within every group and nothing is ever as it seems.

Which were the easiest and the hardest parts for you to write?

Endings. These are the part of the book you have to get perfect. The first two books end on cliff hangers but I still had to make sure enough threads were tied off and write it so that people would anxiously wait for the next book without feeling dissatisfied or cheated.

Do you have a favorite character, scene or situation in Dawn of Rebellion, and can you tell us why he, she or it is your favorite?

My favorite character is Lee. He is one of the strongest characters and one of the most complex. He has a tragic past and is deeply affected by it. But he is one of the only characters who is wholly good. He keeps people grounded without any speeches or anything, only by his calm and stoic demeanor. I love him in the third book when we get to see him struggle through a new emotion that he doesn’t know what to do with.

What can we expect to see in the next books in the rest of the series?

More action. There are battles and we get to see a lot more of the country. We learn that there are still some inhabited parts and we get to meet the people that live there. We see Gabby start to come in to her own but it’s in a way that Dawn doesn’t agree with. The dynamic between the two of them changes in new ways.

Some stories are what some have taken to calling Message Fiction, due to the fact that there are (conscious or unconscious) messages to be found in those stories. Did you insert any conscious messages in your story, and if so, what do they try to convey?

Nothing is ever black or white so you have to decide what matters to you. You have to decide what kind of person you want to be and not less anyone take that from you.

You also never give up on the ones you love.

And finally, is there anything else that you’d like to add?

I hope you enjoy the story. I didn’t write it to become famous and make money- I wrote it as an escape- for me and for you, the reader.

Thank you very much, Michelle!