Why Eva Caye Wrote ABILITY

I knew Princess Brielle Sinclair would be special ever since I wrote about her mother Vivian, who died after a ‘stelluric’ accident while pregnant with her (featured in Evan’s Ladies, Book #6.5). Brielle is a significant secondary character in Morality (Book #8), and her unique disability becomes perceived as an ability when she helps the stargate scientists mitigate a nuclear meltdown.

The theme of Ability is that women are fully as capable as men, as Lieutenant Brielle, the first female navigator in the Sinclair Demesnes’ Service, exemplifies. However, I use her unique ability to perceive stelluric currents to make all kinds of speculations, from how scientific experiments affect humans in unexpected ways, to how ‘willpower’ and the gravity of such things as oaths affect human bodies.

But the most abiding reason why I wrote the book was to honor my cousin’s daughter and her husband, to whom I dedicated Ability.  After suffering a spinal injury from an IED in Afghanistan, Staff Sergeant Alex Dillmann returned to two brutal years of treatment and therapy and now uses a wheelchair.

That doesn’t stop him from anything, apparently!  He drives himself to his job, goes to school, and just fathered a bright baby boy with his wife, Holly. He even plans to teach his baby how to skydive someday! Why not? He goes deep sea fishing with friends, marathons in an arm-powered reclining bike (you can’t believe his biceps!), and donates gobs of time to Homes For Our Troops, an organization that had his marvelously wheelchair-accessible house tricked out in just about every imaginable way for him.

Unfortunately, since Brielle is the main character, I had to make Zak, the man she falls for, rather a ‘beta male’, different in many ways from Alex. But the essence of the book remains true to life: veterans, no matter what their injury, can still contribute highly to society, if given the accommodations and help they need.

That’s why, all throughout my To Be Sinclair series, I give the greatest respect to the Service and model how I think Servicemen should be treated. From Felice’s work designing chips for prostheses, to Victor’s Service, through the service of three of their sons and several of their grandchildren including the future Emperor, I promote the nobility of a practical, education-oriented Service that cares for all its members, equally. An essay in Fealty (Book #3) expresses my most solemn thoughts on the matter:

A life dedicated to Service is the perfect fulfillment of our potential as human beings.

Eva Caye can build a rocket stove, tat lace, handle a gun, design book covers and permaculture garden plans, and teach teenagers critical thinking.  Her favorite activities include writing science fiction romance and playing with her doggies.  She currently lives with her magnificent husband and two fabulous mutts in Louisville, Kentucky.

Blog   Facebook   Twitter    Google+   Amazon Central    Payhip – Eva  Smashwords

I’d like to thank Eva for stopping by and sharing her moving story behind the story! So, readers, is there someone in your life who has ability beyond what people can see?

I love comments so much that I pick a favorite to receive my monthly AnaBanana gift basket ($25 value).  (And don’t forget that once a quarter I’ll be tossing in something fun from the Perilously Fun Shop!) Recipient is announced the first blog post of the new month.

Perilously yours,

Pauline