No one is an island unto themselves. In particular, writers draw upon the inspiration of other authors. For me, my favorite authors growing up were Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Michael Crichton and one oddball in particular, an eccentric American author who could spin a story that seemed equal parts insane and profound—Kurt Vonnegut.
Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five left a searing impression on my mind. It's utterly bonkers and yet based in reality. Rather than sugar-coating war or glamorizing it, Vonnegut exposes the heartache of those who fought for freedom.
I grew up a generation after Vonnegut. For me, the Vietnam War was the dominant conflict of my childhood. I was born toward the end of the war, but my step-father served two tours with the ANZACs in support of the Americans, the first on artillery, the second as an evac medic. It left him scarred and broken. Alcohol enflamed his PTSD, and he took out his trauma on me and my mother. So, for me, writing Dark Beauty was cathartic.
If you read Dark Beauty, please take the time to leave a review as I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on this unconventional story.
