The Story I Needed to Tell

Why I Wrote Fleeting Fires

There are stories we carry long before they ever reach the page, and Fleeting Fires was one of those for me.

Amara’s journey—the love she’s wary of, the pain she’s learned to protect herself from, and the courage it takes to open her heart again—was a story I needed to tell.

I wrote Fleeting Fires because I wanted to explore what it means to reclaim yourself after heartbreak, to trust again when every instinct tells you not to, and to find strength in vulnerability. Amara’s choices, her hesitations, and her small victories reflect the resilience we all carry in our own lives.

This book is deeply personal—not just because of the characters, but because writing it allowed me to pour in parts of myself: the moments of fear, desire, hope, and quiet triumph that shape who we are. Amara’s story is sensual, emotional, and honest, and it gave me a space to explore these themes in a way that felt raw and true.

My own experiences informed her story. Throughout my life, I’ve found myself at crossroads, wondering why love never fully came to my doorstep in its raw, barebones truth. I’ve had long-term relationships that dwindled—whether by my fault, theirs, a mix, or simply fate. I often told my partners I was meant to be a transitional person: someone to take them from where they were to where they were meant to be.

That was the only way I could explain to myself why, after giving my completeness, I still felt unseen, unheard, or misunderstood.

After years of people encouraging me to tell my story, and finding myself at yet another crossroad, I decided to put my thoughts to paper.

Fleeting Fires became the vessel for that journey—a story about resilience, desire, and the transformative power of opening your heart again.

Even fleeting sparks—love, passion, connection—can leave a lasting mark, and some fires are meant to change us.

I also created The Emberlight Chronicles because I’ve always believed there are three sides to every story: mine, theirs, and the truth.

In this series, I wanted to give Amara a voice in Fleeting Fires and Ethan a voice in Fading Shadows, so readers can experience multiple perspectives. While these stories are drawn from personal reflection, they are not the entire story told—they are fragments of the truths we live with, the choices we make, and the lessons we carry.

Ultimately, The Emberlight Chronicles is about how the past teaches us to either embrace the present or dwell in what was, and how we cannot truly grow without first finding the courage to heal. It’s a journey of love, resilience, and self-discovery—both for the characters and, in many ways, for me as the author.

Author’s Note:

Thank you for taking a moment to walk with me through Amara’s journey. Writing her story reminded me of the resilience we all carry and the sparks that can change us in ways we never expect.

Curious about the moments that linger and the connections that shape us? Explore my thoughts in my blog posts: Fleeting Encounters

or Why Fleeting Encounters Leave Such Lasting Impressions.

Unapologetically yours,

Kenya