I recently had the privilege of reading the novel, "We, the Wildflowers" by L.B Simmons. I was thrilled to converse with the author through social media. "We, the Wildflowers" is a beautiful and tragic story that follows a group of teenagers that find themselves in a group home due to the circumstances that life has dealt them. Immediately they are loyal friends to each other, who fiercely love and protect each other. They are all healing at their own pace and learning to trust each other. Life hands them another tragic experience, that leave everlasting marks on each one. Through the hell that they have dealt and lived with, something beautiful blooms from within. Hence this ever so fitting title, "We,The Wildflowers." This novel rocked my core and I hope everyone reading this novels feels shaken as well.
A million thanks to the author L.B Simmons for writing this beautiful book. Please read below for a Q&A from the author!
1) When did you start to write " We, the Wildflowers?"
Interesting story that. I started writing We, the Wildflowers in 2016, with expected release date of Spring 2017. Unfortunately, my mother, who was so excited for this book, passed away before I was able to finish. I kind of put everything on hold, knowing that the seasons of “Winter” and “Spring” in the book needed to be written. When I was ready, I started back up and it actually ended up being very cathartic for me to write those seasons. I felt every emotion with the characters as I wrote and experienced their story firsthand, and felt pride alongside them when they weathered their storms by the end.
2) What was the inspiration behind your novel?
Having finished my new adult series (Chosen Paths), I had written about death and depression, eating disorders, as well as physical and sexual abuse. My goal with We, the Wildflowers was to share similar stories of character growth that a younger audience could not only relate to, but also connect with in a way to help them during their own times of struggle. And I’m proud to say this book has touched many that have gone through similar situations. It was meant to be a message of hope for youth today, and I’m beyond thrilled that message has been well received.
3) What motivated you to continue to write this story?
I definitely needed motivation at times to continue writing certain parts of the story. Before I started writing We, the Wildflowers, I knew that these characters were going to face some really tough situations. And when writing those scenes, it was hard for me sometimes to continue knowing what I was putting them through. But, I really found motivation knowing that at the end of everything that they went through, they would be stronger and would use what happened to them to change the course of other peoples’ lives. So I really think that’s where I found my strength to continue writing. It wasn’t easy, but knowing where I was going with the story, it was definitely worth it. Each one of these characters really represents something on some sort of level that someone can relate to, and I really grew to love each one of them more than I realized possible.
4)What book changed your life & how?
As cliché as it sounds, the book that really changed my life was Twilight. I had forgotten how much fun reading could be and after devouring that series, I started down the road of reading for enjoyment that I’m still on to this day. And it not only changed my life in the aspect of reading, but because of that book, I eventually found the courage to explore my own author voice, and now my goal is to write books that will change other people’s lives as well.
Thank you for your time, words and WORK L.B Simmons! "We, the Wildflowers" is currently available in our paperback collection! Grab yourself a copy!
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