Sunday, August 9, 2015

Are You Nyah Garza

Someone recently asked me, “Are you Nyah Garza?” 

Nyah Garza is the main character in The Pull series. She's a tough no-nonsense, take it or leave it type of woman.

At first I wasn’t certain how to respond (and believe me when I say, this girl is hardly ever at a loss of words!) How can Nyah NOT be Marissa Pedroza? I created her. Her character came alive as I lay in bed one night (another bout of insomnia) and all I could think was, “Would you risk your life for someone else’s child?” I mean really risk it. Not just, hey there’s a child playing in the street kind of thing, but when you have to get dirty, completely involved, when you have to sacrifice every part of who you are as a human being… would you still put yourself and maybe even your loved ones in harms way to save a stranger’s child? If the answer is yes, why? Why would you risk so much for a stranger, with no promise of a payoff?

That was Nyah’s birth. I got up and simply began writing. I discovered that Nyah Garza was not me at all. She was hard where I was soft. She was decisive where I’d contemplate for days. She knew what she wanted and did not question her lack of abilities. And yet, there were characteristics that we shared: We both held the same code of honor, the same belief that the world is more "good" than it is bad, that we all have a part to play in something much larger than what is currently known - and we both had rough beginnings in life, and used those rough beginnings as a motivator to change the world around us.


So, to sum it up. I am not Nyah Garza, but I am her most ardent supporter.

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