Behind the Scenes: Inspired

As I mentioned in my previous post, I’m slowly but surely building an online encyclopedia for Eyes of Awakening. (By the way, Book 2 will release late January. Preorders are available! Preorders are incredibly important in determining a book’s overall success, so if you want to support me or any other writer/artist in general, make sure you jump on their preorders!)

Today, I thought I’d add to the EoA encyclopedia by sharing some more specific sources of inspiration for Eye in the Blue Box. I know I went on and on before about how inspiration isn’t the easiest thing to pin down or define. But there are at least some things in my book for which I can recall the precise sources of inspiration, and I thought it’d be fun to share them with ya’ll. Plus, I’m burnt out these days, so why not?

I’ve tried to keep this as spoiler-free as possible, so you’re safe to keep reading whether or not you’ve finished Eye in the Blue Box.

1. The Snake Monster

The snake monster in my book was inspired by Echidna, a monster from Greek mythology known for birthing many other famous mythological creatures, such as Cerberus, the three-headed dog that guards the gates of Hades and made famous by Harry Potter. My fascination with Echidna goes all the way back to the fourth or fifth grade. My mom would often drop me off for school a bit early, and because I’ve always been an introvert, I’d spend the spare time in the school library, where it was much quieter and cozier than the playground. I’d usually nestle into the back aisles and read books until my two best friends got dropped off and wandered in to join me. 

One of my favorite books to read was a children’s bestiary of Greek mythological creatures and gods, and - you guessed it - Echidna was one of my favorite monsters in the book. The fact that she was half woman and half giant snake always fanned the flames of my imagination. There’s just something fascinating about combining different creatures together to create a being that’s both familiar but new and even grotesque. The way she was sketched in the book also caught my eye. I vaguely recall she was in a dark cave and that she had a massive tail that seemed to sprawl out and take up most of the space. 

Call me strange, but I still feel a strong sense of nostalgia whenever I think of this monster. Thinking of her takes me back to that safe place of quiet and solitude in the chilly mornings and that happy anticipation I’d feel as I waited for my friends. I made sure not only to incorporate her into my book but also to give her a crucial role in the plot and characters’ development so that I could commemorate my fondness for her. 

2. Hunters

During my college years at the University of California, Berkeley, I was an ardent member of a traditional Korean drumming group on campus. To my understanding, the group has changed significantly for the better over the years. However, during my time, the group was well-known among Korean students for being the “craziest” out of all the major Korean student groups on campus. I’d agree with that assessment. We were infamous for our binge-drinking and strong personalities, which inspired everything from fear to disgust to admiration from others. We’d drink into the night, exams and schoolwork be damned, then go to karaoke then go back to drinking then drum in the morning. We’d tell each other that drumming was the best cure for a hangover, which, in hindsight, makes no sense whatsoever. 

It was unusual to go longer than a few days without seeing one another for some kind of event, practice, or party. We’d feel deeply betrayed if we weren’t invited to every single thing possible, even impromptu hangouts. Our uber strong personalities combined with all the drinking and the high stress of not only running a student org but also performing for a constant stream of events across the Bay Area meant that we were always at each other’s throats about something. Shouting matches were pretty normal as was getting over it all, sometimes begrudgingly, sometimes after long talks into the night. Passionate love and passionate hate went hand-in-hand in that group.

I truly loved that group, even if it was objectively very toxic. The intensity of its culture matched my own intensity, and it was the first time in my life that I was surrounded by others who loved Korean culture as much as I did. We were a toxic, crazy bunch, but somehow, we also managed to stick together like peas in a pod. 

3. Bloom

Bloom is not a dog. He is a wolf, as many of you well know. But many of his mannerisms as well as his looks were influenced by my love for one dog in particular. And that dog is Koa, who had belonged to my father and crossed the rainbow bridge about a year ago. 

Koa dropped into our lives one day, almost like lightning out of a clear blue sky. I texted my dad one evening as I normally did, and he simply said, “We have a dog now.” And that was that. Except, that dog was very traumatized and, as a result, very aggressive. The first night my dad had him, Koa tried to bite my stepmother. His aggression was bad to the point that they thought they wouldn’t be able to keep him. It didn’t help that he was a big boi, especially for a Jindo dog. Thankfully, my dad, who is also big for his breed, managed to wrestle Koa down and establish dominance. But Koa continued to bark, snarl, and snap at everyone else. 

Naturally, I was very nervous about meeting him. I remember standing in my dad’s bedroom while he went and got Koa to meet me for the first time. Would he try to bite me too?

But then, to our great surprise, Koa came trotting in and, without a single show of aggression, came up to me, gave my crotch several good sniffs, then flopped down onto the floor and showed me his belly, which I promptly petted. “You’re not going to bark?” I remember my dad asking him, wide-eyed. We were both so surprised that he liked me so much and so quickly. He’d never been shown even a hint of that type of affection to anyone else. Every time I’d visit after that, Koa would always run up to me, that unfiltered joy that’s so particular to dogs shining through his expression, and welcome me back. I can still hear his nails clattering across the cement and asphalt as he’d run out to greet me. I can still see the hearts that would stream out of his eyes whenever he laid eyes on me. I still don’t know why that dog loved me so much.

He was also a very athletic dog. My father lives on what is essentially a farm, and Koa would run and run around the property, usually just for fun. He’d lived most of his life cooped up in small apartments that could barely contain a dog his size, so I’m sure he relished his newfound freedom. I remember I was standing by an open door one time. The door was located several feet off the ground outside and led to a vast, empty lot of dirt. As I stood there, enjoying the afternoon sun, I heard a clattering of nails approaching, growing louder and louder, until suddenly Koa whooshed past me and literally sailed out the open door, flying through the air before skidding onto the dirt. Clouds of dirt trailed after him as he took off after the squirrel he’d spotted and continued giving chase. I remember standing still, open-mouthed and completely stunned. I’d just witnessed a dog fly. 

He was as strong as he looked too. There were many other dogs in the neighborhood, and being in a more rural area, they were allowed to roam. Some would wander onto my father’s property once in a while, but not without consequence, for Koa the Great would coming running out, fangs bared and eyeballs dilated, and start a brawl. He defended the property quite well, even on his own and even when outnumbered. I believe he once won a fight against two German Shepherds who had the great misfortune of coming too close to our property. He also won against a small pack of Huskies. He’d lift objects twice his size and weight, even giant pieces of sheet metal, in his never ending quest to rid our land of the pestilence that is squirrels. He never quite won that battle, unfortunately. 

He got bit by a baby rattler and lived to tell the tale without taking even a drop of antipoison. Same story after getting stung by a scorpion. He literally just walked off deadly attacks that would have killed any other dog. My dad would tease him and tell him that he’d turn into a superhero someday.

I loved Koa, and he loved me. I’m sure those of you who have read the book can see the parallels between him and Bloom. I miss that good boi so much.

And if you’d like to meet more of my characters and delve into the surreal world I created, you’ll just have to read the book! That, and I’m very tired, so this is, unfortunately, all I have to offer for today. My apologies that this wasn’t my best blog post, but I feel like we’re a friendly bunch here so I think you’ll understand. After all, effort and vulnerability are far more important than perfection, even in writing. 

But if you do want more, you can also read the interview I did with IndieReader for more fun behind-the-scenes material! Of perhaps you’d like to read the analysis of Eye in the Blue Box’s soundtrack? I put a lot of effort into both, so I hope you’ll check them out if you haven’t. 

As always, I’m grateful for you, my dear reader. If you’re having a hard week like me, know that you’re not alone! We’ll get through it as we always do.