Prior to the release of Aperture, Nymeria Publishing had the pleasure of sitting down with our very own S. Caro to discuss her debut novel and the inspiration behind it all. Caro shows the journey of acceptance and unconditional love in her debut novel Aperture, the first book in the Lights Trilogy.
This novel follows Nola as she navigates through college, past trauma, and oh not to mention finding out that she’s a Nephilim. Nola must decide if she will take part in the fight against darkness, all while protecting herself and everyone she holds dear. Will the mysterious man with blue eyes get in her way?
Check out the conversation below and preorder Aperture starting February 28th on nymeriapublishing.com.
“The room is sterile, claustrophobic with too many people - in this case, too many angels and Nephilims –an oversized cherry oak table, and at least eight mesh-backed chairs, perfect for ergonomics. Laine Saint has been in this conference room in the heart of Cross Medical Center more times than she can count, probably more than the number of years she has been on Earth so far.”
-an excerpt from S. Caro’s, Aperture
Nymeria: What was the inspiration behind your book?
S. Caro: I really couldn’t tell you the first moment I was inspired to write this story but I guess it was a combination of things. I love reading fantasy/paranormal books and I really love watching the same kind of genre for TV and movies. And I couldn’t help but be inspired by those stories to create my own and so Nola’s (whose original name was Liz/Iz, long story there) story was born.
Of course, on top of my love for the genre, a lot of moments that Nola goes through, I have gone through as well. She is an extension of myself and so I guess my life, my experiences, what I did and didn’t do, was a huge inspiration behind her story.
N: Who was your favorite character to write for?
S: Nola, who is a part of me, was actually very challenging to write for. It was therapeutic in a way to write her but for those who’ve ever been through therapy, it’s tough. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy getting her story, her words, down on the page.
But outside of Nola, I really enjoyed getting into Blake’s character and his story. Also, Harley, who is Nola’s best friend, was so fun to write about with all of their quirks and the way they were home for Nola when she needs them.
N: What is the key theme and/or message of your book?
S: Aperture is all about Nola’s story, her discovering what she is and coming to terms with what that means for her and those around her. At its core, Aperture is about acceptance of who you are and letting those you love to see you at your core and not being afraid. Because keeping who you are locked up within yourself is detrimental to who you are and the relationships around you. You’d be surprised how much unconditional love surrounds you once you let your light shine, just like Nola does (eventually, lol).
N: What is the significance of the title?
S: Aperture has gone through many title changes. From “Ocean Eyes” on Wattpad, to different scribbled words on the edges of my outline for the first draft. I was getting frustrated that none of them seemed to fit Nola and her story but one night it hit me. Within the story, Nola is an Art History major who loves photography and is a skilled photographer. So I looked up several photography terms and loved what Aperture meant. For those who don’t know, the aperture of a camera controls how much light reaches the lens and thus the image that is produced. It can also control what is in focus, whether it’s what’s at the forefront of the image or the entire image.
Nola has to decide how much light or darkness she wants in her life while also producing light for those in her life. She controls the aperture in her life just like each and every one of us.
N: If you’re planning a sequel, can you share a tiny bit about your plans for it?
S: Aperture is the first in a trilogy, The Lights Trilogy. Without giving any spoilers for this book, I’m really excited for the next two books in the series because of the different changes the story is making. The biggest change that I’m really excited about is that the next book changes character POVs and we get to hear more of another character’s perspective and their story. I can’t wait to get started and to see if my characters decide to follow the ideas that I have or if they decide to take their own path (which of course they tend to do).
N: Do you write while listening to music? If so, what music inspired or accompanied this current book?
S: Absolutely! I cannot write without music. Well, that’s a lie, I have written some of this book without music but my most productive writing sessions are accompanied by music. I have actually created a playlist for this book as well as the next two books on Spotify that I write with. Aperture has some angst and pain but it also has a lot of hope and empowerment so my playlist for this book takes the same kind of path. That being said, there’s a lot of Taylor Swift, Birdy, Sleeping At Last, Jon Bellion… I could go on but I would like to see if you see the different influences of music in Aperture and let me know what songs you felt from Nola’s story.
Aperture will be published in April 2022 by Nymeria Publishing. You can visit nymeriapublishing.com and follow @nymeriapublishing on social media for updates about Aperture’s release.
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