In the Angelborn series, I created a world in which angels don't have souls. Souls are unique to  humans and require a human mother. Angelborn—half-angels born to an angel with a human father—don't have souls either. The only way for them to get one is to "bind" with a human and become their soul mate.

Writing stories in this world opens up a lot of possibilities, and part of the inspiration for book two, Angelfall, was the question of what would happen if an angel and an angelborn fell in love? Neither has a soul, but the consequences are much steeper for the angelborn. I'd introduced the character of Wren in book one as an angelborn stuck in the Wasteland and knew that I wanted to tell his story in book two. This required delving deeper into angel politics, life in the angel city of Euphoria, and their background and history. 

And while I'm not a historical writer, the fact that these angelic beings are ancient and have been coming to earth for eons was also really interesting to me. Which human events could really have been caused by conflicts invisible to us? If there are super powered beings among us, could that be the real reason behind natural disasters like typhoons and earthquakes? I play around with the cause of the devastating 1906 San Francisco earthquake in this book, an event I've always been fascinated by because it occurred on my birthday. Also because I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for a few years and it's still one of my favorite places. 

I don’t remember the exact moment the story first came to me, but it was one of those times when I had to stop what I was doing, find a notebook and pen and start scribbling immediately. I saw two characters, new to the human world, exploring life and then something very tragic happened which had huge consequences not just for them, but for thousands and thousands of people. The story came out really quickly as the characters took on lives of their own. Here’s an exclusive excerpt from Angelfall. 

“We should go,” Lyrix says.

“But we still have half a cycle left on our shift.”

“No, Wren, I mean we should go to the human world. We should experience what it’s like.”

Thrills of excitement and fear thread their way through me. But the more I’m around her, the 

more questions I have. My memories of being among humans are locked away. Touch, smell, 

taste—these are all just vague notions. I blocked them from my mind in order to survive in 

Euphoria without them, but now I wonder. What human form would Lyrix choose? What would 

she smell like? What would she feel like?

“Go together?” I ask, needing to be sure.

“Of course. It seems like a frightening thing to do alone, but it would be an adventure with 

you.”

“An adventure?” I repeat dumbly.

“Like this.” She holds up a bit of data. “‘Italian prince, Rodolfo Velluvio—first to climb Mt. 

Zailaniryana. He made it to the top in three weeks and planted his flag at the summit.’ We could 

be like that, going where no one has gone before and planting our flags.”

“Angels have gone to the human world for millions of cycles.”

“Yes, but never together. Think of all the things we could experience.”

I focus back on my section of the stream, the longing within me having no place to go. “It 

would be dangerous.”

"Other angelborn have gone, have they not?"

"Yes, there are those who have risked life away from the Flame. But remember, it is different 

for us. Away from the Flame our powers eventually fade to nothing. We become fully human 

with no souls. Some are lucky—they fall in love with a human and bind with them to share their 

soul. They're reborn together, two bodies with one soul, again and again, but others..." I shake 

my head, and Lyrix's light weakens, her sadness over that grim fate apparent.

“It won't get to that point, Wren. We would be sure to return before your powers diminished. 

I wouldn’t risk you dying there soulless and being sent to the Wasteland.”

“Would the Seraphim even allow it?”

She grabs my arm with both hands, startling me into dropping the pearl I’d just picked up. As 

humans, we could touch all the time and no one would think anything of it. No one would darken 

with disapproval or stare the way they do here when Lyrix brushes against me. Plus, I would be 

able to feel it with skin and muscle and bone, far more deeply than even my light-made-solid 

angel form could. But if that wasn’t enough to sway me, the emphatic voice she uses does it.

“I have to be back for the next Adjustment," she says. "Until then, I can do what I like—I 

don’t see why exploring the human world would be off limits.” She fades sharply. The sight 

wounds me. “It is my duty to become a Seraph—my destiny. This will be my only chance to ever 

experience real life. Please say you will come with me.”

I cover her hands with my own, trapping her against me. Though I’m aware of the contact 

between us, it isn’t true sensation. There’s no temperature, no texture. The most we can 

experience here is a just a shadow of what it would be like with human bodies.

I would never have done it on my own, but Lyrix’s pleading makes me realize how much I 

want to. Perhaps have always wanted to.

“Yes, I’ll go with you,” I say.

She shines, making no attempt to hide her feelings or fit in with the rest. For a moment, I 

give up the pretense as well. We gleam, both of us, until we’re brighter than the Eternal Flame.