Jessika Fleck | All’s Fair in Love and War

First off, I am thrilled to be here at Fresh Fiction— I love this website! I’ve
been following for a while, so, add this to the
pinch-me-is-this-really-happening list for this new author.

One of my favorite things about writing YA is the relationships. Because, young love. Le sigh. So many ups and downs, butterflies and roller coaster tummy twirls. It can be exhilarating and confusing and... Bloody. Well, when you’re falling in love happens surrounded by war. In my YA debut, THE CASTAWAYS (Entangled TEEN), my main character, Olive, finds herself stranded on a middle-of-nowhere island, trapped in time and space. Now, this would be horrific enough, but there’s a decade’s long war in full-swing between two groups of kids and Olive lands smack dab in the mix of it. Some might say that a love story doesn’t belong entwined in all of that violence and upheaval. I say, bring it. Because, let’s be honest, don’t the best war stories involve romances? If you’re not so sure, here’s a quick list off the top of my head: The Winner’s Series, Divergent, The Grisha Trilogy, Harry Potter, and Angelfall to name a few. And I’m not only talking modern literature. What about War and Peace and For Whom the Bell Tolls and Les Misérables? Can you imagine those books minus the love stories? (Hint: Don’t try. You might just fall asleep.).

Also, while it’s not a book but still very much a story, lest I forget to
mention the whole Hamilton Musical phenomenon! Alexander Hamilton minus Eliza
Schulyer? No torrid love affair with Maria Reynolds? Don’t even make me go
there! Because when passions are high and the action is hitting the fan, even
with bullets flying, the love story brings us back from the throws of war. Love
humanizes characters. It strips down the shell, the rough exterior that battle
built and gives us flaws and vulnerability. It softens the edges.

Conversely, imagine these particular stories minus the wars. Meh, right?

Love and war works. And it works together in perfect juxtaposition. We could go
so far as to say, in these instances, they rely on and complete each other.
Individually, war... love... they tell great stories, but when blended and
balanced, interwoven as the perfect storm, the outcome can be quite epic. And
who doesn’t want epic?