O.R. Sykora
Immersive Fiction
Her Author Journey
There are two literary/writing “aha!” moments that stand out in Olivia’s mind from her childhood. The first occurred during an otherwise normal lunch while Olivia and her sisters listened to their mother read The Chronicles of Narnia. They were riveted to the scene in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe when Aslan is sacrificed on the stone table. Horrified, fascinated by the depiction, Olivia remembers her mother seizing the opportunity to teach about allegories, describing the deep connections between the book scene and the biblical description of Christ’s crucifixion. The moment was pivotal. The concept that some stories were created to be enjoyed and understood at multiple depths, a mind-blowing one. From that moment, Olivia has been fascinated with allegorical stories, and C.S. Lewis shot to the top of her favorite authors list. Hannah Hurnard’s classic tale, Hinds’ Feet on High Places, followed a few years later as a significant allegory in Olivia’s life. The book’s strong faith connections spoke to Olivia, and she began watching for further stories that could communicate spiritual truths through accessible, exciting stories.The second moment occurred when a grasshopper poem by e.e. cummings unfolded one morning while Olivia read a required poetry text. The poet’s skill in playing with language and text redefined the boundaries of the written word, sparking a lifelong love of poetry, abstract language, and metaphor.Over the next few decades, Olivia dabbled in crafting poetry, stories, and essays while voraciously reading a variety of genres. She grew to love the allegorical fairy tales of George MacDonald, dove into the writings of C.S. Lewis, and developed an interest in the many versions of the King Arthur tales. She met some success with her poetry while attending university, having several pieces published by the university journal. However, as she began her career as a middle school English teacher, her time for creative writing decreased. She kept her writing passion alive by pouring into the writing and reading lives of her students, challenging them to dig deeply into the books they read and play wildly with words.Everything changed when Olivia learned about an annual writing challenge where adults attempt to write a 50,000-word novel draft in 30 days. Intrigued by the idea, Olivia connected her classes with the student version of the writing challenge. With a degree of trepidation, she decided to write her own novel draft at the same time as her students. The first year she did this, a rollicking adventure developed on her pages, something akin to the novels she had enjoyed as a teen. The next time Olivia completed the challenge, she had a very different story idea in mind, one that called from the echoes of her reading past.The idea ignited one morning while Olivia was studying a Christian devotional passage that compared the biblical book, the Song of Solomon, to the love of God for people. A spark lit, quickly fanning into flame. What if Olivia were to write a tale that told the heart of the Bible in a simple love story? What if the story were one that could be enjoyed on the surface as an adventure, but invited readers to immerse themselves in the depths of allegory? Whispers of King Arthur eras mixed with classic fairy tale lore, and the core concept of Son of the Mountain King was born. Olivia jumped into the writing challenge with both feet and a scrappy outline, and 30 days later, the rough draft of an allegorical fantasy lay printed in a tidy stack on her desk.Although Olivia had a few trusted family members and friends read through the manuscript draft, it was mainly shelved for several years as life changed and other priorities took shape. Olivia and her husband, Greg, had two children, and Olivia retired from teaching to raise their daughters. She began blogging, started a book review/humor account on Instagram, and completed another 30-day writing challenge, now the third manuscript in her collection. But that one allegorical story kept calling to her. Finally, she took the leap to see if an author life was to be part of her journey. After two years of revising, researching, and querying, Olivia received the email that opened an impossible door: an editor at Pelican Book Group was interested in her story. There was a place for a new allegorical fantasy in the modern reader’s world.The first book of the Mountain King trilogy will be released this October, and the second book—an allegory of events described in the biblical book of Revelation—is slated to release next year. Olivia is planning another 30-day writing challenge to draft the third book, and ideas for future allegorical stories are swirling around in her head. Her passion for writing immersive fiction, rooted in the deep stories of her youth, sprouting through her work helping students discover and value their own voices and stories, now flourishes in her desire to weave spiritual insights and ancient biblical literature into new tales of adventure that can be accessed on any level.And the beauty of these kinds of stories? Secular readers enjoy wading through the surface tale, and readers familiar with the Bible can dive for deeper truths. Allegorical fantasies are for today. Because immersive fiction is for everyone.