Some stories explore extraordinary powers. Others explore the cost of being different. Adverse Reactions successfully does both, delivering a gripping blend of paranormal suspense, dystopian fiction, and Weird West atmosphere while placing its emotional weight squarely on resilience, identity, and justice. Drawing on a haunting premise, Deborah J. Lightfoot crafts a world where psychokinetic abilities are treated as a crime, and fear is weaponized into persecution.
What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write this book?
I don't remember and can't even guess where the original idea came from. I actually started the book in 2005, but managed only 24,000 words before hitting a wall. I got stuck at the first plot point. So I shoved the manuscript into a file cabinet and returned to writing the epic fantasy that eventually became my six-book Waterspell series. But I never forgot that partial manuscript. Last summer, I unearthed it and read what I'd written 20 years before. What I found in those rough-draft pages—the compelling urgency of it—surprised me.