Erin Wilkerson on Natural Disasters and Resilient Space-Bound Teens in Resonate | The Author Talks

BV: Tell us about Resonate and the world in which it’s set.

EW: Resonate is about a group of exceptional teenagers trapped on the moon after civilization collapses back on Earth. It begins with a planet in chaos, constantly plagued with earthquakes, but humanity has found ways of adapting, until, of course, everything falls apart. The story focuses on found family, struggles maintaining relationships, and what it takes to survive. 

BV: What’s the inspiration behind the story?

EW: Twelve years ago, I watched a Nova special on geomagnetic reversals. That got my mind thinking… what if? 

BV: What personal experiences lent themselves to writing Resonate? What cultural influences played a part? 

EW: Meeting my husband! The “chase scene” as it’s being called, was inspired by me actually snatching his wallet, making him chase me around the school, and into the (empty) boy’s bathroom. He was like, “Who is this girl?”. 

I also included snippets of my beloved culture, Judaism, thought-out the story. But I also think there’s a culture of sci fi, which asks: “What else is out there?” “What is possible?” which has deeply had an impact on me my entire life. 

BV: What was your process of writing Resonate like? Did it start with an image, a voice, a concept, a dilemma or something else? 

EW: It started as screenplay I wrote for kicks, then my husband said, “You know, you should make it a book.” So I took his advice.

BV: Was there any special research or knowledge that went into Resonate, especially when it came to the science fiction aspect? 

EW: I had to research a lot on geology, botany, core drilling, and what it is like for researchers at our Arctic science stations, where they can’t leave for months at a time. Also, the moon. Being a space enthusiast, I realized, I didn’t know as much as I thought I did about being on the moon’s surface. So that was fun to explore. 

BV: Out of all the characters, who is your favorite? Who was the most fun to write about? Who was the most difficult? Why?

EW: River. By far. I’m fascinated with anti-heroes and most of my beta readers felt he was the most complicated and “flavorful” character. 

BV: What can you tell us about the main characters? What makes them tick? What do you hope readers will love or notice about them?

EW: Tamar is smart, but unsure of herself. She’s had a religious upbringing that gave her strong conviction, but at the same time, made her feel as though she could never be good enough. Her biggest fear is never amounting to anything.

Ringo is fun, good-looking, a typical pretty boy athlete who likes to play pranks on people when he gets bored. He’s way too cocky for his own good, but is exceptionally loyal to his friends. I hope readers enjoy his excessively extroverted behavior. 

Ginger, Ringo’s best friend, is a mechanical engineer, who has to know everything about everyone. For her, information is safety and she isn’t above spying to get it. I hope readers will see her heart, and how she’s very forgiving.

Ginger says it best—River is an antisocial rich boy with daddy issues who’d prefer to never be bothered, and for everyone to just stay out of his way. I hope readers realize how he always strives for excellence and how, there’s a little bit of River—in us all. 

Big John is loveable, joyful person, but also stoic and thoughtful. I hope readers love how cool his is, with everything. 

BV: What is an interesting fun fact about a side character that only you know OR what’s something fun/random you can tell us about one of them? 

EW: Big John loves riding horses. He breaks them in his spare time. His family owns many of them and have been a huge part in the Houston Rodeo for generations. I wrote him after a nice family down the street from us. We know them because they occasionally ride horses out on the busy Houston streets, which is so awesome. My kids always got a kick out of it. 

BV: What do you hope readers will take away from Resonate? What themes or motifs do you hope will resonate with them?

EW: That you can’t escape suffering. Tamar tries to, but suffering still follows her. She can only do her best to mitigate it through kindness and wisdom. 

That people aren’t always who they seem, in fact, they rarely are. 

And that, no matter how strong you think you are mentally, or how wise you think you come off, or how much you have it all under control—everyone has a melting point to where they are capable of anything. 

BV: Will there be a sequel?

EW: Yes! It is drafted and in the editing phase. 

BV: Are you ready for a few fun questions?

EW: Sure!

BV: If you could assign a theme song to Resonate, what would it be?

EW: There are two songs: Starset by Earthrise and Zella Day by Hypnotic.

BV: If a film were made of your book, who would you cast in the leading roles?

EW: Odeya Rush as Tamar for sure! A resurrected and younger Michael Clark Duncan as Big John. (Because I always pictured him in that role and no one can replace him.) Judah Lewis could be good as River and Jeff Bridges as Professor Duncan.

BV: We’re at the bar and want to order a drink based on your book. What’s it called? What’s in it? 

EW: It’s called “The Earth’s on Fire” and it has cherry, lime, watermelon vodka, vodka, and Midori melon liqueur with a pile of raw sugar sunk at the bottom of it. Light it on fire. Drink it with a straw once out.