You Never Gave In: A Guest Post by Ariel Sullivan
A rising rebellion, a dangerous game and an impossible choice. One woman is forced to question everything in this thrilling dystopian romance. Read on for an exclusive essay from author Ariel Sullivan on writing Conform.
Hardcover $30.00
Conform: A Novel
Conform: A Novel
In Stock Online
Hardcover $30.00
In the far future, one young woman finds herself torn between two loves—and two sides of a rebellion boiling under the surface—in the “luminous” (People) first novel of a sweeping dystopian romance series.
In the far future, one young woman finds herself torn between two loves—and two sides of a rebellion boiling under the surface—in the “luminous” (People) first novel of a sweeping dystopian romance series.
To little me,
Who was constantly told to get her head out of the clouds
But made a world in them instead,
Thank you for never giving in.
This is for you.
This is my dedication for Conform and truly where it all began. I moved every two years. As a military brat, my childhood resembled a countrywide tour. The state, base, school, house, room, and friends felt like a revolving door: blink and risk whiplash. One of the few constants was four words, “I want to write.” I uttered this to strangers at every terrified first-day introduction. Palms sweaty, heart racing, and voice shaking as I confessed what I considered a far-fetched dream at best, a delusional daydream at worst. Until it wasn’t. Being published is truly a dream, a childhood dream come true. Each step, benchmark, and message about Conform has felt surreal. A part of me hopes that never changes.
This novel came from a very dark time in my life. I began writing Conform in the depths of COVID while battling debilitating postpartum depression. Now, I fondly call Conform the ladder I built to pull myself out of those dark days. The early days of drafting this novel were chaotic. Conform and the entire Conform universe came to life in writing sprints crammed into pumping sessions, nap times, and school carpool lines. Any longer stretches happened before the sun rose or long after it set as my children slept. As I continue to write, the only thing I need to get the words out is music. The right song for a scene in headphones, incredibly loud, on repeat. But that’s a story for another time.
Six chapters in, I had stopped twice. Both times expanding and deepening the world-building. I added not one, but two, interlocking trilogies to this story during that time. It was vast, wildly ambitious, and unfinished. Still, somewhere along the way, I had fallen in love with the characters, the story, and the idea that this needed to be my first book. The idea that a world that forgets the beautiful in the gray isn’t much of a world at all.
Conform is the first in a nine-book plan, a trilogy of trilogies. The series will explore Emeline’s world and take you back to the aftermath of the Last War. In Beneath, the prequel, out in March, you will meet a whole new cast of characters, struggles, and love stories as you unravel the secrets hidden in the timeline. There will be more twists, thought-provoking questions, and some spice for good measure. I hope you’re ready to go on this adventure with me because this is just the beginning.
I like to think of little me, my heart racing as her voice shook, fearful of more rejection—of more loneliness, with each step on this journey. I imagine taking her sweaty hand in mine as I tell her, You wrote a book, and you plan to write eight more just in this universe. You never gave in.
