Today, Feathered Quill reviewer Alma Boucher is talking with Angelica Lamb, author of Into the Arms: A Discovery of Truth & Love.

FQ: What motivated you to write Into the Arms: A Discovery of Truth & Love?

LAMB: For many years I had been asked by friends to write. Write about life and what I have seen in the world around me. I have been privileged to see many parts of the world and work very closely with people from all walks of life. I have experienced much and observed much more. Seeing, sensing and feeling the hardship that we go through, often unnecessarily, was ultimately the driving factor of this book. Knowing people for they are and observing them (myself included) believe they are something much less, getting caught up in the merry-go-round called life, can be hard and saddening to observe. There are too few role models in this world showing us another way of living, and I guess I wanted to give that light a voice.

FQ: The novel explores themes of love, healing, and self-discovery—was there one that felt particularly personal to you?

LAMB: It’s an interesting question, and I believe they all roll into one, symbiotically.

Love ~ So often we are taught that love comes and is received from outside of ourselves, or that we direct it outwardly, yet in truth we cannot give something we do not have. It is only with a deep sense of who, and of the love, we innately are, that anything of true substance can arise, grow, or expand…

Healing ~ As we begin to hold deeper standards of self-love, self-care, and self-nurturing for ourselves, our movements become those of healing, self-discovery and love for all involved as they ripple out exponentially…

Self-discovery ~ Life is constantly changing; the pillars and goal-posts are forever being moved, and without a deep knowing and honoring of ourselves we can easily get lost or taken for a ride down the wrong track, which can be costly on all levels…we need to know our North Star and keep our inner compass pointing in the right direction.

All three of these themes are important to explore now and for evermore.

FQ: Which character did you most enjoy bringing to life, and what made them special to write?

LAMB: I guess it has to be Rei. Rei could be any little girl, any older woman, and anyone, of any gender, at any stage of their lives in between. I think her character is so relatable because she clearly loves and wants to be loved for who she truly is. Is this not the story of all of our lives?

Beneath all our facades, all of our stories, is a tender young man or woman, searching for truth, love and the meaning of life. We all crave to be loved; yet often we settle for scraps, when in truth there is, and we are worth, so much more. The significance of Rei’s character is her universality and that made it an absolute pleasure to write about.

FQ: Were there any moments or scenes in the book that were especially difficult to write? What made them challenging?

LAMB: I think contemplating the reality of life can be tough in itself, bringing up moments that we’d rather be left forgotten or issues and fragments of the imagination that we’d rather leave swept under the carpet, but as we see in the novel’s story, doing this serves no purpose other than bringing momentary relief. The repercussions of not dealing with things the first time round are not inconsequential as they only come back round with more vigor the next time we have to deal with them.

The real challenge often comes when being pushed outside of our comfort zone, when being forced to deal with situations we’d rather we didn’t have to. Not in that moment, or anytime soon, anyway!

In writing this book I knew I could not hold back, everything had to be spoken about in full without censorship, there could be no comfort zone. The rawness and realness of its writing is, in the end, what makes it so powerful and relatable because so often we are denied this level of transparency in our every day world.

FQ: How do you create such believable and emotionally resonant characters?

LAMB: A beautiful and very dear friend shared something with me a long time ago that has always stuck. It allowed me to move from being fearful of speaking out loud, to finding my voice in front of hundreds on stage, and not only that but with an abundance of joy whilst doing it, on repeat. They asked me to share what I lived rather than try and project what I thought everyone else needed me to be and wanted me to say.

This aliveness is what is felt throughout the novel. I didn’t try to create any characters, I merely shared my observations of life and its moving parts for all to see in full transparency. The characters we see and know of in life need no embellishing, they are rich and deep, vulnerable and raw, warts and all. There is zero need to create anything, we already have it all.

FQ: Did any real-life experiences or personal insights influence the story or its characters?

LAMB: There are many aspects of the story that were inspired by personal experiences that could be built upon; alongside what I have observed and worked with in others. The fact is that these stories and experiences go on day-in-day-out, yet are rarely spoken about in depth or without dramatization. Being able to feel, see, smell, taste, hear, touch the moments is what brings them alive, it takes you back to moments in time you may have forgotten or purposefully blocked out, and this is why it is so easy to feel like you are walking beside Rei as she takes you through her journey.

There is nothing different about Rei’s story than anyone else’s, it may look different on the outside, but ultimately it’s someone wanting to be loved for who they are, and I think this is something that resonates with us all.

FQ: What is the key message or feeling you hope readers take away from the book?

LAMB: Undoubtedly the message that prevails is that deep down beneath the surface of it all, we are already love. We do not need to go out looking for it to fill us up, we need to nurture it within ourselves first and foremost. Unfortunately we are, more often than not, bought up in families and societies bereft of true love, and often without any intention to do so, damage is done. The odd word spoken in tiredness, the sentence mouthed in jealousy, leave scars that can rip and pull at the heart of every grown adult within.

To come to realize that these moments are not, and never were, personal and that they needn’t become your story or your identity, is a powerful message that everyone should hear. We all deserve to be loved for the incredibleness that we are, nothing less. Full stop. To be encouraged to be spectacular and to flourish no matter what is an important voice we all need to hear.

FQ: How do you strike a balance between romance and the more serious, sometimes painful truths in the story?

LAMB: I think life is a journey, an unfoldment, a return to who we truly are. I think it’s naive to think that it is all plain sailing, and unfortunately, our view of romance is most often corrupted.

Sh*t happens if not to us directly, to those around us, and with that there can be turmoil. In an intimate relationship a mirror is placed in front of our faces, up-close and personal, with little to no escape. I don’t believe that there is anyone that truly sets out to be a monster at heart, yet after many twists and turns and seemingly insurmountable pressure (both from the outside and upon oneself) even the gentlest soul can be used to wield great harm, if they are not willing to look at and take responsibility for their actions and how they are being used, despite their desire to love and be loved.

It’s challenging to admit this of ourselves and of our loved ones; it’s far easier to see it in those we do not know, yet statistically it is within the confines of family, friendships and lovers that the most pain and damage is often caused.

Nonetheless, love is still a journey we are eager to, and cherish embarking upon because we know deep down the power of two, of a union; and the beauty of sharing life with another.

The balance you speak of, is I believe a reflection of the way we live; of knowing what true love can be and of our grappling to get there, to be that, and live it day-in-day-out, however clumsy and perfectly imperfect that may be along the way.

FQ: Are you currently working on a new project, and will it touch on similar themes?

LAMB: I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed writing this book. It bought great purpose and pleasure to my days, to every spare moment and I would love beyond words to write some more. Let’s see what unfolds…

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