The power of redemption is only as strong as the accuracy of the sin portrayed.
~Brian Godawa
I write adult post-apocalyptic science fiction. My stories are often violent, my characters are morally complex, and the language they use is unflinching. I’m writing this to tell you why, and to help you decide if these stories are for you. This is not an apology for the darkness; it is a declaration of its purpose.
Why I Write About a Broken World
As a person of faith, I believe the world is beautiful but also profoundly broken. To ignore the darkness—the violence, the desperation, the moral compromises people make to survive—is to tell an incomplete and dishonest story. My writing is a mirror held up to the grit of a fallen world. I don’t write to glorify violence or despair. I write through it to find what is true, what is resilient, and what is worth fighting for on the other side.
Is This Fiction for You?
My books are for you if you appreciate:
- Exploring hard questions about morality without easy answers.
- Family–biological or found–and the fierce loyalty that binds them together against the odds.
- Meticulous world-building that considers the logistics of survival, from finding clean water to scavenging old-world tech.
- Stories that show the true cost of violence and the scars it leaves behind.
My books are NOT for you if you’re looking for:
- A clean, inspirational, or light-hearted read.
- Characters who are always morally pure.
- Fiction with a simple, straightforward message.
- Stories free of violence, profanity, or bleak situations.
A Note on My Two Worlds
Some of you may know me from my middle-grade fiction, written under Maddie Mozley. The stories I write under Maddie Mozley are for a completely different audience and explore fundamentally different themes.
There’s a passage in Corrie ten Boom’s The Hiding Place that has long guided my thinking on this. As a child, she asks her father about a difficult subject, and he tells her, “Some knowledge is too heavy for children. When you are older and stronger, you can bear it. For now you must trust me to carry it for you.”
When I write for young readers, I see it as my duty to be that parent and carry the heaviest knowledge for them. But my adult fiction is written for those who are “older and stronger” now. It’s for readers who are ready and willing to bear that heavy knowledge alongside me. These books are where we look directly into the darkness, not to despair, but to understand what it takes to stand against it.
Please know that my adult fiction is intended for mature readers only, and the two worlds of my writing are purposefully and respectfully kept distinct.
My Promise to You
I promise never to talk down to you. I’ll give you complex characters, challenging worlds, and stories that linger long after you’ve finished the last page. My focus is on reflecting the messy truth of the human condition, and I promise that any hope you find will be the kind that shines rebelliously in the distance—earned, and all the brighter for the darkness that surrounds it.
~Madeleine
