Hearts on Fire

In the past, many of y'all have asked for a Firefighter book... And here it is! We're here with the book team for a deeper look into the creation of Hearts on Fire (HoF)! Let's get started:

Some players are curious: Will this be a multiverse book?

Yup! We created this book as something within the Open Heart universe, sort of as an homage to TV medical dramas. Grey's Anatomy has Station 19, Chicago Med has Chicago Fire, and now Open Heart has Hearts on Fire. 

That said, we wanted to make sure the characters in Hearts on Fire were distinct and didn't rely too much on OH, despite OH being such a beloved book. We have little nods here and there (and maybe even a couple of cameos…), but otherwise, the firefighters of Engine 57 have their own drama going on.

What can you tell us about the characters in Hearts on Fire?

Your squad is a huge part of your career as a firefighter. It was important to us to give your squad as much importance as your relationship with Shea, and while that could be a difficult balancing act during writing, it was fun getting to explore your friendships with the squad.

We also tried hard to make the characters all distinct. Amelia is your sweetheart best friend who can be a little neurotic at times, while Declan is a flirty playboy with a heart of gold. Lux is the youngest member of the squad, and can be a little immature at times, but is really funny to write due to their sarcastic sense of humor. On the other hand, there's Harold, who was a retiree for about five seconds before he got bored and signed up to be an EMT. He's the squad dad, and contrasting his experience and age with Lux's youthful shenanigans was really fun.

Shea has a history with someone on the squad that's a little bit of a mystery for a while. He and Stephen, who was once a battalion chief on a different squad, always seem to be butting heads… but you won't learn why for quite a few chapters. I'm excited to see people's predictions about what happened between them in the past.

What are some fun/funny challenges that you faced when creating this story?

Staying authentic to the reality of being a firefighter was an interesting challenge, not just for writing, but for art too. We had to handwave some realism or else everyone would have their masks/helmets on the entire time and you won’t be able to see anyone’s faces. The first time you meet Shea, for instance, it's during a rescue; obviously, a responsible firefighter would be wearing their mask to avoid smoke inhalation, but it's kind of important that you're able to see your LI when you customize them.

We had to fudge some stuff on the writing end too. At any given point during our more serious fires in the book, it's implied that there are more than just the handful of firefighters who are working at Engine 57, but because this is a visual novel, we couldn't really show those firefighters without wasting a bunch of time on nameless side characters. The result is that it kind of feels like you're fighting all the fires in Boston with, like, three people. I don't think any salary could be high enough to justify that challenge.

Are there any memorable moments to look forward to?

Absolutely. Because this is a rescue/disaster book as well as a romance, we obviously had to create some really high-stakes moments… and with high-stakes moments come impactful choices. There are a few times in the book where you have to make really heavy choices. In moments of crisis, sometimes you have to choose who lives and who dies, which is obviously a devastating call to have to make.

It's not all serious, though. One thing that's fun about firefighting TV shows is that there will sometimes be really off-the-wall disasters for the squads to cover. There's a chapter about midway through the book that features a… unique situation that your squad is called in to mitigate. You also get to play into some fun firefighter stereotypes. This wouldn't be a firefighting book if we didn't let you pose for a sexy firefighter calendar, or rescue a kitten from a tree.

Is there anything else you want people to know about Hearts on Fire?

Ultimately, this book was a huge group effort, and at its core, it's a book about courage and love. This doesn't just mean romantic love – we tried very hard to emphasize friendship, as well as self-love. The MC has the tendency to put themself in harm's way, and while this can be an act of courage at times, learning to take care of themself is something they have to learn throughout the book.

We may not be saving lives or putting out fires, but camaraderie,teamwork, and self-care are still important in our line of work.

We love you all! It's truly a team effort and we appreciate all who've contributed to Hearts on Fire <3 Experience all the love and action for yourself in tomorrow's book launch!

<3 The Community Team