Fire, the Hunger

10 - Interview with Bobbie Kinkead

#1 - What made you decide to tell FIRE stories with the intriguing title 'FIRE, the Hunger'?

When I was a child, I grew up in Colorado and the mountains, my dad cut timber off Highway 24 by Woodland Park, which at that time was not a city. My intrigue with FIRE started then we kept it in the pit and burned our garbage and everything. FIRE was very feared because it would burn the forests and take my dad's job of cutting timber for buildings and making telephone poles.

When my dad retired from that job because lumber was getting scarce in Colorado, we went camping every summer. I think every weekend. My dad loved the outside so did my mom; she was from the small farm in Leman, Colorado.

So my uncles would make this big FIRE in a rock pit; they actually built the pit themselves. They made sure that there were no trees around and no roots. They brought their own timbered logs, cut dry wood. Building one's own pit s not allowed today. Campers are regulated to certain camps, too many holes for pits and too many FIRES left burning, which burns too many forests.

After my Dad or uncles built the FIRE, we watched the warm flames with sparks that danced. When we looked into the air as the flames danced in the darkness. We were never allowed to start the FIRE or to feed it the wood, we did, however, get to roast hot dogs on long sticks and afterward roast marshmallows.

Then the men would sit around the FIRE while the women cleaned up the dishes and put away the foods. Basically, a hunters camp only in the summer with the children and women there. The men sit around the FIRE pit, fed the fire, and talk about the fishing adventures they had during the day. Every now and then, they would drop into hunting adventures that happened in the winter. As kids, we listened and looked into the FIRE.

When the FIRE burnt out, for extra protection, it was either buried with dirt or water poured on the glowing embers. The men smothered FIRE not to escape into our camp or forest. Sometimes the kids got to help kill the FIRE.

FIRE does burn if touched, is entrancing, magically, and will eat any and all we give to the flames. Although FIRE is contained any spark, flame, or ember could turn into a monster.

#2 - Why did you pick the stories you picked?

I wasn't sure if there were any stories that talked about beginning FIRE. I knew there was one about the wheel. From the Public Library and online, I came across about 10 suitable stories. There're a few about the gods Pele and her anger, one Greek Gods, Hephaestus, who used FIRE in his volcanoes, a god that protects FIRE in South America these worked with other stories from the Native Indians in Americas: Hummingbird, Beaver, Grandma Spider to the Monkey who helped a Hunter, who then steals FIRE. Then I ran across the bushmen God Kaang, who warned his people that if the human use FIRE there would be no harmony between the trees, the animals, and humans. They could no longer speak with each other - the premise for the plot. His warning is proven true by the stories and the manner in which I sequel FIRE's appetite.

#3 - What is meant by the premise and how does it work with the plot?

The premise is how the stories are organized to offer the assumption, speculation, belief that is theorized question and assume to be proven or disproven like a scientific hypothesis. These stories or metaphors are to prove FIRE has an appetite that goes beyond what humans imagine.

This warning came from god Kaang, "If humans get their hands on FIRE, there will be no harmony only fear and horror among the animals with the humans." Then I organized the stories to prove Kaang's warning. First, the legend of Goddess Pele's volcanic anger and erupts and that gods hold ignitible FIRE in their volcanoes to make precious jewelry. The humans desire to own FIRE, which is also fueled by their hypnotic enchantment with FIRE's power. Although the animals sought warmth and light, they understood the horrors of FIRE. The humans are beguiled by FIRE and finally steal FIRE without understanding the risks and costs they carry with FIRE's hunger.