Avara Yaron
I was born and raised in the shadows of the Colorado Rockies. Craving an urban experience, I spent a few years in Boston and New York City, then Los Angeles which held my attention for more than two decades and still feels like home. Fulfilling the dream of a fairytale existence in the forest, I made home surrounded by twenty acres of pine, fir, cedar, oak, and madrone in Southern Oregon. All of these landscapes have inspired me creatively, but none has captured my heart and awakened my passion the way certain tropical islands have.
The Girl Submerged series merges two of the great loves of my life, the islands of Jamaica and Bali. Researching my novels — otherwise known as hiking through jungles and rice fields, encountering remarkable people, and drinking excellent coffee — has been almost as much fun as writing them.
My outlook on life is devotedly, unashamedly, spiritual. Daily meditation is the rock I stand upon. I’ve worked hard to become an eternal optimist, believing everything always works out, knowing we can create a world that works for everyone. Go ahead and call me a dreamer; that’s a title I happily embrace.
I did not set out to write a book. I was a busy single mom, living in Bali as an expat, running two plant-based food cafes I started from scratch, teaching classes about nutrition, and facilitating women’s circles. In the midst of all that, this story happily took over my life. It started pouring through me like a waterfall and hasn’t stopped. I gave birth to the first draft of Surging Tides in two months. After completing the last paragraph I kept writing, realizing Girl Submerged wanted to be a trilogy of novels. Surging Tides: Book 1 went through revisions (many!) before finding its way into your hands. The characters revealed themselves to me more fully with each draft. Twice Ricardo woke me up out of a deep sleep with lines of dialogue, a window into another facet of his personality. I have loved every minute of bringing these characters onto the page. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.
