The Space Between the Waves and the Stars

One of the questions I’ve gotten a lot when talking to readers is what the title actually means. Sure Between the Waves and the Stars sounds pretty and all, but what’s the deal with it? What is it?

When I was coming up with the title I was going through dozens of ideas, but as soon as I wrote out Between the Waves and the Stars, something just clicked. Looking at Kiko’s story (both where it was at the time and where it was supposed to go) the waves were meant to be the stuff that happens to us every day. Life, basically. Sometimes you’re in that right spot to catch something amazing. Other times the waves are messy or too small, like where we find Kiko in Chapter 1. Then other times they just knock you flat. You don’t always get to control that.

The stars are the dreams. Those big, glowing “someday” things that a lot of times can feel way too far away to even imagine reaching. Everyone has their own version of them, and sometimes they shift the closer you get. Stars “change” with the seasons. Stars “change” based on where you are in the world. Stars can even blow up in a huge supernova explosion. 

But then there’s the space in between, where we actually live. This is the space where we figure out who we are and what we want. Not every wave is going to line up perfectly. Not every dream is going to come true. But if you sit around waiting for the perfect wave, like Kiko at the start of his story, you’ll miss all the other chances passing right in front of you, like Rafe and Avery took.

That middle space is frustrating. It can be lonely at times. It can feel endless. But it’s also where everything happens. It’s where you learn, where you mess up, and where you hopefully get to try again. It’s where you start shaping the life you want instead of waiting for it to magically appear.

So what does your space "between the waves and the stars” look like right now?