Soulmatch, the debut from Rebecca Danzenbaker, is the culmination of five years of work.
The dystopian novel takes place two hundred years after an imagined and devastating World War III. The world is at peace, all thanks to the soul-identification system. Every 18-year-old must report to the government to learn about their past lives, a terrifying process known as kirling. Good souls leave the institute with their inheritance, a career path, and if they’re lucky, a soulmate. Bad souls leave in handcuffs.
It’s a nerve-wracking ordeal for Sivon, who, given her uncanny ability to win every chess match, already suspects her soul isn’t normal. Turns out, she was right to worry. Sivon’s results stun not only her but the entire world, making her the object of public scrutiny and anonymous threats.
Saddled with an infuriating and off-limits bodyguard, Sivon is thrust into a high-stakes game where souls are pawns and rules don’t exist. As deaths mount, Sivon must decipher friend from foe while protecting her heart against impossible odds. One wrong move could destroy the future lives of everyone Sivon loves, and she can’t let that happen, even if they’ll never love her back.
Rebecca Danzenbaker believes in trusting your gut and chasing your dreams. That probably explains her massive career jumps—from teaching elementary school music, to managing a team of twenty-five at Congressional Quarterly, to running an award-winning photography business, to writing young adult novels. When she’s not editing words or photos, she’s either reading, hiking, sending memes to friends, volunteering, planning incredibly detailed travel itineraries, being a goofball on social media, or cheering on her husband and two children as they chase their own dreams.
For this interview, we asked Rebecca Danzenbaker about her world-building, the dystopian genre making a comeback, and the next dream she is planning on chasing now that Soulmatch is out in the world.
2025 seems to be the year of dystopian novels. Why do you think there is a significant appeal of this genre, and how do you believe this applies to Soulmatch? What about the genre do you enjoy as a writer, and maybe, as a reader?
I’m so excited Soulmatch is part of the dystopian resurgence! My love for the genre began in 2010, when I first read The Hunger Games. The recent publication of its prequels probably deserves credit for sparking readers’ nostalgia for dystopian fiction and creating a new generation of fans. What draws me to this genre time and again is imagining how humanity responds to shocking alternative or futuristic versions of our own world, caused by subtle shifts in power, some sort of catastrophe, or technological advancements.
Soulmatch’s premise stems from the latter. In a peaceful post-World War III Washington, D.C., improved camera resolution allows us to zoom in and see the markers of someone’s soul. Those unique patterns are catalogued in a database, reincarnation is scientifically proven, and, because people can inherit talents, fortunes, and prison sentences from their former lives, the government begins mandating soul identification.
The sequence of events feels believable, even inevitable, stirring fears for our future. But dystopian fiction, even with all its corruption and destruction, gives us much-needed hope as we see the characters confront their new challenges and eventually overcome them. As President Snow says, “[Hope] is the only thing stronger than fear.”
In the book, there is a vivid description of a world where characters can see aura colors and recognize their soulmates. I’m curious about your writing process and how it came to be, as well as your thoughts on it, if you’re willing to share.
My main character’s mother can see auras—the metaphysical colors surrounding individuals—and paints them into portraits for celebrities. She cannot, however, read her own daughter’s aura, a perpetually shifting rainbow of colors. Of course, that makes Sivon, Soulmatch’s main character, all the more nervous for her mandated soul identification. Why is her aura so different from everyone else’s?
I included her mother’s aura-reading talent for a few reasons. I wanted Sivon (and readers) to doubt her very soul, setting up the stakes from the first paragraph. Sivon then uses her mother’s aura-interpreting skills during key scenes, pushing the stakes even further. And while plenty of clairvoyants share her mother’s talent, the ability to read people’s colors feels magical, which I hoped would appeal to fantasy readers.
Though clairvoyants cannot see soulmates (at least not that my research has shown), in Soulmatch, soulmate auras merge together. I invented this characteristic while designing my magic system, providing an alternative method for verifying the government’s scientific results and (you guessed it) to build stakes.
Soulmatch has such an elaborate world, and I am curious as to how this book came to be, especially since it took five years, according to your biography.
It’ll actually be fifteen years from inception to publication! I got the idea for Soulmatch in 2010 while driving past a cemetery. I randomly wondered if my former self was buried there and whether we’d someday have the technology to identify our past lives. When I got home, I shared my idea with my husband, and he loved it! The problem? I had two toddlers, a full-time corporate career, and I was building a photography business. Without the time to sit and write, I made occasional notes on world-building while imagining how proof of reincarnation would change society.
If our souls can be born into any body, any nation, any family, how would that change our perception of ourselves and our world? We wouldn’t pass our fortunes to our kids but to our next lives. Would people have children hoping to “strike it rich” with their kids’ inheritances? Would they commit suicide if their lives weren’t going the way they expected, just to start over? How would governments adapt to these changes?
Once I built the parameters, I began sketching characters living in this future, trying to make them relatable. At its heart, Soulmatch is about a girl who doesn’t know what to do with her life—something a lot of us grapple with, even as adults. Good thing for Sivon, the government can tell her who she is. Or can they?
What did you learn about yourself before drafting, and what did you learn about yourself now that it’s published? How has your identity translated to the different versions of yourself seen in your other roles, such as photographer and teacher?
I wrote the first draft of Soulmatch during the 2020 COVID shutdown, after learning that I am terrible at relaxing. Whenever I watch a TV show or movie, or if I sit down to read a physical book, I feel guilty, like I’m wasting time. I didn’t know what to do with myself once I’d mastered bread baking and pottery painting, so I resolved to write the novel I’d dreamt about for ten years.
Though I blog for my photography business, I hadn’t written creatively since high school, and had forgotten how much I enjoyed it. The writing part was fun, the process of publishing it… whew, that was tough. I already knew how dog-headed I could be in pursuit of my dreams, but starting a portrait studio didn’t prepare me for the emotional rollercoaster I was about to ride.
First came the rejections, painful yet necessary. They meant my writing wasn’t hitting, and the story needed more work. Even after I got an agent (yay!), Soulmatch underwent six months of revisions before going on submission (oof). Then months, a year, and even more months passed while I anxiously waited for news from editors. We received many kind words but no offers. Dystopian wasn’t selling… until, finally, it was. I’ve always been a patient person, but publishing taught me perseverance. I was constantly telling myself, “It will happen,” and “Do not give up.” It did because I didn’t.
What is the next dream you hope to chase?
I’m a lifelong learner and believe in trusting your gut when it comes to exploring new ventures, so I can’t say for sure. Perhaps I’ll try writing a new genre? Screenwriting? Or maybe I’ll stumble into some entirely different field. Hmm… you know, I still regret giving up art after elementary school. And just think of the money I could save on character art!
Is there anything else you’d like to share that I haven’t addressed?
In Soulmatch, my main character only wins by recruiting a trusted team to her side. Writing for me was much like that. What started as a solo endeavor to pass the hours and quell COVID-inspired panic attacks quickly evolved into a group effort. Dozens of friends, fellow writers, and publishing professionals have played invaluable roles in publishing Soulmatch. I am so grateful to everyone who believed in me and this story. Their support and advice were invaluable.
I hope Sivon inspires people to be bold and brave in the face of uncertainty. I hope her journey also reminds readers that we cannot succeed without each other. Throughout history, each generation has lived through its own version of dystopian times. Heck, I feel like I’m on my seventh or eighth myself. We will see this through, and we will do it together.
“Carry forth.”
Soulmatch is available now to purchase.
Sabrina Blandon has a Bachelor of Arts in English & Creative Writing from New York University. Avid reader herself and literary advocate, she has interviewed over 60 authors from New York Times bestselling ones to debut authors for Her Author Spotlight blog series for Her Campus NYU and Her Campus Hofstra. She loves exploring everything New York City has to offer and is a major foodie. She is currently working at the Entertainment Group for Rubenstein Public Relations with aspirations of learning the tricks and trades of the media world.
