Dramatically Changed by Circumstance
Born Again American: Megan follows a wounded woman and the boy from her past as they reunite and slowly rebuild their lives and each other through friendship, patience, and imperfect healing. What were some sources that informed this novel’s development?
My wife is a country artist who has had several songs on the charts and was nominated for Best Female Artist in country music in 2002, She wrote a song about a decade ago called Born Again American. This is the story behind that song. It was intended to be inspirational, and at the same time, is written as the back story for Megan, one of the main characters in the Tachyon Tunnel series.
Why was Alaska the right setting for Isaac and Megan’s reunion, and how did it shape the emotional tone of the book?
Megan grew up in Alaska and Isaac was a military brat who spent 18 months there during a time when they both were learning to become adults. When he leaves, he continues along his trajectory, but hers is dramatically changed by circumstance. Alaska has significant mental health problems because of the long periods of darkness in the winter. This adds to the storyline.
How did you approach writing addiction and depression with honesty without letting them overwhelm the relationship arc?
The point of the story is not necessarily the depression as much as how solving problems and pulling oneself out of tough situations builds strength and character. The point of the book is not the depression, but instead how determination and belief in something can make a person stronger. Megan is the strongest character in the Tachyon Tunnel series, and this book shows the challenges she had to overcome to rise above and truly build the foundation of that strength. There’s a line from an old Dan Fogelberg song: “When faced with the past, the strongest man cries.” That line explains that strength is built in adversity.
What do you hope readers take away about healing and second chances after finishing the book?
Even the worst situations can be turned into something positive. Just pick a target, focus, and don’t let the chaos around you pull you under.
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Megan Hoglund had every reason to give up. Life shattered around her, family lost, dreams abandoned, and nothing positive to turn her around.
Then one Marine picked her up… and taught her how to save herself.
Megan learned that American Dream doesn’t begin with success, but instead is forged in the hottest furnace, forcing her to rise in the wake of failure.
With discipline, grit, and a spark of genius she once believed was gone forever, Megan rebuilds her body, mind, and spirit. She becomes a fighter, a creator, a visionary, and a woman who refuses to be defined by tragedy. She turns tragedy into strength and renewed purpose.
And in that transformation, she discovers something profound: She is not just surviving.
She is becoming a born-again American.
In the process, Megan crafts a revolutionary technology that could change the world, and discovers the higher she climbs, the more powerful the forces that try to pull her back down.
This is the second in the Born Again American series, telling the early life of Tachyon Tunnel badass, Megan Hoglund.
Posted on January 14, 2026, in Interviews and tagged author, book, book recommendations, book review, Book Reviews, book shelf, bookblogger, books, books to read, Born Again American Megan, ebook, fantasy, fiction, goodreads, indie author, kindle, kobo, literature, Michael Gorton, nook, novel, read, reader, reading, science fiction, story, womens fiction, writer, writing. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment.
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