"What happened to you is not your fault."

"I hope survivors of childhood abuse can find their voices and reject shame and guilt that properly belongs to abusers and enablers."

Abuse and survival
Family dysfunction
Resilience and healing
Truth and identity
Forgiveness and redemption

"Children Born of Wildfire is a tragic, moving, occasionally amusing, and absolutely compelling story. Perfectly striking that incredibly difficult balance between presenting a life few of us can truly imagine, with enough humor to allow the reader a breath or two, Angela keeps you dying to find out what came next. Bravely revealing the darkness of growing up in a dysfunctional and abusive family, Children Born of Wildfire takes you on an intense emotional journey, ultimately demonstrating the amazing strength of two sisters who, against all odds, found a path to normality and happiness." -Nicholas Harvey, USA Today bestselling mystery and thriller author

"Children Born of Wildfire is an epic tale that dives into a dark world of childhood betrayal and abuse, and emerges onto the path of healing through resilience, love, forgiveness and faith. A remarkable journey." -Victress Hitchcock, author of A Tree with My Name on it, and
Who Knew? 23 Poems on Aging

"I was glad to have had the opportunity to read an advance copy of Angela Hoy's heartbreakingly honest debut memoir, Children Born of Wildfire. Angela describes how she (age 4) and her younger sister Janie (age 2) were abducted from their home and their loving father. After the kidnapping they had a chaotic childhood, experiencing much physical, emotional, verbal, and sexual abuse. But as adults, healing came through a remarkable turn of events. This is, ultimately, a hopeful story of resilience and the power of forgiveness." -Diane Papalia Zappa, author of The Married Widow, and Dear Bobby: My Grief Journey

"I have heard countless childhood stories across my years working in chaplaincy and pastoral care. At times, the tales people tell of their early years are proverbial 'rainbows and lollipops' stories, and to be honest, I tend to question their validity. I have learnt that no one has a perfect upbringing, and there are life stories I've heard over the years that have been unbelievably traumatic.
Very rarely do people recall, reconcile, and skillfully retell their past with any kind of heartfelt coherence. Why? Because integrating our losses and pain is a lifelong soul-crafting undertaking. Thankfully, there is a growing body of survivors, like Angela Hoy, author of "Children Born of Wildfire", who are penning their memoirs and sharing hope for healing."
-David Tensen, author of The Wrestle, Winters Never Last, and The Kid Without a Costume

"Angela Hoy's Children Born of Wildfire is a raw and exquisitely rendered memoir that burns with both sorrow and grace. From the haunting first pages, Hoy invites readers into the labyrinth of her early life with prose that is at once lyrical and unflinching. Her storytelling is magnetic—layered with vivid memories, sharp emotional insight, and a narrative voice so authentic, it feels like a private conversation with an old friend who has endured the unimaginable and come through with wisdom, wit, and a kind of bruised beauty.
Hoy's writing pulses with clarity and poetic strength. Each chapter—whether recounting a terrifying childhood nightmare, a harrowing betrayal, or a fleeting moment of warmth—is composed with masterful precision and emotional depth. This memoir, weaving memory with reflection, and unveiling the hard truths of trauma, is mesmerizing. Despite the heartbreak that threads through its pages, it is never gratuitous. Instead, Hoy offers her story with compassion, humor, and a profound sense of revelatory purpose.
Most powerful is her unwavering honesty. There is no artifice here, no sensationalism— only a deeply relatable human voice seeking to understand, to heal, and to illuminate the hidden lives of children who survive under the weight of abuse and silence. In doing so, Hoy gives voice not just to her own singular past, but to the experiences of countless others who are still finding the courage to speak.
Children Born of Wildfire is brave, beautifully written, and profoundly moving. Angela Hoy has not just written a memoir; she has crafted a legacy of survival, strength, and truth." -Ger Killeen, author of Signs Following, and A Stone That Will Leap Over the Waves

"Not once did reading such a heavy topic make me want to turn away. Indeed, I could not stop reading it.
What a powerful message for others being mistreated." -Jeff Burnside, investigative journalist and author