LAKEVIEW — Losing their jobs to a vicious fire turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Ruby Fitzgerald and Jaime Coates.
The two artists met while waiting tables at ROCKS Lakeview, which closed for renovations after a fire spread through the building at 3463 N. Broadway in February. The renovated restaurant does not have a set reopening date yet, but final inspections will soon be underway, owners said.
In the days after the fire customers and friends rallied to raise more than $35,000 for the displaced employees, and together, Fitzgerald and Coates used their money to follow their dreams.
In June, the pair published the first novel in a young adult fantasy series Fitzgerald has worked on for years. The "Descendants of War" series revolves around the red-headed and true-hearted Aurora, whose extraordinary powers are the only hope of bringing peace to the magical humans known as Descendants.
Like her main character, Fitzgerald knows what it feels like to have a plan (or, in Aurora's case, a foretold prophecy) and have it dashed. When she was 17, Fitzgerald was in a car crash that left her with a severe back injury, unable to walk.
"Everything I'd been focused on kind of got thrown back at me," Fitzgerald said. "I always wanted to go to college and do the normal path, and I really had to refocus."
She tried moving to Chicago, but was relegated back home when she reinjured her back. While confined to her bed during the recovery, "that's when the series really took off," Fitzgerald said.
In two years, she wrote the first two books in the series and started drafts for more. She got a job as a server at ROCKS Lakeview, where close-knit employees often felt like family.
There, she met Coates, who worked as a production assistant in Los Angeles for a decade, trying to launch her film career. When Hollywood failed to produce the opportunities she sought, Coates decided to give Chicago a try.
She kept her ear out for great ideas, and when she found out Fitzgerald was working on a fantasy series, Coates jumped at the chance.
"She really shows the power of humanity in this book," Coates said of Fitzgerald. "Politically speaking, the world is in a very serious position right now, and she gives us solutions to fix it in our everyday lives. You can go outside and plant a seed, and you've got the same magic as in our book."
Finally, they talked it over during dinner at Eataly last year, the day after Valentine's Day. They shook hands, agreeing to publish "Harmonies of War" together.
That night, ROCKS Lakeview went up in flames.
"Having that torn away from us was really jarring," Fitzgerald said. "Fire just steals everything. That's how I felt; I felt like we were robbed."
Within days, owners George Manta and Tim Shepardson had organized a fundraiser at the North Center ROCKS with the hopes of helping out the 35 staff members that suddenly found themselves out of work.
Between the fundraiser and a GoFundMe campaign, they raised more than $35,000. In addition to giving them the money, the owners chartered a bus one night to take the whole group to a free Bulls game.
"They were making sure we were all good, checking in on us," Coates said. "Tim and George really did us a solid, not just for financial reasons, but also emotionally."
Fitzgerald and Coates were left at a crossroads, unsure of whether they should follow through with their plans for "Descendants of War," or fall back on less inspiring — but more financially secure — alternatives.
They decided to take the leap, publishing "Harmonies of War" worldwide both as a hard copy and on Amazon Kindle. Fans have reacted positively, particularly in Asia, and Fitzgerald has time to continue writing while working at a chiropractic clinic.
"It's just mind-blowing," Fitzgerald said of becoming a published author. "As a little girl, there's no way I would have thought I could have a book in my hands that was mine."
Coates springboarded the success with the first book to launch her own production company, Soldier Bear Entertainment. Already, she has two documentaries in the works.
"Before I started working at ROCKS, I said hopefully this is the last job I have to have before I can do what I want to do," Coates said.
And with any luck, that's just what they'll continue to do.
