As our tiny, ravenous (but growing) fanbase already knows, the Argren universe will grow by ONE novel this spring with the release of Argren Blue, the first in a prequel trilogy to Spirit Sight. This novel tells the origin story of Oss’stera, “our struggle”, the tiny, ravenous (but also growing) group of All’oss rebels fighting the Vollen Empire. Spirit Sight readers will be thrilled to recognize some of the characters who play pivotal roles in that novel, along with a foreshadowing of the political and cultural forces that will drive the action of the anchor “Spirit Song” trilogy.
Fans cannot help but notice that Argren Blue lists me as co-author. This has raised an obvious question – how do Ross and I write together? The answer is simple – we don’t. Allow me to explain my role in this adventure.
People who work with me describe me charitably as a “broad perspective” person as opposed to a project person (i.e. the actually getting shit done person). As the author of Spirit Sight, Ross is the get shit done person. He has already created a world in which a patriarchal, authoritarian society oppresses a more egalitarian, collectivist people that decide to fight back.
As he laid out the characters and plotline for the prequel Argren Blue, we had long discussions about what the emergence of this conflict would look like. My role is to bolster a series of thought experiments. Since all cultures rely on a shared paradigm of how the world works, what would you expect to see when these basic assumptions are challenged? Does each culture incorporate the new perspective, or double-down on their current worldview? Is it different for the oppressor vs. the oppressed? What tensions emerge when some see change as freedom and others see only anarchy? We have found that these lively discussions are best conducted over beers and squeaky cheese.
One of the most exciting questions to emerge from these discussions is: what is the role of imperial women in the dominant patriarchal culture? What would it look like when Vollen women access power and influence? I have one word for you – Desulti. Stay tuned for the next blog on this topic.
