Discuss the World You’ve Created For the Book
My philosophy toward world building is that, if a detail doesn’t contribute to the story, the characters, or the atmosphere, it has no reason to be included. The result of this is that, even after three books, the world of The Ricochet Trilogy is vague in places, and absolutely open to interpretation, but clearly defined in others.
“The True Adventurer,” the final book in The Ricochet Trilogy, is a space opera and war story that spans an entire universe. The book is set thousands of years in the future, and depicts a time where humanity has settled on thousands of different planets. There are no aliens in this setting, but each planet still has its own unique culture, subcultures, and geography. The weapons and ships are high-tech and capable of incredible feats, while other technological advancements are on the sillier sides. The two dominant forces in this universe are The Cykebian Empire, an ancient and massive imperialistic force with a rigid class system, and The Utozex Authority, a relatively smaller, more recently assembled legion of allied worlds who believe a meritocracy is the path to a utopia.
In spite of how far off in the future the book is set, with so many worlds, some of them more closely resemble modern human society than others. Some people attend familiar seeming universities and attend boy band concerts, while others spend their days serving as guards on space stations designed to house the universe’s most dangerous criminals. And, while “The True Adventurer” is a sci-fi story first and foremost, it also contains a single magical element in the form of the strange, eponymous power wielded by the book’s hero, Layla N’gwa, as well as several other characters. With the power of The True Adventuer being such a rarity, most other major combatants in this universe rely on a combination of genetic engineering and cybernetic upgrades.
Layla’s former friend, Kaya Langstone Bythora-the boy-band-loving cyborg princess of the Cykebian Empire-has embraced being evil since killing Yael, and now acts as the ultimate sword of her mother, Empress Molina. With Kaya’s help, her mother will become the absolute ruler of the universe by winning the war with the Utozin Authority. Kaya wishes she wasn’t doomed to be a monster but feels resigned to her fate and just seeks acceptance from her only friend, Layla.
Layla loves her new life, but she can’t stand back and watch as Kaya is used as a weapon and her old professor conquers planet after planet. As a war rages with the fate of all life in the balance, Layla and Kaya find themselves on opposite sides. Kaya may be the most powerful cyborg ever designed, but Layla has some new tricks up her sleeve. Has absolute order snuffed out all freedom, or is there still room among the stars for a little chaos? Only together can Layla and Kaya find the answer.
Excerpt
Good morning, human!
I yawned as I sat up in my bed and stretched my arms out, reaching for the sun. “Good morning, Juri.”
Leaping out of bed and greeting the day, I pulled my curtains open to reveal the beautiful sky. It was a perfect, light shade of magenta that made the stunning cobalt sun stand out even more than it usually did as it rose.
Proquenna was a beautiful world, with fabulous flora and adorable fauna, and Fexxa University’s campus was the prettiest spot on the whole planet. Every student here was an elite artist, and we were all permitted to put up our pieces wherever we wanted. The shelves in my own dorm room were, of course, filled exclusively with some of my awesome creations, but once I stepped out into the dormitory halls, and especially once I stepped outside the building, I couldn’t turn around without seeing a masterpiece of a painting or sculpture created by one of my peers or instructors.
It had been the perfect environment for me to study and truly hone my craft. Thanks to the instruction of Ms. Bunny, the reading assignments others might have skimmed through, and the vast resources offered by the school, I wasn’t the same glassblower I’d been a year ago.
This school was everything I’d always dreamed of. By the time I graduated in three years, I was going to be renowned as one of the best glassblowers in the universe. I may have valued the craft over gidgits, but if I did get super rich off of my work, I’d be able to rub it in g-gma’s face. Hopefully, she’d gotten over the whole blackmail thing and wasn’t plotting to kill me.
What are you standing around for? Juri asked. Get dressed and go get us some foooooood!
I nodded. Under different circumstances, I might have.
As an Autistic, bisexual trans woman, diversity and inclusion in stories are vitally important to her, and she seeks to represent as many groups as possible in her work. While she wants to show characters of marginalized groups experiencing joy, she also draws inspiration from real-world problems which bother her.
The Sunrisers was her debut novel. The Order of the Banshee is book 2 in the The Ricochet Trilogy. Robyn was the author in residence for the first quarter of 2022 for Cinnabar Moth Literary Collections. She writes novels and short stories of all genres and for all ages, and she continues to produce comic books. Her ongoing series, Final Gamble, began publication by Band of Bards in 2022.
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Robyn-Singer/author/B0BCVQ8JJ6
Publisher Author Page: https://cinnabarmoth.com/robyn-singer/
Giveaway
The author will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner.
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ReplyDeleteThis looks like an awesome read. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI liked the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteThe cover looks great. Sounds like a good read.
ReplyDeleteGreat excerpt and giveaway. :)
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a very interesting book.
ReplyDeleteI like the cover!
ReplyDelete