Ask the Author: Circa24
Answered Questions (11)
Circa24
In the beginning, I had intended to take an entirely different path, but Tissi dragged me into her world. That's why I warn people up front that the book will be unsettling.
Too often, enslavement is portrayed as little more than a form of forced labor. However, the greater horror is in its dehumanization, and that was the aspect I wanted to drive home. Every dehumanizing torture and every degradation in the book has precedence in one or more systems of enslavement. I chose the bakery setting because it was one of the most feared fates an enslaved person could endure in the Roman era. Like a sentence to the mines, it hailed a short life and tortuous death. Even the Romans acknowledged this, and it formed a core theme in the picaresque story by Apuleius, The Golden Ass where, in the 9th book, Lucius is sold into labor to drive a baker's mill-wheel.
Torture and degradation of the enslaved have been an accepted form of amusement through the ages and, as in American lynchings, have served as a bonding ritual to unite the empowered community against the subjugated one. I tried to leave out the torture reserved for Deilos, that was reportedly employed by several of the guards at Auschwitz-Birkenau and by the DINA at Villa Grimaldii under Pinochet (hence the names Birki and Rimm). More recently, one American army sergeant was convicted for a similar act of torture (Dishneau 2006, cited in: https://muse.jhu.edu/article/402871/s...). I tried to leave that bit out, but ultimately, I could not ignore the abjections of these victims. (When I substituted a less vial passage, the story didn't read right. However, I tried to temper it with his Harrie "name," Dielos, a double nod, first to the cult of Dionysus and Leto, the twin gods of love whose cult was centered at Delos. Second to Daedalus, the son of Icarus who flew too close to the sun and was a metaphor for truth (Remember: Deilos was a political prisoner, and they are often singled out for more horrific abuses.)
I also wanted to make the terror of the resistance palpable and the acceptance by most of society shocking. Each person who fights the system could be charged with an energy crime and become subject to the same filth and humiliation. Rather than a clear-cut good-guy bad-guy dichotomy, I have some characters awaken slowly to the horrors and others who experience sudden revelations. Like most of us, who don't give two thoughts about the people who make our cheap consumer goods, most people in Silent Consent and Endured just accept the conditions of the Nameless without thinking about their roles, Perhaps our world would be a little better if we asked how and who supports our quality of life, and include future generations in those computations.
Too often, enslavement is portrayed as little more than a form of forced labor. However, the greater horror is in its dehumanization, and that was the aspect I wanted to drive home. Every dehumanizing torture and every degradation in the book has precedence in one or more systems of enslavement. I chose the bakery setting because it was one of the most feared fates an enslaved person could endure in the Roman era. Like a sentence to the mines, it hailed a short life and tortuous death. Even the Romans acknowledged this, and it formed a core theme in the picaresque story by Apuleius, The Golden Ass where, in the 9th book, Lucius is sold into labor to drive a baker's mill-wheel.
Torture and degradation of the enslaved have been an accepted form of amusement through the ages and, as in American lynchings, have served as a bonding ritual to unite the empowered community against the subjugated one. I tried to leave out the torture reserved for Deilos, that was reportedly employed by several of the guards at Auschwitz-Birkenau and by the DINA at Villa Grimaldii under Pinochet (hence the names Birki and Rimm). More recently, one American army sergeant was convicted for a similar act of torture (Dishneau 2006, cited in: https://muse.jhu.edu/article/402871/s...). I tried to leave that bit out, but ultimately, I could not ignore the abjections of these victims. (When I substituted a less vial passage, the story didn't read right. However, I tried to temper it with his Harrie "name," Dielos, a double nod, first to the cult of Dionysus and Leto, the twin gods of love whose cult was centered at Delos. Second to Daedalus, the son of Icarus who flew too close to the sun and was a metaphor for truth (Remember: Deilos was a political prisoner, and they are often singled out for more horrific abuses.)
I also wanted to make the terror of the resistance palpable and the acceptance by most of society shocking. Each person who fights the system could be charged with an energy crime and become subject to the same filth and humiliation. Rather than a clear-cut good-guy bad-guy dichotomy, I have some characters awaken slowly to the horrors and others who experience sudden revelations. Like most of us, who don't give two thoughts about the people who make our cheap consumer goods, most people in Silent Consent and Endured just accept the conditions of the Nameless without thinking about their roles, Perhaps our world would be a little better if we asked how and who supports our quality of life, and include future generations in those computations.
Circa24
Remember, he wasn't just Jackie's student; he was close to her and her second in command on the dig. Their friendship dates back years to when she first worked on his father's ranch. Jackie and Kayla even housed him on occasion. Given these facts, Jackie could easily have given him a spare key to retrieve materials.
Circa24
Believe it or not, I softened my dystopian universe to make the depiction of the future less grim. Considering the collapse of the fossil fuel economy in the Founders' State, I believe conditions in this society could be even more dire than portrayed in the book. Only a handful of carbon-era buildings would likely remain standing, and solar technology might have ceased to exist due to its reliance on our manufacturing capabilities. I wanted to incorporate vaccines into the narrative, but this technology, too, relies on our fossil fuel economy, which has crumbled by the time of the story."
Circa24
Good catch! I chose the name and left any connections a bit ambiguous on purpose. Remember, she will become a "No-name," and lose her right and possession of that caste name. In the Founder's States, there would be no way to reclaim it.
Circa24
Yes, as a matter of fact, I am. I have recently copyrighted a novella based in central and western North Dakota. I still negotiating the final title and format for the publication. At this point, it is a stand-alone mystery, but I hope to integrate it with a follow-up novel next year.
Circa24
The pejorative use of a universal name for an underclass or group of workers happens in multiple traditions. In the United States, African American railroad porters were called "boy" or "George." Irish maids were called "Bridgettes" in the US and England, and Irish men were often referred to as "Patties." (Think of Patty wagons, which may refer to the frequency of Irish arrests in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.)
It struck me that several oppressed populations around the planet were referred to with a word beginning with the letters "Har--." Remembering the above and how Irish women bristled at being referred to as " My Bridgette" by their employers, I was off and running.
It struck me that several oppressed populations around the planet were referred to with a word beginning with the letters "Har--." Remembering the above and how Irish women bristled at being referred to as " My Bridgette" by their employers, I was off and running.
Circa24
I love them all, but Garry, Charlie, and Vera may have a slight edge. Charlie, in particular, refused to bend to my will and took the story in directions that kept altering my universe. Initially, I wanted to write a short story, and Garry ensured that didn't happen. Each time I tried to wrap up his story, he'd nudge me and let me know he wanted people to learn more about him. And Vera's response to her bullies inspired me.
My fondness for the above does not diminish my affection for Jimmy and Carmin. It's fun to construct villains, but the fun begins when they see themselves as heroes.
And no, I'm not hearing voices. Something happens when you're writing. The characters reach a point when their backstories coalesce into solid personalities. At that point, when they cease to be outlines, you're obliged to treat them as partners if you want their stories to ring true.
My fondness for the above does not diminish my affection for Jimmy and Carmin. It's fun to construct villains, but the fun begins when they see themselves as heroes.
And no, I'm not hearing voices. Something happens when you're writing. The characters reach a point when their backstories coalesce into solid personalities. At that point, when they cease to be outlines, you're obliged to treat them as partners if you want their stories to ring true.
Circa24
My father used to say that if everyone could put their troubles in a large pile and we could choose which ones we wanted, most of us would take back our own. I think that goes for fictional worlds too. Interesting ones have lots of drama or absurdity in them, and few make for places we'd really like to live.
Circa24
An author is writing a book and answers this question. Someone publishes the idea before her.
Circa24
The books I enjoy reading indulge in lots of mystery and intrigue. These are not universes I'd particularly like to visit. My father used to say that if everyone could put their troubles into a large pile, most of us would choose to take our own back. I think that also holds for universes.
Circa24
It's the end of August, so I'll flash forward to what I hope to read through the fall. have no idea how good it will be, but "The Language of Thieves" by Martin Puchner about a coded language from Medieval Europe that the Nazis tried to stamp out, caught my eye as did Stasiland by Anna Funder. I am currently finishing Born in Blackness by Howard W. French, and I highly recommend it. The next two novels on my list will be World War Z (I promised a friend I'd give it a try) and Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris, right after I finish Shogun. (I never saw the 1980s mini-series, and I want to have read the book before the remake premiers on Hulu.)
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more