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catherineldfThis month's guest blog is by new novelist Jacqueline Koyanagi, whose novel Ascension, was recently released by Masque Books. This is definitely going on my TBR list: a starship engineer protag who's queer, disabled, and a woman of color? Count me in! Ascension is on sale in ebook format now but you can also preorder the print version, which is due out in December, here and here. And you can read more about Jacqueline here and see her lovely jewelry at HelixChainmaille.
Guest blog:
I’m delighted to talk about my science-fantasy queer romance, Ascension, and its characters, the crew of the Tangled Axon. At its heart, it’s a story about found family and the lengths people will go to self-actualize, so I thought I’d focus on the characters for this post.
The main character, Alana, is a sky surgeon (starship engineer) who makes plenty of mistakes on her way to finding her place in the world. Because the novel features her emotional journey through chronic illness, poverty, the trauma of loss, and falling in love, I chose to write it in first person and focus entirely on what’s subjectively important to Alana.
That turns out to be her undeniable passion for starships, the Tangled Axon in particular—a passion that borders on sensuality. In fact, she’s so taken with the Tangled Axon that her desire to be on the ship gives her a case of tunnel vision. Still, her innate talent for connecting to the suffering of ailing starships lends her an ability to diagnose and repair them that’s half-mystical in nature.
We learn that this talent is connected to the abilities of her “spirit guide” sister, Nova, who makes a living lending her psycho-spiritual talents to clients. Anything from serving as muse at a writer’s retreat to divining paths to large profit margins at Fortune 500s. She finds Alana’s obsession with starships tiresome and pointless in a world where the need for engineers is becoming obsolete. I’ll let you read the book to find out why!
Alana’s love interest, Captain Tev Helix, has her own traumatic history to contend with in addition to supporting herself and her crew from transport job to transport job. Her initial impression of Alana is that she’s immature and unrealistic, but Alana’s determination and passion turn out to be the very qualities that pluck at Tev’s heart.
Tev’s main concern, however, is saving her beloved pilot, Marre, from disappearing—literally. Marre’s body flickers in and out of existence, layer by layer, piece by piece, and the crew of the Axon is trying to find a way to save her. Even her mind straddles the line between coherent and seemingly psychotic as she tries to hold onto herself.
Alana’s connection to her chronic illness, Tev, the Tangled Axon, Marre, and her sister make up the connective tissue of her journey in Ascension. My hope is that the book reaches readers who want a story about pursuing eudaimonia through a cultivated sense of kinship with people who have struggled to feel safe in broader culture.
The book’s digital edition is currently available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble, but the trade paperback releases in December of this year.
Thank you to Catherine for giving me the opportunity to talk about the book!
Guest blog:
I’m delighted to talk about my science-fantasy queer romance, Ascension, and its characters, the crew of the Tangled Axon. At its heart, it’s a story about found family and the lengths people will go to self-actualize, so I thought I’d focus on the characters for this post.
The main character, Alana, is a sky surgeon (starship engineer) who makes plenty of mistakes on her way to finding her place in the world. Because the novel features her emotional journey through chronic illness, poverty, the trauma of loss, and falling in love, I chose to write it in first person and focus entirely on what’s subjectively important to Alana.
That turns out to be her undeniable passion for starships, the Tangled Axon in particular—a passion that borders on sensuality. In fact, she’s so taken with the Tangled Axon that her desire to be on the ship gives her a case of tunnel vision. Still, her innate talent for connecting to the suffering of ailing starships lends her an ability to diagnose and repair them that’s half-mystical in nature.
We learn that this talent is connected to the abilities of her “spirit guide” sister, Nova, who makes a living lending her psycho-spiritual talents to clients. Anything from serving as muse at a writer’s retreat to divining paths to large profit margins at Fortune 500s. She finds Alana’s obsession with starships tiresome and pointless in a world where the need for engineers is becoming obsolete. I’ll let you read the book to find out why!
Alana’s love interest, Captain Tev Helix, has her own traumatic history to contend with in addition to supporting herself and her crew from transport job to transport job. Her initial impression of Alana is that she’s immature and unrealistic, but Alana’s determination and passion turn out to be the very qualities that pluck at Tev’s heart.
Tev’s main concern, however, is saving her beloved pilot, Marre, from disappearing—literally. Marre’s body flickers in and out of existence, layer by layer, piece by piece, and the crew of the Axon is trying to find a way to save her. Even her mind straddles the line between coherent and seemingly psychotic as she tries to hold onto herself.
Alana’s connection to her chronic illness, Tev, the Tangled Axon, Marre, and her sister make up the connective tissue of her journey in Ascension. My hope is that the book reaches readers who want a story about pursuing eudaimonia through a cultivated sense of kinship with people who have struggled to feel safe in broader culture.
The book’s digital edition is currently available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble, but the trade paperback releases in December of this year.
Thank you to Catherine for giving me the opportunity to talk about the book!