I spent a lot of time during my undergrad days studying literature. In fact, I have a minor in the subject, and if my university had allowed it, I would have double majored in a heartbeat. I really enjoy analyzing different aspects of literature, which, more often than not, translates into my own work whether I want it to or not.

I went into Tempered in Ash with a handful of ideas I wanted to focus on—primarily faith, queerness, the man-versus-self conflict, heroism, and love.

FAITH:

Faith is a very tricky thing for me. My connection to the subject of faith has, historically, been pretty weak for most of my life. I grew up going to a Lutheran church occasionally, but it was more like a fun outing for me than a religious experience. I don’t subscribe to the idea that the Christian god is singular, all-powerful, and benevolent. I don’t necessarily doubt his existence, per se, but there’s a lot more out there that I would rather put my faith in. I’ll leave it at that.

Because of the complicated relationship I had with faith at the time of drafting Tempered in Ash, the theme manifested in an exploration of fictional polytheism, where gods were as flawed as their children, and mistakes could be made on a divine level. In the Terrain, faith, much like trust, can be manipulated, abused, gained, and lost. That state of flux extends beyond the pious and affects the gods just as much as it does the everyday citizen. I took a lot of inspiration from classical myths in this regard, because, quite frankly, I think the idea of a perfect, benevolent, all-powerful god(s) is not only unrealistic but boring. In Tempered in Ash, we are introduced to the infighting between the various deities, and this conflict will be central to the story as the series progresses.

Books I’d Recommend:

The Priory of the Orange Tree – Samantha Shannon

This Too Shall Burn – Cat Rector

QUEERNESS:

            Much like faith, queerness is central to the story in Tempered in Ash. The novel itself doesn’t revolve around queerness in a romantic sense—though that is an important aspect overall—rather, the ways that queerness informs our lives as queer people. This is difficult to put into words for people who may not understand, but I’ll do my best.

The entirety of the main party falls under the LGBTQIA+ umbrella, and this was, obviously, intentional. I wanted this group of people to reflect my own life. I have very few straight friends within my social circles, and this is not because I have some hidden hatred for heteronormative people, but because we as humans tend to flock towards people with similar interests, ideals, and values. “Birds of a feather flock together,” as the old saying goes. Even as a teenager, when I had never once considered that I might be queer, I had inadvertently surrounded myself with people who werequeer. As we grew older, each one of my closest friends has slowly come out, and it is not lost on me that we found each other despite the fact that we were all confused, blind, and firmly in the closet.

There is a magnetism within the queer community that I think often brings camaraderie with it. I can usually pick a queer person out of a crowd, and more often than not, if I interact with them, there is a sense of safety there that brings easy smiles and honest conversation.

When I talk about the relationships in Tempered in Ash—particularly Ilde and Joyanna’s relationship—I often mention that Ilde never stood a chance with her queerness. By spending her formative years with a woman who is very clearly a loud and proud butch lesbian, Ilde was silently reminded every day that existing as a queer woman was acceptable. So, in turn, when Ilde meets Madris and realizes that she is part of the same community, Ilde imitates her mentor and ensures that Madris feels the same sense of security and support.

As a community, without fail, this is what queer people do. Sometimes it’s loud, but more often than not, we extend that safety quietly, through small acts of existence and affirmation. Queerness, chosen family, and platonic love are all related in this universe and will remain central to every story I tell.

Books I’d Recommend:

She Who Became the Sun – Shelley Parker Chan

MAN VERSUS SELF:

            Even though there are five POV’s in Tempered in Ash, it is, at its core, Ilde’s story. And the crux of Ilde’s story is the conflict she has with herself. Ilde is a deeply flawed individual. The things she’s been through in her short lifetime have completely rewired her brain. We don’t see much of who she was before, and to be completely honest, I’m not sure Ilde remembers much of who she was, either. For most of the novel, she has a one-track mind. She has done nothing but keep herself distracted with hard, physical training and daydreams of vengeance. She has a hard time admitting feelings of any kind—platonic, romantic, or otherwise. She has put absolutely no conscious emotional effort into forming attachments to the people around her or the place she lives in—and yet we know there is love buried somewhere deep, because she’s painted the front door blue and will follow Joyanna anywhere, even if she can’t admit why.

            The Man vs. Self conflict is very near and dear to my heart. There is a reason they resonate with readers so often, and it’s because we all long to be known and understood, even when we’re at our lowest. Even when we can’t escape our own heads. And even though Ilde’s biggest conflict is with herself, she does not overcome it alone. It isn’t until she begins to see herself through the eyes of her friends that she realizes how far she’s fallen and how important it is to claw her way out.

Despite ending Tempered in Ash on a relatively positive note, Ilde will ultimately battle her own mind for the rest of her life, and this is something I will continue to touch on as the series progresses. 

Books I’d Recommend:

Harrow the Ninth – Tamsyn Muir

HEROISM:

            Heroism is obviously a central theme in the entire series (hence the series title Heroes of the Terrain). I don’t think Ilde would ever consider herself a hero—she would likely scoff at the idea—but she is one, nonetheless. There were many times throughout the narrative, especially toward the end, where Ilde contemplated giving up. As she began to open up more, she lost the single-minded drive for vengeance because she realized that there were other things to live for. Suddenly, the suicide mission that had seemed enticing before was an event that would end her life before it truly started. And yet, despite it all, Ilde chose to continue forward simply because it was the right thing to do. She wasn’t obligated in any way, and the entire party knew that this was a responsibility they didn’t deserve—that’s what makes them heroes. They weren’t superhumanly strong, brave, or influential, but they did the right thing despite all of that.

`           The theme of doing what’s right, even when you shouldn’t need to, is part of what inspired the book. I love a good unlikely hero, and Tempered in Ash is full of them.

Books I’d Recommend:

The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit – J.R.R. Tolkien

The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins

LOVE:

            As we know, every D&D party experiences the found family trope. There was no way I was avoiding that trope with this novel. Without the power of friendship (ha), Ilde never would have overcome her own grief, and without the party banding together, Rholdir likely never would have been defeated. It takes a lot of love to understand someone’s weaknesses and support their strengths, and this kind of understanding is the foundation of every relationship in the series—whether that relationship is platonic or romantic. As humans, I think the best of us are the people who believe wholeheartedly that love heals. Love doesn’t have to be loud, either. Sometimes it is as simple as a smile, a laugh, quiet reassurance, or a gentle touch. Sometimes love is familiarity and consistency. Sometimes love is loyalty. Sometimes love is asking to be friends because you know you’ll both be better for it. Sometimes love is not letting someone sleep afraid and alone.

Books I’d Recommend:

(All of these books demonstrate the kind of strong, gentle, and deeply understanding kind of love I’m talking about—even if some of them feature rather complicated relationships overall).

Providence Girls – Morgan Dante

The Fifth Yanai Series & The Modern Mythos Anomaly – Juniper Lake Fitzgerald

Oblivion’s Hymn – A.J. Peterson

Bloom Town: Genesis & Bloom Town: Exodus – Ally North

Nona the Ninth – Tamsyn Muir