The Velocity of Revolution
Page 38
“I was . . . told to be here for you.”
“By a. . . . His voice?”
Paulei nodded. “I’m still not sure what’s happening. Or what’s going to happen. Or even what I think should happen, if I’m being honest. But I want to do something.”
“There’s so much work left to do,” Lathéi said quietly.
He gestured to his cycle, parked on the curb. “You ready to go?”
She got on behind him, grabbing his waist. “So where are we going?”
The radio on his cycle sparked to life, and three voices spoke in perfect unison.
To join a better tomorrow.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
So this was a very different ride.
After writing twelve interbraided novels set in Maradaine, juggling four different series threads to come together into something resembling a finale, I had the idea that I should take a break.
Only I would define “a break” as “writing a completely different kind of fantasy novel, completely out of all my comfort zones, in a brand-new setting, doing all the new worldbuilding from scratch.”
There’s a reason I’m on a podcast called “Worldbuilding for Masochists.”
That podcast proved to be such a critical catalyst in the creation of this book, and I have to give so much thanks and gratitude to my past and present co-hosts—Rowenna Miller, Cass Morris, and Alexandra Rowland—for being such absolute pillars of support and fountains of good ideas. Many of the conversations we’ve had on the podcast were reflected back into the work in this book, challenging my presumptions and driving me to more interesting choices. On top of that, we had a number of great guests who all provided insight and wisdom that I tried, to the best of my ability, to apply to the work here, including and not limited to Fonda Lee, Jenn Lyons, Tasha Suri, S. A. Chakraborty, K. A. Doore, Andrea Stewart, K. Tempest Bradford, Sarah Guan, K. S. Villoso, and several more. All of them helped me write a better book than I would have written a year ago.
And the year I was writing this, well . . . most of the writing took place in 2020, which hopefully will go down in the history books as “that terrible year” as opposed to “The Beginning of the Aftertimes.” But continuing to write in 2020 required patience and support, and I was very fortunate to have quite a lot of both. Some of that support came from patrons and fans, like Victoria Luther and Ember Randall. Some came from dear old friends like Nilda de la Llata, who was so kind as to host me for a mini-retreat (well before the pandemic) in Guanajuato, a city that provided a lot of insight and inspiration for Ziaparr.
Of course, as usual, I relied heavily on my publishing team, including my agent Mike Kabongo (who was all in when I said I had a weird idea with motorcycles and psychic mushrooms), my editor Sheila Gilbert, and everyone at DAW and Penguin Random House: Betsy, Katie, Josh, Leah, Alexis, and Stephanie, plus countless others whose names I don’t know. Artist Matt Griffin created a gorgeous cover which I just adored the moment I saw it.
Daniel J. Fawcett, as usual, has been the best sounding board for Big Ideas that someone could ask for, and Miriam Robinson Gould went above and beyond as first reader, helping me shape this book into something tighter and stronger, and helping me see what, exactly, the book I wrote actually was.
On top of that, my family remains a source of strength and inspiration. This includes my parents Nancy and Lou, and my mother-in-law Kateri. And, of course, my wife Deidre, who dove deep into this project, more than any other one, helping with research and concepts, being my guide through Guanajuato, Mexico City, and all her home country.
And finally, my son Nicholas, who provided the initial spark that set this story ablaze. I had gone with him to a specialty shop to buy a pair of raw denim jeans, and in the middle of the shop was a vintage motorcycle, seemingly built out of spare parts, with a denim-clad mannikin on it. He pointed it out and said, “Hey, why can’t fantasy look like that?”
Yeah, why can’t it?
So I made it look like that. For him. And hopefully for you as well.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Marshall Ryan Maresca is a fantasy and science-fiction writer, author of the Maradaine Saga: four braided series set amid the bustling streets and crime-ridden districts of the exotic city called Maradaine, which includes The Thorn of Dentonhill, A Murder of Mages, The Holver Alley Crew, and The Way of the Shield. He is also the author of the upcoming Velocity of Revolution, and has been a playwright, an actor, a delivery driver, and an amateur chef.
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