THE TRUE ADVENTURER
Robyn Singer
GENRE: Science Fiction
BLURB:
Layla N’gwa is finally free to attend art school and live a life of peace. She’s sipping spinach smoothies in the quad with her new friends, attending protests against the ongoing war, and studying to fulfill her dream of becoming a great glassblower.
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:
“What’s our ETA, General?”
“We should be reaching Caldey-Cocoon’s atmosphere in twentyfive minutes, Princess.”
I twirled my hair around my finger. “Splendid.”
The voyage from Cykeb had been peaceful. I’d had ample time to listen to music and shop for art in my room, torture the prisoners I’d brought along with me in the brig, and take advantage of the other amenities my ship offered.
The Winjolla, named after my departed, beloved aunts, was second only to my mothers’ flagship, Ricochet Supreme, in terms of grandeur. 2400 meters in diameter, it was crewed by a staff of 15,000, all of whom I was free to terrorize to my heart’s content, with 30,000 ground troops also living on board.
I’d gotten to design every aspect of my ship, from its weaponry, which was capable of leveling small continents, to its torture chamber, which I prided myself on being the most nightmarish chamber of horrors ever devised—putting even Mother’s past works to shame—to its spa, swimming pool, light squash court, juice bar, and karaoke studio.
The only thing my ship lacked was someone to enjoy all of this with, but my mothers rarely ever left the palace, and there was no one else worthy of my time. I’d tried forcing some of my lessers to have fun with me in the past, but the only enjoyable parts of those experiences had been when I‘d blown their brains out. Being better than and above everyone else could really suck.
On the bright side, I was almost 14. In just over one year, I’d be allowed to make the members of EZ Street my personal concubines. Then I’d never be lonely again.
Plus, the highlight of these trips was always the destination, not the journey. As the crown princess of The Holy Cykebian Empire, and the most advanced cyborg in existence, I had the honor of serving as my mothers’ ultimate sword. If a rebellion took place that our soldiers couldn’t quash themselves, or if initial conquest was met with more resistance than initially anticipated, I was deployed to handle it. I never failed my mothers. I never would.
“Princess, we’ve arrived.”
Grinning from ear to ear, I rose from my chair in the center of the bridge. “Beam me down. I’ll let you know when to deploy the troops across the planet’s surface.”
“Yes, Princess. Understood, Princess.”
My helmsman did as he was told and a moment later, I was standing in the middle of Caldey-Cocoon’s capital city: Jeradoth.
The blood-red sky matched the dirt beneath my boots. Their architecture was cylindrical, all of their buildings the same sickening shade of green. The air stank of cold macaroni and cheese. From what I’d read, their only major export was middle- quality feathers.
I’d only been here five seconds, but I couldn’t fathom what about this pathetic world its people treasured so much that they wouldn’t want to be a part of the empire. It wasn’t as if I was complaining, though. If every world submitted immediately, I’d never get to have any fun.
Interview with Robyn Singer
Have you read anything that made you think differently about fiction?
The Hunter X Hunter manga, and specifically the Chimera Ant story arc. The way it breaks down and subverts the storytelling conventions of the Shonen genre was mind-blowing to me.
How do you select the names of your characters?
It’s really just a matter of what feels right most of the time. Sometimes I’ll do what a lot of writers do, and look at a list of names for inspiration, but more often I simply take a couple minutes to think it over.
Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?
I wouldn’t say so. Fun idea though!
What was your hardest scene to write?
The hardest scene to write in “The True Adventurer” was the opening of Chapter 4. While the first three chapters are largely set up, Chapter 4 is when the action really gets started and, even with a clear outline, I struggled to figure out how I wanted to tackle it.
Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?
The three novels I’ve published are an interconnected trilogy. I don’t currently intend on making my next book a spiritual sequel of any kind, but anything could happen.
What were your goals and intentions in this book, and how well do you feel you achieved them?
My goal with “The True Adventurer” was nothing more than to tell the best story I could. I knew well that I wasn’t going to get rich or famous off of it, and I knew it wasn’t going to be a game-changer for my career. I simply wanted to do right by my characters, and my fans, and I feel like I did the best I could in that regard.
What inspired you to write The True Adventurer?
“The True Adventurer” is the final book in a trilogy that I always knew I wanted to be a trilogy. I prefer longer stories over shorter ones, because I rarely feel like a standalone novel is enough to make me truly care about the characters within it.
Can you tell us a little bit about the next books in The True Adventurer or what you have planned for the future?
Right now, creative writing projects aren’t in sight for me. I’m happily working in journalism right now, and I’m hoping to go back to school soon. I definitely hope to write a new novel or screenplay eventually.
Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in The True Adventurer?
The main characters of “The True Adventurer” are Layla N’gwa and Kaya Bythora-Langstone. Layla is an 18 year-old granola-crunching girl genius with a heroic spirit, while Kaya a 14 year-old princess raised to be a sadistic monster who hates what she is. They live in a harsh and unforgiving universe, but their unusual friendship with one another drives them both to try and make things better.
What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
I love my characters, and I had an amazing time writing all of their interactions with one another, and bringing their stories to a satisfying conclusion.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Robyn Singer is a lifelong New Yorker, and since she was a kid playing with her action figures, all she’s wanted to do is tell stories. She went to SUNY Purchase to get a degree in Playwriting & Screenwriting with a minor in Film and has produced several comic books, but she’s always had her eye on becoming a published novelist.
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.
Connect with Robyn Singer on Amazon
5 comments:
Thanks for sharing. Sounds like good read.
Thank you so much for hosting today.
This looks like a fantastic read. Thanks for sharing.
Looks like a great read.
sounds like a fun one
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