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Hey, readers! Thanks for the kind words about my Amethyst mini! Final issue came out a month ago and I believe the trade comes out in March. Now that it's done, I want to talk a little about what motivated me to tell this story.
For the past few years I've been grappling with the existential question, "How do you ensure you're not simply a product of your environment?"
Say you were raised to do good in the world. What if the GOOD you were taught was actually pretty bad? Would you notice? Would you be willing to face it, even if that knowledge tarnished happy memories or alienated you from your loved ones?
An inability to see past what has been presented to you. I see this as the root to so many problems. White privilege, for instance. Controlling religions. Abuse that begets more abuse. And yeah, toxic patriotism.
We learn these things from family and community, but stories are also guilty of modeling bad as good. We build off what was written before us when we should probably rethink much of it.
Not to pick on Bridgerton, which I enjoyed, but the plot repeats the ol' faithful "This bad guy is actually a good guy, just be sweeter to him" scenario.
I once did a story like that too; it's just what we know. The exciting part (to me) is we have this huge need for all-new stories that buck those trends--that redefine love and goodness and power.
Not saying I succeeded in doing all that with Amethyst. I don't think it's a story's job to solve the world's problems. But as I saw it, Amy Winston demonstrated what it means to be a hero when she broke past her programming, despite knowing it would turn her life upside down.
She had to relearn what was right and wrong, who her real friends were, and who SHE was. Her identity stripped away, that little spark still remains...the need to fight for the good of others. In a sense, she honors her upbringing, the way she originally understood it.
Anyway, 2020 was a painful year, and I hope my little story offered a fun escape with just an ounce of thoughtfulness. I didn't want to hit anyone over the head with it!
