THE THORNE CHRONICLES Duology by K. Eason

I discovered K. Eason’s HOW RORY THORNE DESTROYED THE MULTIVERSE though a recommendation by one of my critique partners. The title was so engaging that I couldn’t resist reaching out to K. Eason for an interview. I also found out that the second in the Thorne Chronicles duology, HOW THE MULTIVERSE GOT ITS REVENGE, came out just last October. Have a look:

Rory Thorne is a princess with thirteen fairy blessings, the most important of which is to see through flattery and platitudes. As the eldest daughter, she always imagined she’d inherit her father’s throne and govern the interplanetary Thorne Consortium.

Then her father is assassinated, her mother gives birth to a son, and Rory is betrothed to the prince of a distant world.

When Rory arrives in her new home, she uncovers a treacherous plot to unseat her newly betrothed and usurp his throne. An unscrupulous minister has conspired to name himself Regent to the minor (and somewhat foolish) prince. With only her wits and a small team of allies, Rory must outmaneuver the Regent and rescue the prince.

After avoiding an arranged marriage, thwarting a coup, and inadvertently kick-starting a revolution, Rory Thorne is no longer a princess, but a space pirate.

Her new life is interrupted when Rory and her crew–former royal bodyguards, Thorsdottir and Zhang, and co-conspirator Jaed–encounter an abandoned ship registered under a false name, seemingly fallen victim to attack. As they investigate, they find evidence of vicious technology and arithmancy, alien and far beyond known capabilities.

The only answer to all the destruction is the mysterious, and unexpected, cargo: a rose plant. One that reveals themself to be sentient–and designed as a massive biological weapon. Rose seeks to escape their intended fate, and Rory and her friends must act fast when the attackers return with their superior weaponry.

As the situation gains the attention of an increasing number of alien races, Rory finds herself acting as negotiator and diplomat, in order to save Rose and her friends–and avert an unprecedented war.

Can you explain the “toadwords” and what they are?

Ha. Yes. In my On the Bones of Gods trilogy, cave-toads are the local pests, and the word toad becomes half of many profane expressions–adding “toad” strengthens the sentiment. So not just a f*cker, but a *toadf*cker*, a poor excuse is not bullsh*t, it’s toadsh*t. Cave-toads are ubiquitous in the lower part of the city, not coincidentally where the less affluent folks reside. The main character is both from the lower-middle classes and inclined to profanity, so there are a lot of toadwords.

What an awesome worldbuilding element! I also love your worldbuilding in The Thorne Chronicles. How did you decide which elements of the world needed to stay, and which weren’t serving the overall story?

Whew. I’d love to claim all credit and trot out my writerly wisdom, but truth: my fantastic agent, Lisa Rodgers, makes sure I keep only what serves the story, and she asks lots of questions that help me figure out aspects of the worldbuild I might not’ve thought about. I do keep a file of discarded scenes, though. The details that don’t make it into a book still underpin the world-build, and shape how I tell the parts that do make it in.

That makes sense. What kinds of stories would you like to see more of?

Genre bending/blending/breaking. Interesting/unusual styles and voices. Non-standard POVs or story arcs. Creepy stories. Beautiful stories. OMGWTF stories. Above all: stories that aren’t lazy. Originality is wonderful, but it’s not as important (to me) as a well-told, well-crafted tale.

Hard agree! What is something you would tell your younger writer self and why?

That I didn’t have to write short stories first, as if that is level one of becoming A Writer (™). That an agent does not care if you have a list of short stories published in that query letter. Sure, keep trying the shorts! But also write the novel, because it’s a different set of skills, strengths, and weaknesses.

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