An Outcast and an Ally by Caitlin Lochner(A Soldier and a Liar #2)
Published by: Swoon Reads
Publication date: April 21st, 2020
Genres: Dystopian, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Dark secrets and conflicting loyalties abound as four superpowered teens are torn apart by war in Caitlin Lochner’s An Outcast and an Ally, the epic YA sequel to A Soldier and a Liar.
Lai, Jay, Al, and Erik are on the run after the military accuses them of being traitors. Tensions between everyone are high, but they have to stick together if they want to survive. And somehow stop the war that’s now in full swing.
But when Erik returns to the rebels to find answers about his past, Lai, Al, and Jay have no choice but to go to the Order―a peace coalition bent on stopping the rebels and dissolving the enmity between gifted and ungifted. However, the longer the war drags on, the more Lai’s long-kept secrets threaten to destroy everything she’s ever worked for. Sparks fly as the team constantly questions whether they can trust one another and everyone tries to navigate a war that will change everything.
Filled with the same high-stakes superpowered action and complex relationships as A Soldier and A Liar, Caitlin’s first book, An Outcast and an Ally brings this story to a dramatic and satisfying close.
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Guest Post - Tips for Writing Science Fiction
Growing up, I always had a very fixed,
narrow idea of what science fiction is. There’d be long scientific explanations
about absolutely everything, most of which I wouldn’t understand, in a world so
technologically changed from the modern-day world, I know that I would have to
swim through a sea of new rules and laws alongside all the science. Because of
this preconceived notion lodged in my head about what science fiction must be,
I didn’t read much until only a few years ago.
It started with reading Cinder of
the Lunar Chronicles series. I didn’t realize it was science fiction when I
picked it up, but the more I read, the more I thought, “Wait, this is
science fiction too?” I loved how things were explained, the world, the way
tech was used. I rarely felt swept up in a sea of explanations so deep I
couldn’t keep my head above water. And then when I read Kij Johnson’s
collection At the Mouth of the River of Bees and read short stories with
sci-fi, I was even more floored by how subtle these elements could be and yet
still make for an effective and engaging science fiction story.
I’m still new to the genre, both in terms
of reading and writing in it. I wish I could talk about techniques in reference
to the long-established and prolific canon, but since I don’t feel well-read
enough to give that kind of topic justice, I thought I’d share instead what I
learned while I was writing and publishing my own first science fiction books.
1. It’s okay not to explain
everything! This took me a while to get used to since I always considered it a
staple of the science fiction genre, but realistically, what everyday person
knows how each bit of technology works? I have no idea how cell phones
function, and yet I use one every single day. Heck, I don’t even know how
simple tech works. So having main characters who aren’t engineers or
science-minded makes sense they wouldn’t explain all the
tech around them. Much like in fantasy, I’ve noticed, just saying that it
exists and this is the way things are and mentioning a few general side notes
to give a better idea of whatever it is you’re explaining—this is okay. Your
world needs to be fully fleshed out, of course (as in any story), but you don’t
have to explain how every aspect of it realistically, scientifically functions.
2. Science doesn’t have to be
the central focus of the story. I feel like this sort of overlaps with my first
tip/lesson learned, but all the technology and advancements can be a part of
the backdrop and worldbuilding without being what the story is About. The
problems don’t have to hinge on science or technology, and they don’t have to
take center stage in the conflict or the characters’ lives.
3. It’s okay to try writing
science fiction and feeling doubtful about whether or not it actually is
sci-fi! To this day, I still feel like some kind of fake when I say A
Soldier and a Liar and An Outcast and an Ally are sci-fi. I feel
like I haven’t read enough science fiction, like I didn’t write the sci-fi staples well enough, to claim that genre. But it isn’t fantasy—everything does
happen scientifically, even if I don’t understand even the basic concepts
of science well enough to explain how. Or at least, I imagine some of these
things possibly being able to happen scientifically some hundreds of years from
now. So wouldn’t that make it a kind of science fiction?
4. Have fun with it! You should
enjoy writing no matter what you’re writing about or what genre you’re writing
in. If you find yourself frustrated trying to figure out how a scientific concept
could realistically work, bogged down in research, or struggling to explain
something, it’s okay to either skip the full-length explanation or else come
back to it later with a fresh mind. Especially with first drafts, you should
enjoy the process, world, and story. Don’t let yourself become fenced in with
what you think science fiction is supposed to be. Write what you love in
the way you love.
Author Bio:I’m a nerd, traveler, and architecture enthusiast who worked as an assistant English teacher in Tokyo for three years before pursuing my MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Central Florida. I love reading and writing anything with magic, adventure, and complex found-family relationships. I can typically be found absorbed in books, games, or manga, or else obsessing over said books, games, and manga.
nice cover
ReplyDeleteThanks for being on the tour! :)
ReplyDeleteMy Pleasure :)
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