Alex Kingsley is joining us today to talk about their novel, Empress of Dust. Here’s the publisher’s description:
Harvard is small, anxious, and plagued by a constant tremor, which is not an ideal combination for a desert scavenger. He and his crew are under constant threat of desertwalker attacks, and Harvard is nearly useless against them.
When the biggest mistake of Harvard’s life separates him from his crew, he must learn the secrets of the desert beasts in order to survive the dangers of the dusts. Returning to Bastion with a surprising ally, Harvard is forced to choose between saving his crew or allying with the “monsters” who rescued him.
Harvard never saw himself as a hero, but when the beasts of the dusts implore him to aid their rescue mission, he holds the lives of crabs and humans alike in his trembling hands.
What’s Alex’s favorite bit?
My favorite bit of Empress of Dust is the scene that I refer to in my notes as the BDM — Big Damn Moment. I like it because it combines all the things that made writing this book so fun: it’s illuminating of character, it’s sweet, it’s funny, and it involves crabs (most of the novel involves crabs, but there is the occasional crabless moment).
For context, this is a story about a future where most species have evolved into some form of crab. I allowed myself to have a lot of fun imagining these carcine hybrid creatures, and I really hope I don’t send any evolutionary biologists into a frenzy because I sometimes get a little silly. My crabs and not like other girls (or, rather, other crabs). They have telepathy and magic blood and such.
At this point in the story, the main character, Harvard has been captured by the titular Empress and her guardian, Skrack, who require a service from him. But when the Empress’s scouts report his crew is in danger, Harvard draws the line — he won’t continue to help the Empress unless she lets him try to save his friends.
One of the reasons that I love Harvard is that he is not very brave. He’s not particularly strong or smart or anything that he wishes he was. So it’s a really big deal for him to make a stand. Above all else, Harvard cares, and I think this scene is where we see that care most prominently. He may not be able to stand up for himself, but goodman it, he will stand up for his friends.
And then he gets mobbed by tiny crabs because they love him and don’t want him to leave.
This leads me to my other favorite part about this moment, which and the way that the Empress and Skrack respond. Skrack was pretty clear about the fact that the consequences for Harvard’s rebellion will be that he gets eaten by the hatchlings, but the hatchlings don’t seem too interested in doing that. According to the Empress, this is because the hatchlings have grown fond of him, and according to Skrack this is because his flesh disgusts them.
Skrack just makes me laugh. I have enjoyed writing him so much. I love a cynical giant crab who can’t admit that maybe possibly his children have come to like a human of all things.
The last thing I really love about the scene is the way I picture it in my head. Harvard doesn’t make it two seconds before the crabs bring him down, and then he’s just trapped under a mass of tiny crabs because they love him and want to shower him with tiny gifts.
On a process level, I have a lot of affection for this scene, because it is an example of the way that my beloved writers group has helped me develop this story. I am part of a group informally titled the Silent Notetakers Writers’ Collective (so named because we often say to each other, “I’m listening, I promise, I’m just being quiet because I’m taking notes”) and their input has been crucial to my development as a writer. The members of SNWC were the first people to read the first chapter of this novel, back when it looked entirely different and I had no idea where it was going. They’ve been so important to shaping not only this story, but the way I approach storytelling on the whole. It was one of those members who dubbed this scene a Big Damn Moment, and that’s how I started referring to it in my notes. It was originally a less significant scene, but my writers group convinced me that if I made it more dramatic, it could be a pivotal character moment for Harvard. I’m very happy with how the scene turned out, and very thankful to everyone who helped me get the story to its finished form.
I’m so thrilled for people to be able to read this scene (and also the rest of them) so soon when the book is out!
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BIO:
Alex Kingsley (they/them) is a writer, comedian, game designer, and playwright. They are a co-founder of the new media company Strong Branch Productions, where they write and direct sci-fi comedy podcast The Stench of Adventure and other shows. Their debut novel Empress of Dust will be published by Space Wizard Science Fantasy in Fall 2024. Their short fiction has appeared in Translunar Travelers Lounge, Radon Journal, The Storage Papers, and more. In 2023 they published their short story collection, The Strange Garden and Other Weird Tales. Alex’s sci-fi plays have been produced in LA, Philadelphia, and Chicago. Alex’s SFF-related non-fiction has appeared in Interstellar Flight Magazine and Ancillary Review of Books. Their games can be downloaded pay-what-you-will at alexyquest.itch.io.
