The Big Disclaimer

I've struggled with identifying how to phrase this without mentioning any current political figures. While it may seem obvious to many, c. 2025 has turned out to be the year that many of the themes in my work have stepped into reality.

Dear readers, please know that in my mind, the current state of affairs is one that I assume will always have its day, and should be expected in cycles.

(Metaphor) Hey look! A chair waiting for someone to sit down! Otherwise useless, unless filled. This is the role. The person who sits in the role, IS the chair (or the authority imbued by its position).

When I began Shattered Hollows, it was a short story that only included the first chapter of Book 2 (Entangled Binds), and I wrote that in 2015. It was not until later that year that I decided to start fleshing out the work more deeply, working to convey what corruption, xenophobia, and classism would look like in the future (TL;DR: fascism is an inevitable struggle for humanity and is often portrayed in classic science fiction).

In general, I wanted to create a world that had found a way around sexism, racism, and the phobias of sexual inclination -- a world that legitimately does not care about skin color, or who you love...so long as you toe the line. This is an investigation into how power will ultimately attempt to elevate itself using division, whether by value of birth, skillset, or monetary worth (as per usual), and how, without that division, it falls apart.

The political figures of today are/were not the basis of my work, in any way shape or form. The fact that many of the corrupted people in power resemble my characters, is because present day power foci are filling a pre-set role seen in most fascist/demagogue centered societies. Magnus was built to fill the role of puppet master, but if not him, it would have been someone else. The role is what is created over time, before it then becomes a power void that must be filled. No current day politicians or officials are meant to be illustrated in this work. ANY similarity is role-based, NOT person-based. Also, take note that Magnus is actually a genius, and I would not describe the puppets in power in most countries

as the true font of authority today or in the future. As per usual, power is a nesting doll, and the smartest of those in power do their best to stay unknown and unnamed when possible.

My work is thematic and the roles are historically concrete. Any likeness to current figures is incidental and any parallels drawn by the reader belong solely to the reader, as my work does not invite or invest in comparison to the events of today.