The Color of Greed is the second book in the Erebus Tales series. What were some new ideas you wanted to explore in this book that was different from book one?

The first book, Stone Fever, was conceived as a pure adventure Western, geared to a Young Adult audience, and very much action-driven. In The Color of Greed, I wanted to broaden the stakes, the scope and the timeline. So, for instance, this book takes place over several months, compared to the first one in just over a week. SF was set wholly in Antarctica, except for some flashbacks. CoG jumps between life in an Antarctic village during the long dark season and power centers of the Northern Hemisphere.

I also wanted the protagonist to have to make more difficult choices, and to show the resulting consequences.

Keltyn continues to be an enthralling character. What were some challenges you felt were important for her character development?

The fact that she is Native American (actually, the correct term in Canada, where she is from, is Indigenous Peoples) initially striving to succeed in a white-male-dominated field like industrial science. Then she finds herself rescued from near-death and adopted by a poor family in a nomadic village; her loyalties and goals shift dramatically. (Spoiler alert: even more dramatic challenges to come in the finalé, Gifts of a Dark God, to be published 11/21.)

What are some sources you feel informed this novel’s development?

As a traveler to many foreign countries, including several trips to less-affluent parts of the world, I’ve always been interested in what may be described as “cultural anthropology.” This field compares how different societies deal with similar needs, like food, clothing, and shelter, on to more abstract pursuits like art and religion. For more on that, readers may be interested in an ongoing photo-essay series: https://www.instagram.com/StoneFeverBook/

When you throw in the other variable, of how drastic climate change may result in mass forced migrations over hundreds of years, the stage was set for a sci-fi series based on the trope of first contact.

What can readers expect in book three of the Erebus Tales series?

The plot thickens: each of the five point-of-view characters from CoG completes their own narrative arc in this epic finalé that spans two years. Erebus, the mountain god of darkness, will have the final say.

Though mature Y.A. readers will hopefully have been hooked by the first two books, the themes from them are expanded for the benefit of adult readers, and the length is about 20% longer than the first two books.

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