Glass House Press

 INAUGURATION BLITZ, DAY TWO!

Moving forward! This week is Glass House's Inauguration Blitz—not annual, since this only happens once every four to eight years! Our … once-every-four-to-eight-years Inauguration Blitz, then. We’re focusing on government, how the country was born, presidential and congressional behavior and ethics, and—most importantly—the idea of revolution. With that in mind, we’ve gathered some of our favorite revolutionary characters for some down-and-dirty answers about their fights, who they’re fighting against, and when they know it's time to stand up and fight for the right side.

First up, we have Aurelia, the famous Firedragon from Mary Fan's Flynn Nightsider series.

1.     So first, the obvious. Tell us about your world. Where do you live? What’s the story there?

I don’t pay much attention in history class, but I’m pretty sure the country I live in, a dictatorship called the Triumvirate of North America, used to be a democracy called the United States. Apparently people back then could actually choose their leaders—crazy, right? Oh, and you know what’s even crazier? I heard that, like, half the population didn’t even vote when they could. What the heck? I’d do anything to have a say in who runs my country.

But that’s old news. For me, the same three old guys have been ruling my world since before I was born. We don’t get to choose that sort of thing anymore.

Anyway, you’re probably wondering how we got here. The answer: monsters. There have always been monsters on Earth, but the Enchanters—a secret group of magic-wielders—kept them at bay. Then one day, the monsters figured out how to open the portal to the supernatural dimension they came from. And suddenly, there were monsters everywhere… Everything from giant beasts that spit fire to evil spirits. It was basically the monster apocalypse. Lots of people died, and civilization fell apart.

Everyone turned to the Enchanters for protection, but they decided they’d only protect the people who obeyed them. So people traded their freedom for safety. The Triumvirate was designed to keep the Enchanters on top and the Norms—people without magic, like me—at the bottom. They get away with this because they claim that only Enchanters can protect people from monsters.

But it’s not true. I’ve been fighting monsters all my life, and I’ve killed more than most Enchanters will ever see. Norms can keep people safe as well as Enchanters can. And I’m gonna prove it.

2.    Got it. And now, the bad guy. Who are you fighting against? And why?

I’ve got two types of bad guys to deal with: Triumvirate monsters and actual monsters.

See, the Triumvirate wants to take all the power for itself and control everything the rest of us do. And all the people in power are Enchanters—a Norm could never get a government position or anything. Now, I’m not saying that all Enchanters are evil. In fact, my best friend is an Enchanter. But all the bad guys in power are Enchanters, and they are nasty. They’ll make you disappear just for saying something they don’t like. I don’t know how many people they’ve killed for trying to change things.

But that’s not gonna stop me. The world deserves better than this. I deserve better than this. I shouldn’t have to live my whole life scared of the people in charge. I shouldn’t be treated like crap because of the way I was born. And so I’m gonna fight with everything I’ve got to take down the Triumvirate and bring about a better world.

But I also have to deal with the actual monsters that still haunt the land. They’re mindless, evil things that just want to eat people and destroy everything. The Triumvirate does protect people from them … but the price they ask is too high. And besides, they’re not the only ones who know how to fight the supernaturals.

3.    What do you think of revolutions, then? Obviously you’re a fan. If you come across a corrupt government or system, do you think it’s your responsibility to fight them?

Duh! I mean, it’s the same with monsters. If there are monsters running all over the place, you take them down so they can’t kill people. If there’s a corrupt government, you take it down so it can’t ruin the world. How’s this even a question???

4.    What’s your goal with your fight? What do you hope to see happen?

All I want is a world where everyone’s treated equally. Where everyone gets a chance at the life they want no matter how they’re born. And where no one gets to treat anyone else like crap just because they were born a certain way.

Enchanters want everyone to believe that they’re better than Norms because they have magic. But it’s not true, and I want a world where no one thinks it is.

5.    Do you think you’ll succeed?

I dunno… The Triumvirate’s super, super powerful. Not only are they in charge of everything, but they’ve got magic. But there are more of us Norms, and I think if more people would just stop being scared and rise up, we’d win.

6.    How do you know you’re doing the right thing? Don’t you think there are a lot of other people who are probably on the other side of the line?

Yeah, lots of people would think I’m crazy. From their point of view, I want to take down the only thing standing between them and the monsters. They’re scared, and they’d rather hole up and pretend nothing’s wrong.

But I know I’m doing the right thing because people deserve to be free. They deserve to live the way they want and be safe. You shouldn’t have to choose.

I’m not just fighting for me. I’m fighting for all those scared people, even though they’d turn me in if they knew what I was doing. They’d think they were doing the right thing by preserving the very system that keeps them down. That’s all right. I don’t hold it against them. I’ll fight for them anyway, because the new world I want is for them too.

And I get it—not everyone can be as brave as me. *winks*

7.    Final question. What do you think of being a heroine rather than a hero? Does it matter? Can a girl be just as revolutionary as a boy?

*cocks eyebrow* Are you kidding? Girls are more revolutionary than boys! The world has always told us that we can’t do things because we’re girls, and we’ve always been like, “Nah, we’re gonna do it anyway.” Every time we refuse to just stand around and be pretty little flowers, we’re rebelling. So yeah, girls are more revolutionary than boys.

Don’t tell Flynn I said that. It’ll give him a complex.

Keep up with Mary and her adventures, and look for new stories out from her this year!

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