Mesh networks figure extensively in my Incarnate series. They’re used by the forty-eights – and others – as a way to run parallel ‘internets’ so as not to be tracked on the original internet. But mesh networks are not all science fiction – they’re actually being used in the real world.
Writing
Augmented Reality: Not Science Fiction
Augmented Reality (AR) is a technology that features heavily in my Incarnate novel series. This technology isn’t just a science fiction creation, though. Just like in my story, it’s becoming more and more a part of our lives and only promises to become a bigger part in the near future.
Character Concept Art from Incarnate: Essence
Four main characters from Incarnate: Essence, my new book coming out on April 18 (Kindle pre-orders available now). See the whole article for enlarged images plus character bios for all four characters. Spoiler alerts for anyone who hasn’t read Incarnate: Existence – the first book in the series – yet.
Eshe is the current incarnation of the main character, whose point of view the story is told from. Eshe is sensitive and introspective.
Sachi is the current incarnation of the other immortal being Eshe found in book 1 of the series. Sachi is driven and confident.
Laura, a girl resurrected from cryonic preservation, is unable to sleep, which wears on her psyche. Laura is blunt, deadpan, and sarcastic.
Akira, a transgender woman born the male son of a high-ranking Yakuza boss in Tokyo. Akira is a computer and bio-hacking genius.
Should LGBTQ+ Characters in Literature Always Make a Cultural Statement?
I am a heterosexual, cisgender, white male. A character in my novel “Incarnate: Existence” is a Japanese transgender woman. For some people this is probably already ‘problematic’ – I, of course, do not and cannot know the experiences of a non-white and transgender person. That could certainly be an article all in itself, whether someone like me should be “allowed” to write this kind of character, and I’ve tangentially written about this idea before. But that’s not what this article is about. I’m interested if, in general, a character in a creative work (book, movie, TV show, etc.) who is LGBTQ+ should always and necessarily be written to make a political or cultural statement, or can the character exist as they are without attempting to make a statement?