We’re so happy to have “The Price of Manners” as one of our fantasy stories this month. What inspired you to write this story?

Thanks for having me and my cursed tome! The inspiration for this story came from deciding to try and write a story within twenty-four hours to make a deadline for an anthology submission (Wilted Pages by Ai Jiang and Christi Nogle). It was an anthology of dark/gothic academia; it had been on my mind for a while, but hadn’t come up with any concept yet. Dark academia is not my usual niche, so I was tinkering and thinking but nothing had become clear. But with the deadline looming to submit a story, I did what I normally do when in a genre that isn’t mine or one I bounce off of: I ask myself why—and I try to address that question. For me, with academic stories and tales of students, etc., I had a thought along the lines of, “It feels like magic is too easy for students in this genre sometimes,” and that collided with, “Huh, I wonder what all the books think about these students burning themselves to nothing.” And that’s where our beloved tome came from! I didn’t get in to the anthology, but I was really happy with the story and after a little editing, I sent it to John and here we are!

I love this relationship with the tome. The word greatly affects the way we look at the world we read. Can you tell us why a “tome” and why not a “book”? What is your relationship to mysteries? Do you like them to be clarified or do you want them to exist untouched?

Thank you! That was what I was realizing as I was moving towards the ending, exploring how there is a relationship between readers and the books they open and spend time with. I went with “tome” because it just has a more mysterious image and cadence to it, and also, I liked the idea of poor students lugging around a massive cursed book as opposed to something more mass market-sized.

Is the story suggesting that there is something called knowing too much? And not in the curiosity-killed-the-cat kind of way but just from the weight of accruing knowledge?

Oh, I think so, for sure. I’ve always empathized with those heroes and villains in stories who were driven to learn as much as possible in order to bring about/stop something disastrous from happening. But then of course, we often see that there is a price for knowledge and what that price can do to people. But I also think the story’s heart is not about not learning, but rather, if you can remember why it is you seek knowledge, then that can lead to healthier outcomes. So many whose lives are destroyed by this tome are undone because they aren’t really seeking anything except power, except for a means to understand. And as we learn, without forethought or kindness, there is a real price associated with groping into the dark unseeing and uncaring.

What is your relationship to mysteries? Do you like them to be clarified or do you want them to exist untouched?

I have a healthy respect for mysteries, as any sane person should! And I’m a firm believer in the universe expressing itself, good or bad. If you’re meant to know something, even if it doesn’t come easy, you’ll find paths you can somewhat navigate. But if the universe is going to be shitty about it, I think while it can be healthy to push, pushing too much will not only not get you what you want, you’ll probably piss off the universe while you’re at it. Besides, I think it’s one of the healthiest and most human skills to accept that one cannot know everything. And making peace with that, ironically, opens more paths towards knowledge than it closes.

Is there a project you are currently working on? And if not are there any themes, objects, or news that might be tickling your fingers?

I have a debut book out in September from Tachyon! Audition For the Fox is a novella about time travel, trickster gods, trying to find the things you’re good at, and resisting tyranny. I also have a big coffee table book thing out this summer for Critical Role and the folks from Insight Editions, so that’s going to be fun. Otherwise, trying to get this dang book about a sentient hotel done, and then who knows where we’re off to from there?