What kind of research did you do for Strange Exit?
I attended a program for writers called Launch Pad Astronomy Workshop, which is basically a crash course in astronomy taught by an astronomer at the University of Wyoming. In addition to more formal topics, we also talked about science fiction tropes, like life on spaceships, futuristic food, and unusual planets. I could only fit a fraction of what I learned into the book! You can find out more about some of the topics I researched for Strange Exit on the book club page, in the articles about tidal locking and nuclear winter.
How does Strange Exit mirror Greek mythology?
Strange Exit pays homage to the myth of the Minotaur in the labyrinth. The simulation is maze-like and very difficult to escape. Lake is like Ariadne, trying to show the others the way to leave the labyrinthine simulation; she even wears a bracelet made of thread. Taren has a tattoo of the Taurus/bull constellation, which echoes the Minotaur, a creature that is half-bull and half-man. See if you can find other connections to the classic myth!
How did you create the simulation for the story?
The simulation started as a place where anything was possible—but my editor pointed out that in a place where anything can happen, there aren’t any real stakes. My main characters could easily avoid danger if they could manipulate the simulation any way they wanted! So in my next draft, I created a set of rules for how the simulation works. The most important rule is that a person can only manipulate areas of the simulation they’ve created themselves. Since Lake’s goal is to rescue people from the pockets of the sim they’re made and hidden inside of, she’s often at a disadvantage because she can’t control what happens in those pockets. There are a lot of other rules about how tar appears and what it does, and how people leave the simulation. Lake and Taren are often limited by these rules, but they also find clever ways to manipulate them.
Is the ship really breaking down, or is it only in Lake’s head?
To my mind, it’s really breaking down! You’re free to make your own arguments. :)
What happens to the captain of the ship?
[Spoiler!] In traditional fashion, the captain goes down with his ship.
What happens to Taren at the end of Strange Exit?
[Spoilers ahead!] As the novel progresses, Taren becomes more and more willing to use the tar on others, even though he can’t be sure it won’t kill them. Taren feels this is the only way to rescue everyone from the failing ship before they all die. In his final scene, he decides he no longer wants to use the tar, that he can no longer sacrifice others’ lives to save his own. A figment uses tar on Taren, but we never find out whether Taren survives the encounter. To me, this is the most just fate for Taren. When he faces the figments who are about to use tar on him, he must accept that the fate he dealt to others will now be dealt to him, and that includes the fact that he can’t know whether he’ll survive.