The Big Idea: Janci Patterson

Freedom: What a concept. But for Janci Patterson (and her co-writer Brandon Sanderson), it’s a concept with relevance, because in Blightfall, the characters are offered a sort of freedom that comes with potential… but also consequences. JANCI PATTERSON: What would you do if the entire universe was suddenly at your fingertips? This is the question I asked myself as I prepared to work on Blightfall—a new adventure with familiar characters in Brandon Sanderson’s cytoverse. Blightfall is the first book in a new trilogy, but it’s also a continuation of the Skyward series, the ending of which saw humanity finally earn their freedom from an oppressive alien empire. As Brandon and I began to brainstorm a new series in the same setting, the question that most interested me was this: our heroes are now free to move about the galaxy and determine their own destinies, so what are they going to do with that freedom? I generally like to tell hopeful stories, the kind that bring us into the dark…