Iain Kelly

My A-Z theme this year is a guide to my trilogy of novels called ‘The State Trilogy’. Set in an unnamed island country known only as ‘The State’, in the imagined near future, the books follow the intertwining stories of a number of characters, principally a State police detective named Danny Samson and an assassin, Gabriella Marino, over a period of six years. It begins with the assassination of an elected official and spirals into revolution and civil war. Part political thriller, action story, war story and dystopian science fiction, the trilogy took three years to complete and the books are available to read now – you can find links to purchase them HERE

In The State Trilogy, ‘R’ stands for:

Rosalind Samson: The wife of Danny Samson, who took her own life before the events of ‘A Justified State’. Her death, and Danny’s guilt about his part in it, motivate him throughout the novels.

Rona: The leader of the elders in the village in the northern wilderness where Danny seeks shelter. She is responsible for leading those in the commune and has the final say in decisions. She has lived her whole life in the wilderness, refusing to relocate to the city and come under State control. Her position within the community is earned and no one questions her authority. She is kind and benevolent, yet steely and determined when hard choices need to be taken.

Revolution and Rebellion: The threat of revolution runs through all the novels. The State acts in the way it does towards its citizens in order to contain and prevent such a thing occurring. Only when some of their acts of corruption are exposed do some of the citizens rise to revolution and civil war ensues. The theme is of course synonymous with politics and power and history is made by such events, all of which echo through the books.

Religion: All religions were outlawed by the State at a time previous to the start of the novels, as they were determined to sow division among the citizens. Out with the city, in the wilderness, for example on the island led by Skylar, some immature religious cults have surfaced. I admit to a personal bias in this case, although I was sure to not include anything specifically anti-religious within the text.

Rodrigo: Part of Danny and Gebriella’s band of mercenaries in ‘State Of War’. Along with Zeb, he was once part of the rebellion against the State, but left after disliking and becoming disenchanted with the path the rebels had chosen to take.

Rome: Deliberately through the novels I included language and titles from ancient Rome. For example: senate, consul, citizens, chancellor and in even in the name of Lucinda Románes. There are others there if you want to find them. The allusion I wanted to leave was of the repetitive nature of history, and particularly in the political world and political power and corruption that continues through the ages. It also, I hope, lends a certain weight to the story, perhaps an epic feel.

Reviews: Nothing brings more joy than a good review! I’m fortunate that most of the reviews of my books have been positive, on Amazon and Goodreads, and from bloggers. They are a valuable thing for indie authors especially, allowing us to use them to publicise our work and help spread the word. With little budget for advertising, reviews are one of the best tools that can be shared and seen about our books. I’m grateful for all the reviews I have had, and would urge all readers, if they read a book by an indie author – leave a little review somewhere to help them out. And don’t be afraid to be honest, just don’t be nasty!

River: The river runs through Central City and is central to a number of plot points. It is reflective of the River Clyde in Glasgow, once at the heart of city life, but after the end of shipbuilding, reduced to a wasteland that was largely neglected for years. Recently, thankfully, the city has gradually come back to the river with large building projects and pathways, and that trend I extended into my books, making the river a minor character in itself.

Next up – S is for: The State, Senate, Science Fiction, Scotland, Skye and Skylar, Suicide and Sales

All the entries in the A-Z of ‘The State Trilogy’ can be found HERE

The books are available from a wide selection of online retailers, including AMAZON

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