About The Book of Mari - my novel project
Mari’s internal battle for self-acceptance and autonomy mirrors my own journey with identity, chronic pain, and Autism. These lived experiences allow me to bring a unique, authentic perspective to the story, enriching the narrative with deeper emotional layers. I hope to create a work that resonates with anyone who has ever felt like an outsider in their own life, offering them a story of empowerment, resilience, and self-discovery.
The Book of Mari: A Feminist High Fantasy
I have poured years of effort into The Book of Mari, a feminist high-fantasy novel that challenges the conventions of the genre by centring women’s lived experiences, internal growth, and autonomy. I’ve grown tired of the traditional hero’s journey, especially when it comes to how women’s stories are told. Rather than following the expected arc, my characters navigate a world shaped by myths, choices, and the consequences of power—offering a fresh perspective on identity and agency. This is not the same agonizing character arc struggling between the false dichotomy of fate and choice. Women in many societies, even those who consider themselves free, in fact live daily under the control and coercion of their own communities. Women’s journeys are often internal, they look inward and they go deeply. They are detailed personal experiments on a daily basis between a woman and her community. And they are private. Like the eternal solo struggle of life, that's all women are, singular lives.
This novel follows six characters, each experiencing the upheaval of a world caught between its past and an encroaching imperial force. I am building a world or setting inspired by pre-Roman Gaul, re-imagining the ancient struggles against Roman imperialism through a feminist lens and also as a way to internally do battle with the truths of reconciliation and the human injustices that were perpetuated to build what is now Canada. This has been a conscious exercise in decolonization, not just of the genre but of my own thoughts—challenging dominant narratives about empire, civilization, and gender to craft something both immersive and intentional. The true conflict for women is often one of faith, faith in the people around us, faith in ourselves, and faith that we are not being duped or taken advantage of.
My writing process is deliberate. I plan on finishing the full draft before editing to preserve momentum and ensure I capture the emotional truth of the story. In one, very hippy-chick sounding word, I'm writing it all in one go to conserve the "flow." (Facepalm, as a writer, why don't I have a better way to describe this?!)
The Book of Mari is deeply personal to me, shaped by my own experiences as a woman, a mother, and as someone who has often had to navigate societal expectations in ways that felt isolating. Through my characters, I explore autonomy, motherhood, and self-discovery—examining the ways women have historically been both subject to and architects of power. While the majority of the novel’s characters are female, there is at least two male characters as well and my goal is simple for them: to write them better than men write women. Haha.
This project is more than just a novel; it’s my opus. I’ve spent years researching, analyzing, and crafting The Book of Mari to stand apart from mainstream fantasy. My goal is to tell a story that doesn’t ask women to fit into patriarchal expectations of heroism but instead allows them to be complex, flawed, and fully realized on their own terms. I asked research-level questions at the outset of this project and it is being written still with those in mind.
As I continue writing then refining this book, I remain committed to my vision: a high-fantasy story that reclaims space for women, challenges the norms of the genre, and offers something new for readers like me—those who long for stories that don’t just include women but centre their experiences in ways that feel authentic and true.