We chat with author Cadwell Turnbull about A Ruin, Great and Free, which is the stunning conclusion to the popular Convergence Saga.
Hi, Cadwell! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi! I’m Cadwell Turnbull. I write science fiction, fantasy, and horror, with a bent towards the literary. Much of my work is influenced by my Caribbean background, particularly growing up in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I’m not sure exactly when it started. In eighth grade I wrote an essay about The Diary of Anne Frank—just came right out in one session after reading the book for class—and my English teacher asked me if I ever considered being a writer. That was the first time I thought about it seriously. But even before that I made comics—typical action stuff (one was a rip off of Power Rangers)—so, if I count that, then my interest in writing started in elementary school.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Oh, man… I think it might’ve been Gulliver’s Travels? That, or Timothy of the Cay by Theodore Taylor.
- The one that made you want to become an author: 1984 by George Orwell.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Right now? Children of God by Mary Doria Russell
A Ruin, Great and Free is the third and final installment in your Convergence Saga and it’s out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Buffy + The Leftovers + The Wire.
For readers who haven’t picked up the Convergence Saga, what can readers expect?
You can expect to be confused. Please don’t start with Ruin. Start with No Gods, No Monsters and read them in order. Maybe quickly. You may still be confused to start, but your questions will be answered. Almost all of them, anyway.
And for those who have, what’s to come in A Ruin, Great and Free?
The characters you’ve come to know will be tested. The cast of characters will expand. You’ll be going to some new places too. But all in the service of bringing the Convergence Saga to its conclusion.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring one last time?
I can’t say all of them, can I? Okay, I’ll mention two in particular:
I really enjoyed revisiting Dragon during this time in his life. He is a teenager, so he is having all the big feelings. He’s also coming into himself, figuring out what he wants. And what he wants is different than what the people around him want for him. I relate to that a lot, and so connecting with Dragon always feels like connecting with parts of my younger self.
I also loved returning to Cassandra. Up until this point she hasn’t had any scenes from her POV. She’s been a side character, and a tool for other characters in this cosmic war they’re all caught up in. In this book we get to see how she feels. It is one of my favorite sections of the book and the series.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing the final installment? How did you overcome them?
I set up a lot of moving parts in No Gods, No Monsters. We Are the Crisis introduced even more moving parts. In Ruin, I had to land all those planes. I had to return to every important character in a way that did them justice. And I had to do so while concluding a major plotline that had been building in the background since the first book. The ending had to satisfy all of the patience I asked of readers. I hope it will. The back end of Ruin is a series of different climaxes and resolutions. It has a traditional climax, and a revelational climax, and multiple resolutions for each layer of the narrative. That all had to make sense and follow naturally from each other. And they had to keep the reader’s interest. Hard to say how successful I was at all that, but I know I put a lot of thought into it. My outlines this time around were long. A novella’s worth of additional writing. The big action climax almost defeated me. I had to outline multiple different climaxes within that climax and I had to block out the actual action before I could attempt writing it. Ultimately I think that extra effort paid off.
What’s next for you?
Well… I’m doing editorial for a collection coming out next year. Most of the stories have been previously published, but I’m very excited to have them all in one place. And there’s three brand new stories in the collection I’m excited for readers to check out.
I’m also working on the last book of the Formation Saga as one-fifth of the pseudonym Darkly Lem. We like to joke that we’re a writing rock band and truthfully the reality isn’t so far off from that.
There’s another solo book in the future. A single-POV standalone, which is new for me. But I’m still in the early stages of figuring that one out.
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed reading this year? Are there any you’re looking forward to picking up?
I have the new RF Kuang on my TBR pile. I love her work and I’m looking forward to reading Katabasis. Currently reading The Practice, the Horizon, and the Chain by Sofia Samatar. It’s utterly incredible. Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Also in the middle of that one after reading and loving two of her other books. Just finished Where the Axe is Buried by Ray Nayler and I think it is perfect. Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah is another perfect book I can’t stop recommending.
