By the time I wrote The Seasteaders, I had thoroughly developed a writing habit. I was also no longer afraid to be weird. My struggle was never lack of ideas and I challenged myself to write when I had a new idea, which was often. Seeing the ideas to completion was hard.

The opening scene of a child escaping came to me in a dream, but the novel was inspired by a newspaper article about a seastead. If you live in international waters you can make your own laws. What a perfect setting for a utopia! 

The Seasteaders is set in the same far future Pacific Northwest but on the islands and now the Rust Sea has risen further. The genetic manipulation of animals begun in the labs at New West University years ago  mentioned briefly in Sync Chrome City has now spread. So the islands have a fantasy feel with unusual kowal and ratfin creatures. Our protagonist Nata Tilliat keeps short-lived ratfin as pets throughout the book.

The story begins on land but quickly heads across a ferry to the smaller, taller island of La Merde and from there to a seastead, a platform created of metals covered with Iron Blood which prevents their corrosion in the Rust Sea. 

On the seastead Nata meets the Mulians, who have tried to communicate with her on land by leaving her “coins” which turn out to be eggs. Nata heads underwater to Mu and the story becomes yet stranger.

The theme of the transformation needed to create change and a better world coming from within is here in The Seasteaders as well. If humans destroy the earth with climate change and the waters rise over all the lands, perhaps we will have to become sea creatures to survive?

In The Seasteaders the change is embodied and completely transformative.

Read more about The Seasteaders or buy the book.