An Outcast and an Ally(A Soldier and a Liar, #2)
by Caitlin Lochner
Published by: Swoon Reads
Publication date: April 21st, 2020
Genres: Dystopian, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Dark secrets and conflicting loyalties abound as four superpowered teens are torn apart by war in Caitlin Lochner’s An Outcast and an Ally, the epic YA sequel to A Soldier and a Liar.
Lai, Jay, Al, and Erik are on the run after the military accuses them of being traitors. Tensions between everyone are high, but they have to stick together if they want to survive. And somehow stop the war that’s now in full swing.
But when Erik returns to the rebels to find answers about his past, Lai, Al, and Jay have no choice but to go to the Order―a peace coalition bent on stopping the rebels and dissolving the enmity between gifted and ungifted. However, the longer the war drags on, the more Lai’s long-kept secrets threaten to destroy everything she’s ever worked for. Sparks fly as the team constantly questions whether they can trust one another and everyone tries to navigate a war that will change everything.
Filled with the same high-stakes superpowered action and complex relationships as A Soldier and A Liar, Caitlin’s first book, An Outcast and an Ally brings this story to a dramatic and satisfying close.
~ AUTHOR INTERVIEW with Caitlin Lochner ~
1) What gave you the inspiration
for the storyline?
To be honest, the storyline has
changed so much from the very first draft I wrote almost eight years ago that I
don’t really remember how the current story arc came to be. It kind of just gradually
evolved over time and multiple rewrites. I remember the general inspiration
came after watching a superhero movie (I can’t remember which one, but it was
when they were first starting to get big) and thinking how cool it’d be to play
with characters who have superpowers but aren’t necessarily heroes. I’ve always
loved playing with morally gray characters, and I wanted to see how having
powers could muddle that even further.
2) Are there any hidden (or not so hidden) themes in the book that you hope readers will discover?
It’s not anything new—especially
in dystopian works—but there’s very much a Them vs. Us theme going on. I wanted
to speak to the wrongness of discrimination of any kind, though without hitting
my readers over the head with it, so I hope that comes through in a more
nuanced way. I also wanted to pose questions of identity and how our past can
define us if we let it, as well as asking questions that don’t have a
necessarily “right” or “good” answer. When the only options you have are bad
ones, how do you act on that to do what’s right to the best of your ability and
live with those decisions?
3) Are any of the characters based
on real people you know?
Nope! Or at least, not that I
consciously know of. I’ve drawn on a real life conversation for something minor
that happens in A Soldier and a Liar, and I definitely recall my own
past feelings/experiences to write some of the more emotional moments in my
writing. But for the most part, my characters are entirely fictional.
4) Who has influenced you most as
a writer?
I’d say one of my best friends,
Kristin Dodson. We went to high school together (a lifetime ago??) and she
encouraged me to keep writing, become better, and we exchanged work a lot (and
still do!) to mutually fangirl over and give constructive feedback on. I think
that mutual love for writing and desire to become better as well as help each other
become better is what led to me pursuing writing seriously at all. I also had
the most amazing thesis director, Brenda Peynado, who’s taught me a ton about
theme and novel structure over the last two years and has pretty much changed
the way I look at both of these things forever. As for writers I love and have
tried to learn from on my own by reading and studying their books, Tamora
Pierce, Cinda Williams Chima, Maggie Stiefvater, and, very recently, Megan
Whalen Turner—who is on the fast track to being my favorite writer ever—have
all played a big part in my writing.
5) If you could have any three
literary characters over to your place for game night, who would you invite,
what would you play, what would you serve, and why?
So this is hard because I feel
like all of my favorite characters would probably either cheat or be terrible
at game night?? Although everyone cheating and outmaneuvering one another would
actually probably be pretty awesome to watch, now that I think about it.
They’re from the same series, but I love their dynamic and back-and-forth of
wits so much that I have to say Eugenides and Attolia from The Queen’s Thief
series. As for my third, Aly from Trickster’s Choice would
definitely complete the trio of masterminds. I would absolute lose at whatever
game we all played where it was everyone for themselves, but it’d be really fun
to do Master Labyrinth or a D&D campaign. I would probably serve brownies,
a bunch of sweets, and wine because this is who I am as a person.
6) Do you feel that you can ever
have too many books?
My overflowing bookcase with actual stacks of
books piled at the foot says no, haha. I love surrounding myself with all kinds
of different worlds and characters, and I’m always happy to support authors
even if I won’t have a chance to read their book for awhile!
Author Bio:I’m a nerd, traveler, and architecture enthusiast who worked as an assistant English teacher in Tokyo for three years before pursuing my MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Central Florida. I love reading and writing anything with magic, adventure, and complex found-family relationships. I can typically be found absorbed in books, games, or manga, or else obsessing over said books, games, and manga.
Thanks for sharing Jen! :)
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