Crimson Climb is the latest novel from author E.K. Johnston, and she discusses the writing of the book – released yesterday, review coming to Fantha Tracks soon – explaining how enjoyable the writing of this Qi’ra focused book was to do.
Crimson Climb is the most fun I’ve ever had writing Star Wars.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved writing Ahsoka and Padmé (and company), but there was something really exciting about working with this particular cast. I think it’s that I was very free in terms of the timeline (not the case in Ahsoka where my window was super tight), and I wasn’t inevitably headed for tragedy (THAT WE KNOW OF, I’M WATCHING YOU, CHARLES SOULE). Qi’ra isn’t like any other main character I’ve built a story around. She was never going to do the nice thing or the good thing or the right thing. She was always going to do the best thing for her, and that is pretty great in terms of plot generation and character dynamics. I loved building her a nemesis and setting her up against Dryden Vos, knowing where they’re all headed. Also, I may have put in a little bit of LEGO.