Jason Bartles is one of the nicest writers I’ve met. I’m thrilled to feature his fiction today! Jason’s new novel, A Valley to Harness, centers a complex and wonderful set of characters.
Huge thanks to Jason for answering my questions!
***
Myna: Tell us about A Valley to Harness! What’s it about? Who are your characters?
Jason: Thanks for having me! My novel takes places in a fictional valley set in the Poconos in the late 2050s. It’s about three queer protagonists who end up in this valley for very different reasons. Henry, the baker, would like to bury his head in his bakes and pretend nothing is wrong. Colson, the butler, is dead set on using his magical powers to get revenge on the ecofascists patrolling Sediment Valley. And Brisa is an undercover agent who has infiltrated the valley to shut down its cryptocurrency mines. All seems to be going as planned for the three of them until the earthquakes begin. Will they learn to work together to save themselves—and the world? Or is it too late?
Myna: What themes do you explore?
Jason: Climate change, cryptocurrency, the rise of ecofascism as a response to climate change, and what it takes to get us to choose our communities over our own interests. Plus, there’s a subplot that revolves around a quibble I have with redemption plots.
Myna: What’s unique about this book?
Jason: I like to think that, within fantasy climate fiction, A Valley to Harness is neither fully doom-and-gloom nor fully solarpunk. Are there glimmers of hope? Yes. But will there be an easy or morally clear solution to the problems? Absolutely not. I tried to bring some messiness to my characters and to the decisions they make.
Myna: How did this book/collection come about?
Jason: A few years ago, I saw a call for an anthology of fantasy climate fiction stories set in a shared world called The World’s Revolution. The premise was fascinating. I wrote a story, “The Bent Greens,” which was accepted, and then followed up with the second anthology as well. By the time the second one came around, I was also already working on a novella, and I pitched it to the editor to include it in the series. We had some wonderful conversations, and before I knew it the novella had grown into something much larger.
Myna: Did you practice any special habits or routines while writing this book?
Jason: Taking sour gummy breaks after meeting a mini writing goal and writing in the morning, before work and life distracts me too much.
Myna: Which mode of transportation would you prefer: electric seahorse, cyborg dragon, raven-starship hybrid, or something else (explain!)?
Jason: Something that keeps my feet planted firmly on the ground. Maybe a portal I can walk through. But no scary labyrinths or tests of character. Simple, instantaneous public transportation, please!
Myna: Do you have a pet, or other non-writing hobbies/activities? Show us a picture!
Jason: Say hello to Ruskin, the husky, and Eliot!
Myna: What’s next for you?
Jason: Time traveling trash. That’s a thing, right?
***
Jason A. Bartles is a Clarion West ‘23 Alum and Professor of Spanish at a regional university. He teaches speculative fiction from Latin America and around the world. Originally from West Virginia, he now lives in Philadelphia with his husband and two dogs, a blue-eyed husky and a pit-mix who will lick your face off. A Valley to Harness is his debut novel.
To learn more about Jason and read more of his stories, visit:
Instagram: @jabartles.author
Pre-order link: https://books2read.com/u/b6gJ26
Or pre-order the paperback through your local book store: https://bookshop.org/p/books/a-valley-to-harness-jason-a-bartles/21728376?ean=9781952706431
Cover Design by Sarah MacCready. You can learn more about her work from her Website.
Myna Chang 