In a world without empathy, we are all animals.

The character of Peter is lightly inspired by my younger brother, who is a high-functioning autistic gentleman with an amazing recall for facts and an unlimited curiosity. Through my admiration of Dante’s Divine Comedy, the character of Peter not only has the curiosity of my younger brother, but also that of Dante Alighieri himself as he dares to embark with Virgil on their dual adventure just as Peter embarks with Eloise both intellectually and, ultimately, physically as they attempt to break from their physical and figurative chains,. While Peter is the main focus of the story, the tuner in the basement—whom we come to know as Eloise and is loosely based off of myself—becomes a second character on which the story begins to also focus. As their stories intertwine, the reader is thrust into a heartfelt tale of familial love, loss, and redemption, and a fight for freedom that sets itself up for a saga-like continuation as the two main characters embark into a world with purpose and renewed senses.

While inspired by living individuals and in possession of their own unique identities, my characters are also influenced by those from books I have read. I have always been inspired by multi-faceted female characters who not only go through hardship but have an inner fire and resilience beyond their vulnerability, and the character of Vesuvia Adelia Rachel Ortese Aguilar (Adelia) in the Mistress of the Art of Death series by Ariana Franklin is surely a root influence to my female characters, including Eloise. Her unyielding nature to stay true to herself is as admirable as her fierce protection of those she loves, yet she does not deny her weaknesses; this is in a similar manner to Esther in City of Shadows by the same author, whose inner strength is truly commendable as she not only survives a horrific trauma but then stays true to her reborn persona despite the danger she faces simply due to her identity (like the tuners in Dissonance). Finally, the imposing figure of Roman Primobasso echoes the heartlessness, ruthlessness, and charisma of figures like Mayor David Prentiss of The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness and Sir Joscelin of Mistress of the Art of Death.