This world first emerged in my imagination back in 2004, when I was out walking at my aunt and uncle's farm. Originally conceived as backstory for a minor character, the plot very quickly became a fully-fledged story in itself - and it remained largely unwritten, in note/outline form, because I was cognizant of the fact that I was planning to write about a non-western society having never left Australia. I added context and worldbuilding over the years, particularly after studying the history of colonialism and the spice trade and living in Asia, but juggling being sensitive to issues of race and racism has always been the biggest challenge in writing this piece. It now has tens of thousands of words written - largely unconnected scenes - but only the first chapter is complete. This will always be my favourite world, and the only reason it lost out to Apprentice in 2014 was because my best friend thought Apprentice sounded more interesting. I'll let you be the judge!
Disclaimer: all the characters in this story are fictitious. Any resemblance to a person living or dead is purely coincidental.