Trigger Warning for The Epoch Rite of Passage

Posted on by Megan

I’ve been thinking about whether or not to include a trigger warning for The Epoch Rite of Passage. My kneejerk reaction to trigger warnings is that I don’t like them. I don’t like spoilers for a book I’m about to read.

For the first book I did that I thought probably needed a trigger warning, I put a link in the front of the book for anyone serious about needing to read it. It seemed to work fine. No one complained.

But if you keep the content warning really high-level with absolutely no details, are you really spoiling anything? Or are you actually just giving a little extra hook, maybe even convincing someone on the fence to read the story?

I’m liking this idea, this idea of using the trigger warning as a hook into the story. In fiction, the general rule is that you’re never supposed to “tell” (because you’re supposed to “show”). But in a trigger warning—you get to tell. You get to say, look at all this interesting stuff that happens in the book!

Last night I felt the urge to draft something of a hookish trigger warning to include in the first book of The Epoch Rite of Passage trilogy.

Here’s what I came up with:

The Epoch Rite of Passage trilogy is a subversive dystopian political satire set in the increasingly techno-fascist world of the High States and includes scenes of authorized and state-sanctioned violence, fearmongering, gaslighting, spying, graphic language, theft, kidnapping, child endangerment, breaking and entering, blackmail, sexual assault, murder… you know, the usual stuff you see on the nightly news, up to and including a bloviating talking-head attempting to normalize it all. Mind your mental health and, if you need to, save this trilogy for another time. Otherwise, welcome to the High States—some say the greatest country in the world!
But don’t get too comfortable. It won’t exist like this for long…

What do you think?

[some time later…]

I just saw it in my email, after posting it, and I had some thoughts:

The Epoch Rite of Passage trilogy is a subversive dystopian political satire set in the increasingly techno-fascist High States, a world with authorized and state-sanctioned violence, fearmongering, gaslighting, spying, graphic language, theft, kidnapping, child endangerment, breaking and entering, blackmail, sexual assault, murder… you know, the usual stuff you see on the nightly news, up to and including a bloviating talking-head attempting to normalize it all. Mind your mental health and, if you need to, save this outing for another time. Still here? Then welcome to the High States—some say it’s the greatest country in the world. Watch your Ps and Qs and don’t get too comfortable. It won’t exist as-is for long…

You feel it too, don’t you?

Posted on by Megan

That sense that the floor is falling out from under you?

The, “am I losing my mind, or is everything changing?” feeling?

You aren’t losing your mind. You are experiencing the dissolution of an old world and the painful, scary beginnings of something else—in short, a rite of passage. If you’ve been looking for a way to steady your footing and remember your own power in the middle of this chaos, then I’ve built a resource for you.

Get The Sovereignty Library

The Sovereignty Library is a curated list of dystopian novels that speak to the 3 mindset shifts that help—and might just be necessary—to get through a rite of passage. It’s a guide through the dissolution stage and the liminal stage to a point that by the time we’re in the reincorporation stage, we’re not just surviving but helping to create the new beginning.

Why I curated this library (and why I wrote the Epoch Rite of Passage trilogy)

Books are an escape. But some books offer more than just escape; they offer a worldview shift. The books in The Sovereignty Library (and The Epoch Rite of Passage) aren’t just about surviving. They speak to how sovereignty can emerge in impactful ways when things look the most bleak and survival and conformity are no longer enough.

I wanted to capture that precise moment when someone finally stops looking for permission, stops playing by the “official” rules, and realizes they have been free all along—and that they can act on that freedom even now.

The 9 books in the Sovereignty Library

The 9 books in The Sovereignty Library map that exact emotional trajectory. They each speak to a stage in a rite-of-passage transition—from the terrifying Separation of the old world, through the anxious uncertainty of the Liminal space, to the scary and satisfying moments of Reincorporation. It’s a resource you can use to both confirm that you are not alone in this historical moment and to help you navigate life going forward.

If you’re ready—or want to be ready—to stop asking permission, stop second-guessing yourself, and start building new, then…

Get The Sovereignty Library

Check your email immediately and find it in your welcome packet.