Goodreads asked Joseph H. Wycoff:

Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?

Joseph H. Wycoff As I indicate in the preface to _Arcane Cage_, a historical fiction unrelated to my first work, the premise originated from various sources and ideas ranging from philosophical discourses to family game-playing at the kitchen table. At a time when I still had hopes to become a historian, ten years ago, I first pursued the story in order to test the limits of the "reality effect" in historical narrative and as a means of improving my writing. The form of the narrative--the arc, tone, fonts, paperback size, footnotes, bibliography, etc.--reflects entirely the pretentiousness of the historical profession. On the other hand, the idea for the content, which I did not mention in the above-named preface, stems from a genuine interest in writing a fantasy novel that dispenses with the obligatory references to medieval England, the archconservative nostalgia for royalty or the return of kings, and the gratuitous fascination with gender violence or genocide. The world of magic I wished to create is one redolent with higher learning, direct democracy, and gender and racial equity. The persons who master arcana are the ones who become "ninth-level wizards," champions of the republic, and the vanguard of social justice. Now that I have put it on screen, I guess my humanist content is just as pretentious as the form of my historical narrative. Allow me to rephrase my answer: my most recent book comes from one and only one idea--Fireball! Fireball! Fireball!

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