In October of 2020 — at a time when I was wrapping up my first year of full-time freelance work and was deeply mired in the daily stresses of pandemic life — I was lucky enough to receive an e-mail from Rodrigo Corral, in which he offered an exciting opportunity to escape into a world very different from my own, via God of Mercy by debut author, Okezie Nwoka, published by Astra House. Rodrigo explained that Astra House was a new imprint, and that this novel would feature in its inaugural season. Everything about the prospect of this work felt refreshing and new, and I couldn’t wait to get started.