marishet [mah ree SHEHT] (adjective)-“more of the same”. A word used to describe the accentuation of sexual characteristics that occurs when a Jokkad remains the same sex from one puberty to the next.
ñedsu [ne YEHD soo] (noun)-A hunting beast, slender and about three feet tall at the shoulder with scaled bodies and sleek heads. Hunt in packs.
neked [NEH kehd] (noun)-forest
oira [OY raa] (noun)-A vision or object seen through the stillness of water. Not usually literal, this tends to indicate a truth that cannot usually be seen because it is obscured by movement (like the currents of a stream), but which has been revealed in a second’s quiet.
pamari [pah MAH ree] (adjective)-kind
pefna [PEHF nah] (noun)-A title given to the head of a group within a House. Similar to “master”.
relani [re LAH nee] (noun)-A gathering for fun; a party. Usually impromptu, but sometimes scheduled.
rikka [RIHK kah] (noun)-A beast of burden with slender legs but surprisingly strong. Similar to a large gazelle with a sturdy constitution
setasha [seh TAA shah] (noun)-beloved (this word is specific to romantic relationships, and as such rarely is used for people of a gender unlike to the speaker).
sheña [SHEN yah] (noun)-The most valued eperu (neuter) member of a Household—the one to whom an earring is awarded. There’s only one of these at a time. While the perks vary from Household to Household (and from historical period to period), typically this eperu has more spending money and more bargaining power over its own employment contract.
shekul [sheh KOOL] (adjective)-A color used almost exclusively for Jokku skin. A gray that is built of a thousand gossamer colors; their sum total seems gray, but to the Jokka’s eyes the subordinate colors are also there like faint veils.
sheshil [sheh SHEEL] (adjective)-A color used almost exclusively for Jokku skin. A dark brown that seems glossy on the surface, but with the suggestion of deeper, hazier browns beneath it.
sukul [soo KOOL] (adjective)-A color used almost exclusively for Jokku skin. An iridescent blue-white described as looking like a white shell in full moonlight.
Author Sketches
It's typical for me to do sketches while writing, a sort of mental doodling as I work out events and character arcs. These sketches are not intended to be the final word on what the characters look like! I just find I work better when I'm thinking with a pencil as well as a keyboard. I've selected a few of the sketches from when I did the initial drafts of Bloom, and hope you enjoy the peek into the artist brain.
1. The Jokka: A look at the three sexes and their general builds, for those who like to have firm mental images. These are "kudelith" Jokka (they stayed the same sex throughout their lives) so they display the strongest sexual characteristics.
2.Pathen's First Portrait: This was the first sketch I did of Pathen, back in 2004 when I was writing "Stone Moon, Silk Scarves."
3. Reluctant Embrace: And one of the first sketches I did of Hesa in Pathen's arms!
4. Pathen in the Leaf Gathering Outfit: Eight years later, another sketch of Pathen. You can see he's evolved a bit from my original conception, but not as much as one might expect. That's the Leaf Gathering outfit that's supposed to evoke the Claw uniform.
5. Pathen and Keshul : A rare sketch of a scene... because I couldn't resist this meeting of two powers! It was fun designing clothing knowing that Laisira's tailors were likely in charge of Pathen's wardrobe.
6. Hesa and Dekashin: Likewise, these two. Dekashin's on the right with the rikka... Hesa there is pretty much perfect, in terms of body shape. (And the bobbed hair, alas.)
7. The Leaf Gathering: While this piece is incredibly sketchy, I added it because I like seeing the principals of House Asara all together. From left to right: Kuli in her veil, Hesa in its gown, Darsi in its finery (modeled on Pathen's), and Pathen.
8. Minister Iren and Jushet: Another rare image of two secondary characters, Roika's ministers.
9. Loë: One of my few drawings of the Northern Jokka, in which I tried to capture some of the health differences in the anadi, along with the difference in costume and hair. On the right is a sketch of her hair from behind... and the critter was a random attempt at a northern forest animal.
10. Thenet After Its Transformation: I only ever did this one sketch of Thenet as anadi, because once I did it I felt like I had closed the book on images of it.
Other Jokka Books
The Stone Moon trilogy is the longest running story in the universe of the Jokka, but I've written several shorts and novellas. If you'd like to return to Ke Bakil, you have these options:
If you enjoy short fiction, I recommend Clays Beneath the Skies, which gathers most of the existing Jokka shorts into a single volume. The remaining shorts will probably end up in another collection in the future, but until then some are available as standalone audiobooks, or you can pick them up as a la carte e-books via my Patreon.
The unabridged Stone Moon trilogy audiobooks are also being funded via Patreon and are available to patrons as MP3 downloads. The narrator is a fantastic actor...if you like audiobooks at all, I encourage you to check out the samples!
If you're interested in more direct interaction, I encourage you to try the Jokka coloring book! You can keep it as an art book, or try your hand at coloring the pieces; there's a preface explaining the common colors of the species if you want to try to get it "right" (or you can color them however you like, because why not!). There's also a conlang activity page with the Jokku alphabet where you can try writing out your name phonetically in their orthography. If you do, tweet a photo to @mcahogarth, or send me one of your colored pages! I love seeing people's work.
Finally, if you liked the Jokka novels, I encourage you to pick up some of my other work. For a similar "no humans, all aliens" feel, you might like the Kherishdar novels... or if you want more traditional epic fantasy, the Blood Ladders trilogy mixes elves, philosophy students, and vampire genets with demons and angels for a very similar mix of philosophy and social order-shattering action. You can browse my entire bibliography, with cover photos, topic tags, and rating info on my website.
Thanks so much for reading!
—M
About the Author
Daughter of two Cuban political exiles, M.C.A. Hogarth was born a foreigner in the American melting pot and has had a fascination for the gaps in cultures and the bridges that span them ever since. She has been many things—web database architect, product manager, technical writer and massage therapist—but is currently a full-time parent, artist, writer and anthropologist to aliens, both human and otherwise. She is the author of over 50 titles in the genres of science fiction, fantasy, humor and romance.
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