Ever wondered what inspired me to take a break from historical fiction to kick off the massive endeavor of writing an epic fantasy series set in a matriarchal world called The Five Queendoms? I wrote it all up for you! And you can read it on John Scalzi’s fabulous Whatever blog.

Because a female-default culture wouldn’t be just the opposite of male-default culture, just as matriarchy isn’t just a flipped version of patriarchy. I wanted to read about a society where women’s concerns were primary, leading to not just different models of female power but different family structures, different models of child-rearing, different prejudices and judgments. What would marriage in a culture like that look like? Who might rule them? What gods would form their pantheon?
And as with so many authors, because I couldn’t find the exact book I wanted to read, I ended up writing it.

Read the whole story here.