Lorata has its own share of issues. Granted, they are very different from what Earth has to deal with, but where Earth lacks dragons, Lorata doesn’t forbid same-sex relationships. Actually, I have several characters who are gay in my novels, and I include them just as naturally as I do my straight characters.
Earth residents don’t have to worry about getting faery dust on their nicest suit, but they do struggle with the issue of birth control way more than Lorata does. For example, on my two main continents, I only have one place right now where birth control goes against the cultural norms. For the elves, conception is a little different than it is for humans, and I changed how reproduction works; most of the time, it takes a deep emotional connection in order to trigger the hormones that allow a female to become fertile and ready to conceive. Long story short, they don’t put up with cycles and bleeding like humans do, and without fertility herbs, getting pregnant isn’t as easy and 1+1=3 (humor me here). To be on the safe side, and for those in loving relationships who are not ready for children, there are herbs that can prevent pregnancy. It actually comes up in book one, and it’s part of an important turning-point in the interactions between key characters. Anyhow, on Lorata, contraception and fertility are personal decisions, not political ones.
I am appalled that Earth actually has countries where there are laws that govern a woman’s body. I will agree with anyone who says that abortion should not be used as birth control, but I will also add that the issue is much deeper than that; there’s education, how women are viewed, finances and access to contraceptives to consider, for starters. On Lorata, the people are well-educated (at the very least, they don’t have the “you can’t get pregnant if you…” myths), rape is very rare, and the biology of conception is different. I suppose if you took the wrong mixture of herbs, you could mess things up, but the apothecary would warn you before giving them to you.
Treason, warfare and the rights of the government have been big issues lately, and what is a medieval fantasy without treason and intrigue? Book one starts off with an empire that most people don’t even want– unless they are loyal to the emperor. Book three starts off with a great deal of treachery and treason, and I have to stop there before I give away too many spoilers. There is a lot of bloodshed in the name of politics in the kingdoms that I focus on, although most of the rest of the land is peaceful.
Legends of Lorata 