Why Sojourners? A Journey Between Worlds

I chose to name my first book in The Fire and The Serpent series Sojourners because it captures the heart of what this story is truly about: the journey.

Sojourner is an old-fashioned word, often overlooked but rich with meaning. It describes someone who is traveling—not aimlessly, like a wanderer or a nomad—but with intention. A sojourner is someone who leaves home or a place of belonging to journey elsewhere. Whether physical or spiritual, their path has purpose. It’s not just a movement through land, but through identity, belief, and transformation.

Unlike a nomad, who moves as a way of life and carries home with them, the sojourner endures dislocation. There’s often a quiet ache beneath their steps—a sense of not belonging in their current state, and a deep hope for what lies ahead. They are exiles. Pilgrims. Strangers passing through. People caught in the in-between.

Historically and spiritually, a sojourner is someone caught between worlds—physical, emotional, or divine. And that’s exactly where we find the characters in this book. Each one is leaving something behind—by choice or by force—and stepping into the unknown. They are adventurers, yes, but also seekers. Their physical journey is layered with mystery and a spiritual dimension unseen in the world they came from.

In this place of between, nothing is ever simple. Every path carries a cost. Traveling alone can be dangerous—but so can following the wrong group. In a world shaped by Fire and the Serpent, every step matters.