Nearly a decade ago, in 2016, Jenna was on a first date with a fellow NC State University student. Over dinner, her date shared that he’d just sold his first manuscript. Later, Jenna told her family about the date. Her brother brushed the writing news off: “Men will really say anything on their dating profiles!” Fair enough, but this time, that suspicion wasn’t merited. Jenna’s date, Christopher Ruocchio, had indeed just sold a science fiction novel, Empire of Silence, to DAW Books.