Collaboration on a book is the ultimate unnatural act.

Unbending to consensus, uninterested in collaboration and compromise, they refuse to think anew and act anew in light of the attacks because of unwavering ideological opposition to expanding the number of federal law enforcement officers,

The Fugitive Slave Act was a flagrant example of Northern and federal collaboration with slaveholders, a lightning rod that led to the growth of the anti-slavery movement.

It's the ultimate toy box.

Two questions form the foundation of all novels: "What if?" and "What next?" (A third question, "What now?", is one the author asks himself every 10 minutes or so; but it's more a cry than a question.) Every novel begins with the speculative question, What if "X" happened? That's how you start.

The extraneous duties, in a sense, were the job.