I recently explored the concept of my characters sprouting from alien spoors, seeding my mind with featureless golems that come to life through my fingers and spring over the keyboard. Yes, I live with pods in my head. I really like it in there, and they depend on me.
What I don’t like is having to leave them behind when I come out to do all the mind-bending, endless labor it takes to publish and sell books. Too much time getting headaches when all I want to do is add dimension to my pod family! …And maybe find some time to relax with the hubby. That seems to be a hard-won bonus these days. I mostly get to see him when he comes to visit my pod people. He’s very amenable that way.
But I’m being honest here… I mostly want to run screaming back to the confines of my imagination. There are scenes needing to be written! More characters that lay dormant, waiting for the words to make them whole. Why must I go down a million internet vortexes that lead to galaxies, that lead to universes where it seems I might never find my way back out, just to get them out into the world?
Do they really need to go into print? Maybe my pod people are happier where they are.
The bottom line is, I tell their stories for readers to enjoy.
So, grow pod people, take shape, and fly off the page and into cozy reading nooks everywhere.
Updated Blog, January 2026 – This year is the fifth anniversary of my series launch! Enjoy The Starlight Chronicles... On SALE January 26 – 30!
Artwork above and below by:
Vic DeLeon Art Director, Ark II, Studio Wildcard – ArtStation.com
Like you, my fellow writers, I’m careful about subscribing to newsletters to avoid being inundated with content I don’t need. I’m not claiming to be successful, but I have managed to limit the noise so the good stuff grabs my attention. I thought I would pass along a few of my favorites from today:
This is the epic annual chat where I get to reflect on the year with my great writing friend, Nicolas Lemieux. Yay! Welcome back to our dual platform, Nicolas. How about we start with introductions and a brief summary of our year in writing, then dive deeper into the highlights?
Read in French – Nicolas has kindly translated our discussion. Thanks so much Nicolas!
First! Let’s Meet the Authors
Nicolas Lemieux
Nicolas lives in Montréal with his wife, Marie-Claude, in a third-floor apartment overlooking a charming green alley. Although French is his first language, he prefers to write in English.
His chosen genre is Science Fiction, where he gets his kicks dreaming up astonishing worlds filled with a sharp palette of badass, quirky characters who get tangled up in all kinds of meaningful trouble. Often funny, sometimes disquieting, always exciting.
Nicolas believes that each time you dive into a good book, you come out better off at the other end because you’ve gained a new, bright spark that will stick with you until the end of time, helping you fend off the pits and falls that might have consumed you otherwise.
As Nicolas works on his novel, Seven Drifts, which features a drifting city spaceship, a wannabe sleuth, murders, a brewing rebellion, and an antique wooden treasure chest, he enjoys blogging about books and his writing life while sharing glimpses into the world of Seven Drifts, including through his free story, DRIFT & CRADLE.
D. L. Lewellyn
D.L.’s unexpected passion for writing ignited in 2020 after a summer of avid, lockdown-induced reading in her favorite genre, paranormal romance.
In addition to self-publishing her series, The Starlight Chronicles, her stories have appeared in anthologies. More novels are on the way. No surprise there. Anyone who knows her will tell you she’s a dedicated multi-crafter. Take a peek inside her colorful, cluttered studio, and you’ll see it for yourself.
She also enjoys blogging about writing and interviewing fellow authors. Her downtime includes lots of reading and sharing popcorn while watching movies or Formula 1 racing with her husband. When they aren’t being couch potatoes, they’re walking the northern Nevada high desert with their rescued fur babies.
Let’s Get Started
Okay, Nicolas, how about you go first? What was your 2025 like?
NL: All year round, I’ve been deep inside the world of my novel, Seven Drifts, and what a wild ride it’s turning out to be! The story is set on a former starship that was damaged, stranded, and, for better or for worse, turned into a long stack of gigantic O’Neill cylinders. It is a politically complex place of varying gravity conditions, led by a benevolent-looking villain, Mayor Larocque, who compels his people into a way of life he calls Driftism. I’m having a ton of fun with the characters, from the failed botanist but passionate amateur sleuth Anita to the trumpeter Blake, who is slated to write the true story of their rebel crew, to Leona, the great-granddaughter of an infamous architect.
Honestly, the writing process itself is one great source of happiness (and growth), and I know you feel the same way about yours. I love how it forces me to dwell in my solution-seeking mode, as we discussed in our emails. It’s a compelling challenge; always worth it!
To make things interesting, let me throw out a few topics a reader of our conversation might want to playfully toss somewhere at the back of their mind as they read on…
What are the three distinct gravity conditions mentioned in Seven Drifts, and what are they associated with?
Could there be characters in the story who aren’t really called “folk” at all?
An antique treasure chest is bequeathed to someone in the story. In your opinion, who could it have belonged to?
Who is Baba?
Do people in Seven use such things as GPUs and VR?
What kind of propulsion drive might Seven have used before it was damaged?
What was the name of Leona’s late great-grandfather?
What specific goal does the narrator, Blake, pursue in the novel Seven Drifts?
It’s an exciting time for me, as the manuscript is finally mostly in place. I’ve gained confidence in my structural choices, realizing that an introductory set of chapters can work just fine if they are beautiful and fascinating enough to hook the reader. I can’t wait to share these characters, this world I’ve created, and that crazy, quirky, action-packed story. Now, let’s dive into the specifics!
DLL: I have totally felt your joy in what you’ve accomplished this year in Seven Drifts. It’s a huge project, and making those structural tweaks and feeling those “aha” moments must have been awesome. I can’t wait to dive into it as a reader.
It always amazes me how each year ends with events that surpass the previous one, even though I often think a year can’t possibly have more going on or more to learn–and yes, I’m still learning tons in my 6th decade. This year, while I wouldn’t necessarily lump all the happenings into highlights, learning definitely played a role. My biggest takeaway is never to take anything for granted.
After retiring early in 2023 to focus on writing full-time, I was given nearly two years of that privilege. But early this year, cancer struck twice in my family: first me, then my sister. We started chemotherapy a day apart and lost our hair together. I realized how much I had taken my health and family for granted.
Her situation is much more serious; her treatments focus on giving her as much time as possible, and we’re hoping for at least a year. My treatments are meant to keep the cancer at bay, and while I’m grateful for that, I would give anything if the same could be said for my sister.
While this was all going on, I had to face that I’d also taken democracy for granted–a truth more bitter to swallow each day. Watching the hatred promoted by our bumbling leaders in a reality TV-style government only makes personal challenges even harder.
So, what does someone do when life presents what feels like impossible obstacles that are mostly beyond their control? My answer is to write every day and make time to talk to my sister.
The second thing I learned is that having a passion to lose yourself in—one of those joys that makes you want to wake up in the morning—even to face a chemo treatment or another loss to democracy—restores the good things in life. I came to this realization by making this year about having fun with my characters and scenes in three new novels—yes, three—that darn multitasking gene—and that’s in addition to the six I already have going. While I haven’t finished a single one, I’ve written probably as many words this year as my 320,000-word series.
That simply means I found the joy of writing again while also spending a great deal of time promoting my already published novels. That effort has paid off, and I’ll discuss why later. I also returned to voracious reading, which is what launched me into this writing journey five years ago. I’ve decided that reading is equally part of the joy and the best way to become a better writer. I’ll share my favorite authors from this year’s reading list. I’ve reached 74 books in a 50-book goal, and the year’s not finished!
Other highlights include launching my new BookBub website, attending a super fun writing retreat, adding my books to Audible via Amazon’s Virtual Voice Studio, and splurging on Grammarly Pro for editing support. More on this later.
Let’s get into the Writing Process
Nicolas and I really enjoy looking back on our emails after a year of correspondence and finding that we had tons of insightful things to say about our writing process that we forgot about as the year progressed.
Here’s us airing out a little about writing ourselves into a corner while we face life’s challenges.
DLL: Writing is my solace. And as I escape each day into my current novel, I’m encouraged with my progress… except that I’m still working on the mechanics of my plot. Dang those plots. That’s the most challenging part for me–thousands of words of great scenes, and everything is moving forward, but once again, I’m writing myself into a corner, LOL. At least coming up with solutions occupies my dreams so I can sleep.
NL: First off, let me tell you how much I admire your courage and resiliency in your approach to your current predicament (and I apologize for the clichés). The truth is, I have no idea how I’d fare myself, faced with the same reality. But from where I stand, I can only say “I’m here, offering my good vibes.” I’m so happy that you’re doing better now and that you’re on the recovery track.
Congratulations on making such good progress! This many words is a body of work to contend with. Isn’t it the best? You write yourself into a corner, and then your creative brain takes over – in its own time – to find solutions you wouldn’t have dreamt of in your waking time. Often, these solutions turn out to be precisely what makes your story unique, personal, human, and truly you; exactly what makes it irresistible and relatable. I find solace in writing as well. I’ve been all over the place in my novel Seven Drifts, moving scenes around and generally making parts of it a lot better. I enjoy how it forces me to dwell in my solution-seeking mode, even though I am often overwhelmed by how long this challenging process takes. Sometimes it helps me sleep, other times not.
During a creative dry spell this summer, I reread my first story (Tides of Cath), and it was nice to go back to the first spark that ignited the rest of the project. It’s the story I wrote first but haven’t finished yet. It takes place centuries after the one I’m finishing now, though, so it seemed only logical to work on the prequel story first. But going back to ToC really got my creative juices bubbling up again. I found it super encouraging, actually. I had no notion of scene structure and whatnot back then, but geez, I think the story works just as well. Maybe even better, I don’t know; as if I was relying on my instincts more when I wrote these pages, and I don’t know why, but I really like how they flow. So it gives me even more incentive to work hard and finish Seven Drifts so I can go on and work on Tides of Cath again.
DLL: Wow! This is so inspiring, Nicolas. I can also relate to relooking at earlier work and often wonder if I’ve given up some of my spontaneity in my writing. For my part, I seem to be constantly in editing mode and worry about overdoing it. That could have something to do with Grammarly Pro. I couldn’t resist a half-off offer on Black Friday last year, and it truly is like having a professional editor on my payroll. However, that editor is also constantly riding my shoulder, slowing my writing every time I stop to see if I can write what’s being flagged better. I mention this AI writing tool briefly as both a pro and a con. But the pro outweighs the con for me, as it has helped me become a better writer.
Back to spontaneity, I didn’t go at my first novels with any kind of coherence, just pure gut instinct, which left holes while somehow also managing to get a story out. Always shocks me when I look back at how much fun I had writing that way. I think this is why I’m having a hard time finishing another novel. I’m not using pure instinct to tell a story. Instead, I’m swamped with too many techniques learned since then that are stifling me. I’ve sort of lost my voice. I miss the old days. I laugh at myself because this is always how I learn to do new things, just throw something out in the world based on pure creative juices, with holes, imperfections, and all. Then, I reverse engineer. Part of that process lately has been reading authors I love and figuring out why I love their storytelling. Still, it’s all part of the passion, right?
NL: Pure instinct: I like these words. That’s how I operated at first, when I wrote a large chunk of the first draft of Tides of Cath, and I can feel it when I read it again. I hope some of it is still there in 7D – I’ll have to trust in the process for that. Funny thing, I experienced the same with singing. At first, it felt natural and easy, even gratifying, until I took voice lessons with various teachers and coaches. Then, for a while (I mean, years), singing became complicated and hard, nerve-racking, almost an impossible dream. But eventually, it became more natural again, in a different way, and more satisfying – but still kind of nerve-racking, but for larger reasons (I mean audiences) and sometimes, downright terrorizing. But it’s the middle part I want to go for, the “more natural and more satisfying”. It’s like once we start learning the ropes, it becomes harder to reconnect all the techniques and knowledge with our first, primordial impulse to create. To reconnect our busy head with our soaring heart takes time and patience, but we get there eventually. Some days, I feel like I need to act like a “bad student” to find that connection again. I need to ignore what I know and deliberately seek the flow without thinking, and to Hell with the technique and everything I’ve been told. Sometimes I find it helps uncover that nugget of truth, or touch that magical feeling of “something appearing out of nothingness” I enjoy so much. Reconnecting with other art forms, such as music, or with other authors, is also a great way to find that connection again. (More on this later.)
Writing Quests
DLL: So, Nicolas, while I was busy writing and undergoing cancer treatments this year, I added a few quests along the way (why not, right?), which I got to share with you in real time. One was switching virtual audio book platforms from Google to Audible. Producing even virtual audiobooks is a cumbersome task, but it felt like an accomplishment to finish all five books! Both have awesome features, both are free to authors (my only reason for doing them instead of hiring actors), but only one reaches the audience (as usual): Amazon. Still, I haven’t sold any audiobooks since my initial launch, and I’ve received no feedback from the few who purchased them. I suspect AI audiobooks are not readers’ preferred format. We talked about the pros and cons of AI voices vs. real actors. I think most are obvious. There’s nothing like real emotion and inflection to tell a story. Obviously, actors are on my bucket list for the future of my series. Your thoughts?
NL: Thanks for the audiobook of Priss’s story! I listened to the first one and enjoyed it very much! That virtual voice is just out of this world, I almost forget it’s not a real human reading to me – so much so that it’s a bit uncanny when I think about it. Now, if I had a choice between a human-read book and an AI-read one, I’d go with the real human voice for sure, as I’d know I’m supporting the work of a real artist, and it would be easier to identify and connect emotionally when listening to a human being. But for ease and affordability, I can understand people settling for the next best thing once in a while.
DLL: I really appreciate you listening to Priss Starwillow and sharing your thoughts, Nicolas. It’s so helpful. And yes, connecting emotionally is definitely the piece that is missing, even with the uncanny voices. Sigh… One day, if I can win a contest with a cash prize, I’ll splurge. I would love readers to enjoy my series on audio.
Another quest this year was attending my first writing retreat with local authors in the wonderful historic town of Virginia City, at a fabulous, haunted Victorian hospital-turned-art center. A local Reno writer, Kim Harnes, hosts these each year, doing all the labor for the cost of the retreat. We had some great classes with fellow attendees, including an agent we practiced pitching our stories to. Check out the fun highlights in my blog. I highly recommend attending workshops and retreats.
NL: I haven’t attended a writing retreat myself so far, but I have no trouble seeing how that learning and pitching process, though intimidating, would be an exciting time for me as it was for you, and I’m sure it would benefit me in all kinds of ways! Back at the end of 2024, I enrolled in QWF (Quebec Writers Federation), but along with my day job and my writing project, I guess it turned out to be one too many things to do, so I ended up attending only one of their multiple online events. I have no doubt I would enjoy and benefit from attempting something similar again in the future, or, better yet, something more punctual, in-person, and intensive, like the retreat you attended.
DLL: QWF sounds like a valuable organization, and it’s great to connect with local groups to explore unique outreach opportunities within our communities, i.e., book fairs and conventions, which I really want to do. But becoming a writer during Covid sort of set me off on the recluse path, promoting from afar (i.e., social media). After meeting many local writers at the retreat, I decided to dedicate this summer to interviewing them. As a result, I had some fascinating guests on my Spotlight, and through them, discovered local organizations and resources.
Like you, I sign up for events, including online classes, but I never seem to have enough time to participate fully. However, the little I manage to fit in always adds at least one helpful nugget to my repertoire, making it worth navigating the overwhelming amount of networking and training available to indie authors—often offered for free–so long as I don’t let it eat up my writing time. That is a challenge, I must say.
I follow Reedsy, AutoCrit, BookBaby, BookBub, and BookFunnel, to name a few, which regularly offer classes or helpful blogs. A few other useful newsletters come from Gotham Writers (which has great classes and blogs) and Writers Write. This last one is ad-heavy, but it contains lots of great content. Check out my latest favorite blog as an example: “What Can Jane Austen Teach Us Today?” They always provide a brief yet interesting post, followed by helpful bullet points and a list of related articles.
This might also be the place to mention my cross-promotion group on Facebook: #RomanceBookBlast. I participated in every quarterly Book Blast promotion over the last two years, as well as the Black Friday sale, which has significantly impacted my book sales and visibility. So, I can highly recommend it as a valid marketing tool for an indie author on a tight budget.
Our group host and admin, Jessica Anderson, has done a fantastic job helping us grow. Participation is free as long as you agree to promote the quarterly events through your newsletter and social media. I average around 3,000 downloads per free offer. In my genre, it’s advantageous to sell exclusively on Amazon by enrolling in Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) to reach Kindle Unlimited (KU) users. My KU pages read have increased significantly this year as a result of the promotions (76,000 pages read!). I also discount my other books in the series, and each event leads to sales of all my books. The group and its followers have steadily expanded, and our events are promoted not only by each other but also on BookBub, Apple Books, and by influencers on TikTok. Thank you, Jessica! She’s been wonderful in driving this promotion to new levels.
If you receive author newsletters offering free books, they’re likely part of a cross-promotion group. I prefer this as my main marketing platform, but it’s also helpful to coordinate with other promotions, such as Written Word Media, BookFunnel, BookBub, and others, to maximize impact. I tried Written Word Media for the first time this fall. I’m fairly certain that my #RomanceBookBlast results improved with the paid promotions, but not enough to use them regularly, except maybe for special events and when I can catch sales. They claim that their emails go out to 50,000+ readers (at least for romance audiences). Sales have continued to trickle in, and I’m thinking the paid promotion helped reach more romance readers.
Also, while it’s not a significant number, my book ratings on Amazon go up a little each promotion, and every bit of that helps as well.
I also took advantage of an offer from BookBub this year to create a website with their new Author Websites by BookBub. I was intrigued because, as a BookBub author with my books featured on my profile, they automatically appear on a catchy page on the site. The free templates are simple, clean, and easy to use. I designed an attractive, author-focused website very quickly. I feel great about using BookBub because they truly understand the readers and market.
NL: That’s amazing, Darci! I’m thrilled and impressed with what you were able to achieve with cross-promotions and groups! It makes me even more eager to finish my book so I can have as much fun finding out what can be done to share my sci-fi story. Written Word Media, BookFunnel, BookBub; I’ve seen some of them, but I haven’t learned to know them – so far. I didn’t know you could create a website with BookBub! I enjoy that kind of stuff, so I can’t wait to dive into it!
DLL: Glad I could share some useful tips, Nicolas! One last highlight to share is about writing contests. You and I have both participated in Writing Battle, which hosts many contests throughout the year. I’ve interviewed the amazing couple from beautiful Nova Scotia who created the platform, which has since exploded in popularity. I entered the Autumn 2025 Short Story contest this year after a long break from contests. It was a bit daunting since it was also my last week of chemo, and I wrote in a chemo fog! But I loved my story, and it did well, reaching the final showdown after passing through the peer judging duels. Writing Battle provides four really unique genres (often more like tropes) for each contest, along with prompts. I got “Vampirical Romance,” with “ice rink” and an “influencer.”
While it is super hard making it to a win for the fabulous cash prizes, at least you end up with a story that, while challenging to write in the abbreviated timeframe with the required prompts, ends up surprising you and being a blast to write. But then you need to find a home for it. I’ve published these stories in my “Priss Starwillow” collection, and you can find them here for free, except for this last Writing Battle story, which became part of an anthology called “Dreams.”
I belong to a wonderful group of indie authors on Instagram who support author Chantal Agapiti’s The Dreamer’s Bookshop, which she created to support indie authors! The physical shop resides in Belgium. The paperback is available in her shop and on Amazon, and you can get the ebook here. Follow the shop for future anthologies and to support indie authors. I’m proud to be part of this ongoing project.
NL: Thanks for the links, and congrats on making it to the final showdown! That’s an amazing feat. I very much enjoyed my two participations in Writing Battle, though I didn’t enroll this year, figuring that I would rather put my limited time on my novel in progress. But I look forward to participating again in the future, for sure!
Works in Progress
DLL: I’ve been overwhelming you this year, Nicolas, with my work-in-progress in our email chats, and I feel terribly guilty, but you’ve been great about offering encouragement and sharing your own experiences. I was also glad to get a sneak peek at Seven Drifts. Then, I managed to talk you into letting me beta-read a scene.
So good! I can’t wait to read the finished novel or possibly get more scenes to dive into… hint, hint.
And wow, Nicolas! You read my series! Thank you so much.
I feel like sharing some of our discussion and our WIPs here. How about you?
NL: Absolutely, share away! And please… No guilt! It was fascinating to read several versions of this part of your work and to witness their progression. I feel privileged to have been part of it, and I hope for that opportunity again.
About The Starlight Chronicles, I really enjoy how you manage so many different characters and their lives and backgrounds, and how you get us to know them better and better, to the point where I feel like I’m part of the family myself. It’s a breeze to get into, despite so many people to track. So well done!
I also love a mix of genres. This is an intense romance with a lot of action. Shifters, vampires, a slew of other supernaturals, even alien princes! I deeply enjoyed each and every reference to history, and how the story makes a fascinating use of the Sumerian language and culture. Gilgamesh rules! Apart from that… Well, TSC had so many compelling characters, each with a fabulous destiny. Also, so many fascinating, eye-widening settings (even the library of my dreams!), and such a complex, riveting plot… Not to forget, what an epic, spectacular ending! So well done.
Another thing I wanted to mention is that I like the way you weave in many short chapters, moving the story forward in a smooth, gradual progression, giving so much information without it ever feeling too charged or complex. My scenes tend to grow each time I look at them, and I always seem to find new details that are missing, so I add them.
DLL: I’m so glad you enjoyed my books (in a few iterations ☺️), and thanks for saying so, not to mention your lovely comments. I can’t wait to return the favor, especially after getting to sample your scene.
Many readers who don’t read fantasy romance (romantasy) are a bit overwhelmed by the large cast, and I for sure got carried away on my first go around. 😁 In a sense, after absorbing stories from so many fantasy romance writers over that crazy summer of 2020, I let my paints spill all over the canvas, even aliens for Pete’s sake. :) But it was a lot of fun and a huge relief that I made some kind of plot out of it. Mostly, I think it’s a fun ride to go on with Selena, sort of like Dorothy through Oz. She finally runs into some serious challenges in Tigris. It’s so hard to make my characters suffer, but finally, I got some readers shedding tears. I’m hoping to do better with that in my spinoff stories.
Here is where I dove into my novel-in-progress with Nicolas, but months later, everything has changed. Surprising, huh? I will offer a fresh take on my projects, then Nicolas will give us a sneak peek at Seven Drifts.WARNING! EXCLUSIVE COVER REVEAL. 😊
My focus has shifted to finishing Gemma’s story first (Selena’s best friend in The Starlight Chronicles (TSC)).
Gemma is set in Quincy, running parallel to the TSC. The Sinclair twins (black panther shifters) return to Quincy during Drago Incendium (Book Two) to run the science and communications hub remotely, while Andras and Selena head to her brother’s lodge in Alaska with Michael Elliott to complete the quest with the Anurashin.
As the series reveals, Gemma likely has a stalker she’s evading. How will the twins help her handle her problem while convincing her she’s their mate? Will it take them into the Sierra Nevada backcountry, where Gemma’s skills are tested, to face a compelling, morally grey (or worse–his character is still developing) antagonist, a rogue bear shifter named Dietrich Braun? Hmmm. While we meet a few new characters, this story will be a streamlined, standalone romantic mountain adventure.
My next goal is to finish a TSC two-book spinoff (already well in the works) for my two favorite secondary male characters. One is for Michael Elliott, who will team up with Halil Enair (who once tortured Michael on the behest of her evil father) and a new character, a powerful skin mage named Spero Vic, in a story that will explore the dragon lore Elliott promises to share with Selena. We get to travel to a new realm, learn about Onyx (Michael’s dragon) and his kingdom, discover Rune magic through tattoos and song, and meet exciting new characters. It’s all coming together in Halil’s Midnight Sun.
Running parallel to this story and set to join it during the climax is Ember’s Dark Flame. This will be a standalone story with its own ending, then moving to a final climax in Halil’s Midnight Sun. It features vampire emissary and spy Mortas, and Ember, the woman he once loved (also Andras Johns’s best childhood friend and favorite witch who appears briefly in Books Two and Three in TSC). What happens when these estranged lovers reunite to rescue a young witch and stop an evil coven’s plot? I can’t wait to let you know! Both novels will introduce new characters and bring back old ones from TSC.
I’ve also started an epic historical fantasy set in 1776 Alta California, The Spanish Maiden Who Dreamt of a Bear. We’ll embark on a true historical expedition with fictional characters, Elara Sofia de Luna Estrada and her father, Alejandro, who join Juan Bautista de Anza’s ‘traveling city’ from future Tucson, Arizona, to future Monterey, California, as de Anza (the first governor of New Mexico) claims territory for the Spanish Crown.
Elara is Andras Johns’s grandmother, a marked maiden of her time who finds bear shifter Broderick Johns when she arrives with the expedition at the presidio in Monterey. When a competing Russian colonist and bear shifter arrives on the scene, he sets his sights on Elara and pretty much everything else that belongs to Broderick, including his status as the most powerful shifter on the North American continent. Elara and Broderick are mentioned throughout TSC.
Of all the non-TSC novels in the works (three sci-fi and one YA urban fantasy), the one I most want to finish is The Fourth Planet of Cinnamon Jones. It’s a sci-fi fantasy set in Eastern Oregon, in the town of Halfway near Hells Canyon, then moves to Portland, which is a hub for displaced fae. It turns out the fae are not just creatures from human mythology, but aliens from a planetary system deep in the Milky Way called Helixia.
We’ll see what happens when a handsome but hardened bounty hunter comes for Cinnamon Jones, a changeling at birth (left with human parents who believe they adopted her legitimately), who doesn’t realize she isn’t human until a car accident throws her and her parents into the Snake River, and she sprouts gills and webbing on her hands and feet. That’s fine because Cinnamon already knows that water is her element. What’s not fine is that her birth parents want her back on Sempria as their weapon in a political power struggle.
Take it away, Nicolas!
NL: Wow, Darci! So many new stories, I can’t wait to dive into! On my end, I’ve been wondering for a while whether to reveal more of my project and risk spoiling parts of it… But the more I think about it, the more I think I’m ready to reveal more about the story, especially now that it’s mostly congealed. (BTW, I like that term.)
So here’s a first, quick-and-dirty – potentially confusing – jumble-teaser intro…
Seven Drifts is not only about chasing after treasure chests, drooling over a cool house, or watching from a rooftop as weird things happen. There are dead bodies. Thieves. NoFolk. Illegal children – lithe kids, an army of them. Places with different gravity conditions, like the heavy, hypergeeUnderlevels, the nogee levels high up in the Eights, and of course, the more familiar legitgee, citizenry levels. It has urban and rural zones, even ski resorts. It has interns, rebels… A big festival, and a jazz band with competitive lead singers. You’ll hear of climate change inside a space city with messed-up weather systems – and that’s just one more clue. It has a bunch of funky, quirky acronyms, like VR (it’s not only a drug), GPUs (General Preservation Units), MAHAL (a type of propulsion drive). At karaoke, Anita’s best friend will meet her tall, dark stranger with a baby face, older than he looks. Leona is the great-granddaughter of a well-known, infamous architect named Felipe Crasotte, who lived a hundred years ago.
Seven is a former starship, damaged and stranded, that was turned into a long stack of O’Neill cylinder-type habitats – or districts. It’s going nowhere. It is led by a benevolent-looking villainous villain who happens to be the mayor of the city and savior of the people…
As a compelling zen master, Mayor Larocque proposes a philosophy and way of life he calls Driftism – capital D – and de facto, he is the city’s drift master – in more meanings than one. Every morning, all citizens must partake in the daily drift virtual session – seven drifts per week – to train their minds to drift along with the Master’s. Mayor Larocque, aka Baba, is very much into sharing his expansive mind with his valued mentees. He intends his beloved people to get his drift just as he gets theirs – in the fullest of ways.
The story takes place over the course of the most important week of a very important year. That year is the second centennial of Seven’s Awakening, which took place after a centuries-long journey. As the saying goes, “only seven more drifts to go before the big festival night…”
(Geez, I’m still having fun after years of working on this!)
I’m planning to use excerpts from Felipe Crasotte’s journals to expand on aspects of the world and its history in a fun way and to reduce exposition in places. Also, I’d like to use the narrator’s POV in the first person here and there, to show other ideas that are useful to the story. The writer is Blake, a character in the story. He is also the trumpeter in Leona’s new band, and he becomes Anita’s lover pretty early on. In the end, he pledges to write the true story of Anita; what really happened with her and her crew, and most importantly, why, so that down the line, after they get to the end of their long journey, the people of Seven may stop hating her for what she did – effectively putting an abrupt end to their beloved, comfortable way of living, while in fact, saving them and giving their ship a true destination and purpose.
Book Recs & Cultural Influences
DLL: As I mentioned, I read a lot this year—the most I’ve done in years towards my Goodreads goal. I’m at 76 out of my 50-book goal. I raised the goal to 60 in November and surpassed it again. This is mainly thanks to a new favorite author, Lindsay Buroker, and her many series. She is a prolific urban sci-fi/fantasy writer who creates stories I dream of writing, with witty banter, fantastic world-building, and relatable characters. Her writing is phenomenal, and even my husband is enjoying her sci-fi series, “The Fallen Empire.” It reminds me of the best parts of “Star Wars,” “Star Trek,” and the sadly short-lived “Firefly.”
Two other outstanding books this year were Andy Weir’s “Project Hail Mary.” Can’t wait for the movie! My whole family got into this one and discussed it. I listened to the audiobook and highly recommend it. The second audiobook I couldn’t stop listening to was the first book in Callie Hart’s “Fae & Alchemy” dark romantasy series, “Quicksilver.” The next in the series, “Brimstone,” has just been released, and I can’t wait to listen to it!
I read both of these early in the year, ahead of the social media hype, which I love doing. They just feel more special that way.
Another author I got into was Elise Kova—wonderful fantasy romance with great characters and worlds.
Your turn, Nicolas!
NL: Seventy-six books, that’s an impressive achievement. I have read The Martian, by Andy Weir; even studied it over a course I did back in 2018, but not Project Hail Mary yet. Now it will be on my reading list! I’ll keep a note to check out Callie Hart’s and Elise Kova’s books.
Reading is one of my favourite ways to calm down and reconnect. I don’t do it as much as I’d like, but reading usually brings me a kind of peace and a lot of inspiration. I don’t set goals, but I try to read a little every day if I can. I keep a list so I won’t buy the same book twice, as I’ve been known to do. Here’s a sample from the last couple of years, so you’ll see the kinds of books I like to read.
The Language of Acorns, V.R. Friesen
Go Tell The Bees That I Am Gone – Outlander #9, Diana Gabaldon
Revenger, Alastair Reynolds (Book #1 of a trilogy)
Children of Gravity Beta version 1, V.R. Friesen
Aestus Books 1-2, S.Z. Attwell
Shadowlake, Olivia Rytwinsky
Gravity Shattered Extra Scenes, V.R. Friesen
Stone of Fire, JF Penn
Day of the Viking, JF Penn
Pilgrimage, JF Penn
Manifesting Your Greatest Self, Nick Ortner & Creating Lasting Change, Jessica Ortner (The Tapping Solution)
Pale Face, W.D. Killpack III
Crown Prince, W.D. Killpack III (Next books in series on my reading list!)
The Shithead, Tim Grahl
Out of Tune, D.C. Greschner
Regenerative Business, Samantha Garcia
Ursus Borealis, D.L. Lewellyn
Drago Incendium, D.L. Lewellyn
Tigris Vetus, D.L. Lewellyn
Shadow Captain & Bone Silence, Alastair Reynolds (books 2-3 of the Revenger trilogy)
Inside a Dark Space, M.J. James
The Trials of Imogen Sol, C.L. Walters
Oh, and before I forget… Thanks for peppering your stories with so many awesome musical propositions! I look them up and listen to them. As a result, I often listen to Neko Case nonstop while writing. I love her voice and music. I have other notes I’ll explore further. Keep suggesting!
DLL: A fantastic list, and so fun to see my titles in there. Thanks again for taking the time to read them.
You’re the second person to mention enjoying the songs and other art references. If you haven’t listened to First Aid Kit, you’ll dig the Swedish sisters, too! Here’s the song referenced in Ursus Borealis.
I added a credits page for my cultural references in Tigris, along with a detailed Appendix for the series. It was fun to put that together, recalling all my side and minor characters and being amazed by the sheer number of them. I also love hearing when a reader takes the time to check out those end materials, which has happened more often than you might think.
NL: It’s wonderful! In addition to great music, I see any art form as a potential nourishment for my creativity. Marie-Claude and I sometimes go out and visit big and small art exhibits. Every little gallery, every museum, every piece of art can be a source of inspiration and energy. Check out these exhibitions we saw recently: Alan Glass, Joyce Wieland, Atelier circulaire, Espace Bougie, BIECTR. I love pottery as well.
DLL: That is a wonderful body of exploration, but not surprising from such a fantastic city where beauty is around every corner, as your walks attest (follow Nicolas on Instagram for some amazing photos, a few of which have been sprinkled throughout our conversation). One day, I will visit Montréal and say hi!
NL: It’ll be my great pleasure to say hi too! Thanks, Darci! Once again, it was wonderful talking to you and getting to know you a little more. I had a great time chatting and collaborating with you on this compilation. I look forward to more fascinating conversations to come!
DLL: Same here, Nicolas. I can’t wait to see what new things we chat about in 2026. Happy New Year to you and Marie-Claude.
Follow D. L. Lewellyn at bydllewellyn.com and sign up for her newsletter and a free story. You can also stay posted on Instagram and Facebook.
Follow Nicolas Lemieux at nicolaslemieux.com. Sign up for his newsletter and get your copy of DRIFT & CRADLE. You can also stay up to date on Instagram and LinkedIn.
Republishing this piece in honor of the 20th Anniversary of the western drama, Open Range. (I was reminded of this by a fellow blogger! How time flies!)
First of all, I want to say I adored Uncle Lauran. I just had no idea…
Recently, someone asked on social media about using different pen names for different genres. My first reaction was that a name is the most important aspect of a writer and should sell the author, regardless of the genre. It’s hard to imagine using multiple pen names and struggling to brand each one for different genres. I already have a hard enough time branding my single pen name. Of course, I’m self-published in today’s world. Back in my uncle’s day… sigh… oh, to be a writer when people actually visited libraries.
But the more I thought about it, the more I realized it’s not a new question. Writers have used multiple pen names to differentiate their stories and guide readers toward specific genres for ages.
Then, I had a ‘slap my forehead’ moment when I realized that one of the most amazing and prolific writers of the twentieth century, who had mastered this concept, was my very own uncle, Lauran Paine, a man who, like so many of us, struggled to get published, found his niche, and launched a career that resulted in over 1000 books! Yes, that’s three zeros, folks!
Here’s what People Magazine said about Uncle Lauran:
Ernest Hemingway—Lauran Paine can outwrite you! Franz Kafka—Lauran Paine can outwrite you! Count Leo Tolstoy—you too! Lauran Paine can outwrite all you pretty-boy novelists put together!
Uncle Lauran was listed in the ‘Guinness Book of World Records’ as the world’s most prolific living author for many years. The first thing I asked to see during my visit was a copy of that publication. I already loved the fun facts in the Guinness Book, and having an uncle’s accomplishments listed alongside records like the tallest man ever recorded, the shortest woman, and the largest living cat… well, that was the best.
At the time, I didn’t think to link that to what it meant to have so many of your own books on a shelf. They covered an entire wall! And that’s the crux of my musings today: he used over 70 pseudonyms, both male and female, depending on the market.
I’m not sure why I haven’t given Uncle Lauran’s writing more thought since I became a writer. My Dad shares a story about him every time I talk about my writing (which results in a lot of stories… hmmm…), and I love hearing them. But it wasn’t until today that I realized how amazing he was in his chosen profession, and I started remembering how he shared his experiences.
I loved listening to them back then. Today, as a writer, those conversations mean even more.
Memories are funny things. I’m sure you’ve had that moment when a single thought opens the floodgates. Uncle Lauran married my Aunt Mona in 1982. She was his favorite research librarian at the Siskiyou County Library (actually, more like the only research librarian). It was a late romance made in heaven. All the memories started playing like a film reel—the holidays at the cozy A-Frame in the mountains. Uncle Lauran, scaring off a huge bear that came to visit at the back porch one Thanksgiving, and his office full of his own books in the stone-lined basement built into the hill under the house.
So, I had to share. Because now that I am a writer and have taken another look at his body of work, I am floored. I would love the opportunity to go back in time and learn more about how he achieved it. He was a rock star! I appreciate much more now what he accomplished by sitting down and writing every day with a set schedule.
Books were his bread and butter. He wrote full-time from 1948 (though he started writing in 1934) until just before he died in 2001. He always talked about having a formula. If you master the formula, you can write anything consistently. Mr. Friedman of People Magazine captured the formula best in Uncle Lauran’s interview.
Keep in mind, he was a genuine cowboy from a much earlier era…
Paine churns out more than oaters. “After a while,” he says, “I get bow-legged with all these Westerns.” He’s done history, science fiction, mystery and romance. “Romances are the easiest thing in the world to write,” says Paine, “if you can stomach them.” In conquering his digestion, Paine must also come to grips with a problem all fiction writers wrestle with: empathy. “I don’t know much about women,” he admits. “But what man does? They’re emotional creatures.” So Paine has devised a formula to probe the depths of female psychology. “They want him, they don’t, they don’t know. By that time, you’re on page 251.”
Uncle Lauran really said that about the formula! He said it to me numerous times to convince me I could write. I guess I did have aspirations back then. Hmmm.
U.K. Writer Ben Bridges does a beautiful job of highlighting Uncle Lauran’s career. You can find his article here. I love what he has to say about the pen names:
When the paperback market began to dry up in the 1960s, however, Paine adopted several new pseudonyms and began turning out westerns primarily for Robert Hale, its subsidiary John Gresham and the then-buoyant library market. Now, in addition to Mark Carrel, he could also be found masquerading as Clay Allen, A A Andrews, Dennis Archer, John Armour, Carter Ashby, Harry Beck, Will Benton, Frank Bosworth, Concho Bradley, Claude Cassady, Clint Custer, James Glenn, Will Houston, Troy Howard, Cliff Ketchum, Clint O’Conner and Buck Standish, among many others. Additionally, he published scores of crime, science fiction and romance novels (virtually all issued by Hale or Gresham), but later admitted that thrillers and SF required more thought, time and planning to make them work.
Mr. Bridges, also published by Robert Hale, has an impressive body of work himself under his own variety of pen names. I discovered another author I need to study and read!
My favorite part of Uncle Lauran’s story was how long it took him to find his niche, which didn’t happen until he got advice from his publisher to write what he knows. He was a cowboy, a stuntman, he owned cattle. He said he had the scars to prove it. He wrote what he knew and he gave his readers tons of it. He used to tell us some of his Hollywood stories about the times he hung out on the lot of the Lone Ranger. He was friends with Jay Silverheels, who was the legendary Tonto. That’s just a sample.
Two movies were made from Uncle Lauran’s stories: 1957’s ‘The Quiet Gun,’ inspired by Lawman, and 2003’s ‘Open Range,’ based on The ‘Open Range Men,’ produced by Kevin Costner and starring Kevin Costner, Robert Duvall, Annette Bening, Michael Gambon, and Michael Jeter. It’s an amazing movie and does justice to the original story. My aunt managed Uncle Lauran’s works after his passing, working closely with Lauran Paine, Jr., and put in a lot of effort with Mr. Costner to bring her husband’s story to the big screen. She attended the premiere.
This story became…This story.I adore the old coversUncle Lauran picked this one for me because it is a beautiful western romance. I’d have to argue that he understood women despite his glib formula litany. I loved it.
Uncle Lauran didn’t just crank out serial fiction, but he also created an impressive, wide-ranging body of nonfiction. He brought this book to my Dad’s house during one of my visits, and I stayed up all night reading it. It’s enjoyable to discover these out-of-print books for sale from interesting booksellers. This particular one is listed by Common Crow Used & Rare Books.
Though I didn’t get a chance to thank Uncle Lauran for planting those seeds to tell a story when I was in my twenties, I hope he appreciated my fascination with all that he was and achieved, nonetheless.
This month, we get to chat with a fellow Nevada author I met at the Virginia City Writing Retreat. Sue and I enjoyed a great conversation over breakfast on the last morning about her career in education and her insights into the minds of young people, which she features in her writing. I’m glad to have the opportunity to learn more about her life as a writer and her works.
Let’s Meet the Author
Sue is a connoisseur of pretzels (the sourdough kind), a maker of killer banana bread (thank you, Joanna Gaines!), a pilates aficionado, and a writer! She loves writing fantasy fiction for all age groups—time travel, reincarnation, soul switching, and science fiction.
If you searched her pants pockets, you are apt to find a doggie poop bag, tissues, and a breath mint. She’s a proud mama to two amazing adult children and five equally amazing grandchildren!
Let’s Get Started
Thank you so much for visiting today, Sue. Your books are incredibly engaging, drawing us into thought-provoking worlds where teenagers face life’s toughest choices or encounter tragedy, often through a supernatural lens. Can you discuss how you began writing novels and what inspired your first story?
SCD: As many authors do, I’ve been writing or dreaming about writing since I was small. My first published novel, A SLOW CLIMB UP THE MOUNTAIN, was loosely based on my time as a principal in a small rural town. I began writing speculative fiction with SUPPRESSED. I found after I wrote that book that I really liked writing about reincarnation, time travel, and soul swapping.
Where do you find your amazing story ideas?
SCD: Story ideas are all around me. It might be a tidbit from the internet, the newspaper, an article I read in a science magazine, to looking at pictures in National Geographic.
Along the lines of inspiration, who or what was your biggest influence in becoming a fiction writer?
SCD: My high school English teacher encouraged me to continue writing. Then, a Literary Agent believed in my work. When I entered my, at the time, unpublished novel, S.O.S., in a contest and took first place, I really took off. Winning that award gave me confidence in myself as an author.
DLL: Wonderful, Sue. Thanks for sharing that.
What are your favorite themes to explore in your stories? And I’ll throw a tougher one in here. Which character did you enjoy writing most and why? Don’t worry if there’s more than one or if the answer is all of them. Feel free to elaborate.
SCD: I think my favorite character was Cat in CAT-ASTROPHIC. She was a complex and weird girl who didn’t fit in at school, yet she had a connection with the minister’s son, Nick. She argued they were once lovers during WWII. Now, I think you see the conflict in that revelation.
DLL: Another fun world to dive into.
You recently released the third installment in your ‘Land, Sea, and Air’ series. What a fascinating time-traveling premise. Can you give us a glimpse into the story and characters?
SCD: The third book is entitled MORSE CODE. I had names floating around in my brain–Dashiell and Dorothy–Dash and Dot. Thus, the Morse Code twins were conceived as the stars of that book. My cover designer even put …- – – … on the cover (SOS). It was a fun book to write because the protagonists from books 1 and 2 joined Dot and Dash in Guatemala.
DLL: Wonderful. Thank you!
In building your author platform, what have you found to be the most valuable connections and resources for an independent writer?
SCD: At every opportunity, I share the highlights about my books and keep a stack of business cards with me. In fact, earlier this week, I had the carpets cleaned, told him about my books, and sent one home for his kids.
DLL: I can relate. I also keep cards handy for those conversations.
How important is it to engage with your local community? What can you share about building an online presence? Can you tell us about your story awards and the organizations behind them?
SCD: I do as many local author events as my schedule allows, but I’ve also done book signings in MI and WA. It’s true—I’ve won a variety of awards, some more prestigious than others, but they are all “stamps of approval.” Probably, The Chanticleer Reviews has opened many doors for me. While they are small, they have a dedicated team to determine who gets what award. I highly recommend them, and also The Golden Wizard Book Prize awards for those who write for middle grade and under.
DLL: Thanks for sharing these.
What are your best tips and techniques for keeping your creative juices flowing and staying productive while balancing your writer’s life with everyday living?
SCD: Read a lot and read outside your normal genre and comfort zone. Although I’m not a huge Horror fan, there are story ideas or nuggets galore in them.
You recently returned from an overseas trip. I’d love to hear about your adventures and how traveling fits into your writer’s life.
SCD: I just returned from Greece and a screenwriter’s conference and workshop. Before the conference, I wrote my first screenplay, and it was a huge learning curve for me (and I’m still learning). But I think all those ‘out of the box’ events only strengthen us as writers.
DLL: And what a fabulous place to go for a learning curve!
What’s on the horizon for you, Sue, and where can we follow you to stay updated?
SCD: I’m hoping to win another award from Chanticleer for MORSE CODE. The first two books (SOS and MAYDAY) in the series took first place in ‘The Gertrude Warner Adventure’ category. I want to continue to learn about screenwriting and eventually turn many of my books into scripts.
DLL: Fantastic! I wish you the best in that endeavor. You can stay in touch with Sue via her website and Facebook Page.
Thank you so much for dropping by. It’s been a blast. Do you have any parting words of advice for aspiring writers?
Writers need to be readers. Write and read every day, even if it’s just a couple of sentences. Eventually, all those sentences make a paragraph, then a page, a chapter, and voilà, you’ve got a book.
Wow! Today I get to be a fangirl! And even better, I get to share that experience right here. Follow along as I chat with Grace Draven, USA Today Bestselling Author, and creator of the most gorgeous sweeping, romantic epic fantasy stories I truly believe should be on everyone’s reading list.
With Mr. Draven
I prepared for our chat by poring over reviews of the first story I read, Radiance. To me, this was the perfect book by Ms. Draven to start with because it renewed my love of epic romance and set me on the path to romance writing in fantasy settings.
Though I searched and searched, my 2020 Radiance review has been buried by the masses. So, I went to BookBub and found my much briefer review. I admit I updated it on the spot. Since I’ve become a writer, my reviews now come with that extra perspective, so why not take the opportunity to stamp an old reader review with a new reader/writer appreciation?
Friends to lovers is the most powerful kind of romance in my book, and Ms. Draven is a master. Here, the author takes two beings from opposing worlds who would not have chosen each other but for an arranged marriage, and then crafts a riveting story of a powerful bond that is utterly unique, inspiring, and heart-pounding all the way through. Each character was compelling. Their respect for each other sets in from the beginning, which is a great place for a budding romance if done right, and Ms. Draven does it right. And this is all on top of crafting a masterful fantasy world. It’s the hallmark of Ms. Draven’s writing and why I keep reading her stories.
Let’s meet the author
Grace Draven is a Louisiana native living in Texas with her husband, kids and a big, doofus dog. She has loved storytelling since forever and is a fan of the fictional bad boy. She is the winner of the Romantic Times Reviewers Choice for Best Fantasy Romance of 2014 and 2016, and a USA Today Bestselling author.
I found a few other nuggets about Ms. Draven on Goodreads where she tells us she has “lived in Spain, hiked the Teton Mountains, honeymooned in Scotland, ridden in competition rodeo and [is] the great great granddaughter of a Nicaraguan president.”
Let’s get Started
Thank you for joining me on my Spotlight, Grace! I can’t tell you what a thrill it was for me the day you responded to my request for a Q&A. This is without question the highlight of my 2023 year in writing, blogging, and interviewing, and I’m so excited for this opportunity to ask questions of a favorite bestselling author.
After all that (and I am sorry about the gushing, but I can’t help myself)… I sit here with my fingers hovering over the keyboard. Where do I start? Hmmm. Well, here goes.
My most burning questions are where do you get your ideas for such unique and compelling settings and characters? And how do you go about creating such richly layered fantasy worlds? Yikes! That’s a big request, I know, and thanks for giving it a shot.
GD. Aww, thank you so much for reaching out and including me in the list of those authors you’ve interviewed so far. There are lots of us swimming in this pond, so I appreciate the invitation to chat.
I suspect I get my ideas for stories from the same varied sources every other author uses to build worlds and characters. Memories of favorite poetry quotes, something I’ve watched on TV, a song lyric, a beautiful painting, etc. All of these things can trigger an idea that gets embedded in my brain and starts to sprout. I’ve only had one story – MASTER OF CROWS – in which I dreamed of the protagonist/hero and woke up with his character fully formed in my head and ready to be written. That was a real gift from God there.
I love world building and learned how to do it from my brother who was and still is a brilliant dungeon master. I played D&D during my college years and watched him create these incredible, heavily layered worlds that combined both the fantastic and the mundane to create these immersive places for his players to sink their imaginations and run their characters. He was amazing at this, and I completely credit him for teaching me the same approach when writing books.
DLL. I love that about MASTER OF CROWS! It is one of my earliest and most favorite reads, though I’m currently reading ENTREAT ME and thinking that’s my favorite. Except I just finished Dragon Unleashed and wondering about that being a favorite. Hmmm. That’s what’s so great about your stories. Each one feels like a favorite.
I recently finished DRAGON UNLEASHED, Book 2 in The Fallen Empire series, and am poised to start the third, RAVEN UNVEILED. The audiobooks in this series are sweeping me away. My husband even gets caught up in these stories if he’s in the room while I have the volume up. (Incidental listening is the best he can do when it comes to romance, so this is big!)
Your secondary characters are as compelling as the main characters. In this instance, I’m thinking of Halani’s mother, Asil. I adore falling in love with book boyfriends which is my main motivation for reading romance, but it’s always a great surprise when I fall in love with a character like Asil. The sweetest mother a girl could have. Sweet, innocent, simple, yet surprising and fascinating with hidden depths. Threading throughout this world is the need to track what happens to Asil (starting from Book 1 in Phoenix Unbound). In my opinion, she is responsible for illuminating an entire dimension of Malachus’ character.
Can you talk about Asil and the inspiration behind her creation?
GD. The character of Asil is a tribute to my son who is on the lower end of the autism spectrum. Like Asil, he is often challenging to deal with, stubborn, and enigmatic (especially since he’s mostly nonverbal). However, he teaches the rest of his family how to be better, kinder, more sympathetic human beings. Being a caregivers requires patience, empathy, and resilience – three things that can only build character in anyone, be they real or fictional. I wanted to show that in this story with Asil as the catalyst who shines a light on all of those traits in my main characters, especially Malachus who, for the most part, grew up a rather sheltered individual despite tragedy and his orphaned childhood.
DLL. Thank you so much for sharing the special story behind this amazing character.
Here is my opportunity to share examples of the kind of writing that has inspired me as a romance fan and writer. [For our readers. The excerpts are intended to be out of context enough to prevent spoilers but beware.]
“Wife of my soul,” he said, and this time his voice didn’t shake but held all the command of a Savatar ataman who had led an army against the Empire and won. “Look at me.”
His words sent an arrow of euphoria straight through her chest.
“And will you love me for a day? A year? A lifetime?” She knew the answer but wanted to hear him say it in that beautiful, shattered voice.
“Beyond that,” he whispered, eyes shining with the tempest of emotion he’d held in check until now. “Beyond the reign of false gods and meddlesome priests. Beyond al Zafira when her bright stars fade.”
He kissed her then, breathed his life into her mouth, her heart, her spirit—the same way she’d breathed her Gift into him while they stood in the empty soul of a dying god.
Martise kissed him fiercely in return, holding him so tightly her arms ached, and the necklace she clutched dug into his back. When they parted, she leaned her forehead against his. “That’s a long time to love someone.”
Nimble fingers worked the ties of her cyrtel, unlacing them with ease. “Not long enough.”
In RADIANCE, the strength and majesty of this story lie in the sheer beauty of a bond that grows between an alien man and a human woman, who are each repelled by their physical differences. Yet, the first time they meet they recognize in each other kindred spirits and start their journey on a foundation of respect. They must marry and join houses and they take on this task with strength and wisdom though they have no illusions that they will ever become attracted to each other.
“You make a very handsome dead eel, my husband,” she said and winked. Sinhue and Kirgipa both gasped.
“For a boiled mollusk, you wear black quite well, my wife.” Brishen shot back, and his smile stretched a little wider.
Radiance
~~~
The crust was perfectly golden and buttery with a braided edge and fanciful dough cut-outs that revealed the cook was as much artist as baker. Her mouth watered in anticipation of cutting into it.
And then the pie breathed.
Ildiko gasped and half rose from her seat, her sanap tumbling to the floor. “My gods, did you see that?”
Brishen’s stoic expression didn’t change, and he motioned for her to sit down. “You can’t run from this one, Ildiko. It’s served at every high feast and celebration. A delicacy among the Kai. It’s a surety we’ll be served one later. Newly married couples share it as a symbol of fortune and prosperity in the marriage.”
Ildiko did as he bid and sat but scooted her chair a little further away from the table. “What is in that pie?” Whatever it was, it was still alive. Fortune and prosperity be damned. Her throat closed up in protest at the thought of having to swallow something alive and still wriggling.
Brishen picked up his dagger. “Watch closely because at some point, you’ll have to do this yourself.” He stared at the pie, as focused as a hawk on a branch watching a mouse in the field below it. The pie’s crust rippled, creating cracks across its smooth surface. A black spine poked through the crust, and Brishen pounced.
He slammed the knifepoint into the pie hard enough to make the plates bounce on the table and splash wine from the goblets. An insectile screech pierced the quiet.
Brishen twisted the knife. It made a cracking noise, and the pie abruptly ruptured, sending pieces of crust splattered in a black slime across the table.
This time Ildiko leapt over her chair to crouch behind it, wide-eyed and horrified as Brishen pried his knife out of the destroyed pie. It came free with a sucking sound…
Radiance
~~~
He leaned against the door frame and crossed his arms. “Woman of day, you waited for me.”
Ildiko closed her book and offered him a drowsy smile. Relief and happiness coursed through her. “Prince of night, you’ve come back to me—your head intact.”
Radiance
~~~
She was solace enrobed in smooth flesh and scented hair.
Radiance
~~~
A sudden realization made him smile a little. One of his wife’s greatest strengths, and a thing he most admired about her, was her ability to adapt to a situation and still remain steadfast in her own sense of worth and place. Brishen no longer viewed her with the eyes of a Kai and couldn’t view her with the eyes of a human male, but that held no consequence now. He saw her as she’d always seen herself—as simply Ildiko. For her, it was enough; for him, a gift beyond price.
Radiance
~~~
The silence yawned between them as she continued to stare at him. “What is it, Ildiko?” he asked. “What do you see?” His question acted as a catalyst, breaking a spell that held him beguiled and her enthralled. She opened beneath him; not just her body. All of her. He sensed it in every part of him. She twined her arms around his neck and tilted her head until her lips brushed the corner of his mouth. “My beautiful husband,” she said. “I see radiance.”
Radiance
My question here is at what point in your career did you find this talent for writing such moving prose, strong emotions, witty meaningful banter, and imaginative scenes that bring the reader straight into these worlds? Or did your writing start out this awesome? I want to know because it means there might be hope for the rest of us. 😊
GD. LOL. I wish I could say it was something I was born with or was one day struck by the lightning bolt of wordsmithing. However, I’d be lying. I think the love of storytelling is God-given but the skill of writing is learned and practiced – constantly. It’s a mental workout of the imagination and riding the learning curve of technique. You have to go at it every day to improve and learn more, and there is no ceiling. I’ve been steadily at this for twenty years and eager to discover new ways to write better over the course of the next twenty.
DLL. Great advice! I’ve explored many creative avenues. Since I started writing, I realize now that those were all experiments. Writing is different and I have been writing every day for three years. You’ve given me hope that I’ll still be at it and maybe even successful seventeen years down the line. 😊
Which of the characters in your published works is your favorite? Do you have a favorite character coming up in a work-in-progress that you can preview for us? Along with that can you give us a glimpse into your current projects? What’s coming next?
GD. My favorite character is Louvaen Duenda from ENTREAT ME. She was a joy to write, and after doing some quick proofreading work on that book, I enjoyed reading her as well. Silhara from MASTER OF CROWS runs a close second. Louvaen; however, still takes first place for me as she’s someone I’d like to hang out with in real life.
I don’t have a favorite character in upcoming works at the moment. With the exception of one character, I tend to learn about my characters as I write their story, so it isn’t until the book is complete that I have an idea as to whether or not one will be a favorite. I can tell you that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed writing both Emerence and Gaeres from THE NOMAS KING (Wraith Kings #4) so far, mostly because of their couple dynamic. Emerence is very independent and analytical, and Gaeres comes from a matriarchal society, so I think they work well together.
I always have at least two things going at one time, sometimes three. I’m currently wrapping up the Wraith Kings novella BLACK HELLEBORE which revisits Brishen and Ildiko. Once that’s done, I’ll switch back to THE NOMAS KING. I’ve also just submitted a proposal and sample chapters for a story about the fae to my agent for possibly going on submission to traditional publishing houses. So very busy at the moment and feeling fortunate to have such a full plate.
DLL. This is great stuff! I’m learning so much from how you see your characters and the way their separate characteristics and resulting dynamics impact their growth and bond. And how exciting to hear about what’s coming next in this stunning series. I can’t wait!
What or who is your biggest inspiration that set you on the path to becoming a writer? Was writing fiction something you always dreamed of doing?
GD. Inspiration to write came from multiple sources: my brother, the brilliant DM, the incredible fantasy authors Andre Norton and Michael Moorcock, and just a fierce love of reading.
Writing fiction wasn’t something I always dreamed of doing. I didn’t start writing until 2003 as a hobby and stress reliever from long hours at my job and raising three little kids. It developed into something more over time, and now I get to do it full-time, which is amazing. I’m grateful for it every day.
DLL. After having interviewed so many wonderful fantasy writers, I’m finding D&D to be a common influence, which is a fascinating aspect of world building I wish I could tap into.
I really enjoy the books by Ilona Andrews, a writing couple responsible for the popular Kate Daniels series, and one of my favorites the Innkeeper Chronicles. It’s a fun fact for me that you and Mr. Draven are friends with Ilona and Gordon Andrews. This is a stellar example in the writing world of the power of writing communities. Can you tell us a little about how your friendship came about and the perks gleaned from being devoted writing buddies?
GD. Like you, I’m a fan of IA’s body of work, even before I met them, and Innkeeper is my favorite series of theirs. I can still vividly picture the fight scene at Costco.
Ilona, Gordon, and I first connected when Ilona put out a request for recommendations on something to read. Her readers sent suggestions, as did some book review bloggers. Has from The Bookpushers recommended MASTER OF CROWS. Ilona read it, liked it, and wrote favorably about it. Thanks to her, Gordon, and their significant platform, other people learned about the book and my other books as well, expanding my audience exponentially. It was one of those serendipitous moments. To thank them for their kindness, Mr. Draven and I treated them to dinner one evening and really hit it off. We’ve been friends ever since. I consider that friendship the most precious thing to come out of that connection – far beyond book sales and exposure, far beyond professional collaboration, etc. They are lovely, lovely people, and I’m beyond blessed to have them as friends. That is the perk above all perks.
As for other perks, I’d say guidance. Ilona and Gordon are masters of their craft. There have been more than a few instances where I’ve wrapped too hard around my own axle regarding a character motivation, a scene, a plot point, etc. and gone to Ilona for guidance and help. She always comes through with the perfect solution.
DLL. What a great story and such a fantastic thing to happen along a writer’s journey.
For a fun chat between these two dynamic couples. Here is an episode from Ashland Public Library MA‘s YouTube channel.
What is your favorite way to engage with your readers? Can you let us know where we can find you, say for a book signing over the next few months?
GD. While my ability to do so is very restricted due to scheduling, budget, and family demands, my favorite way to engage is in person, face-to-face. The next best thing is through social media, though I don’t have the time to regularly hit several platforms to engage.
I just recently attended an Author Meet and Greet at my local library but don’t have anything planned until June of 2024 where I’ll be attending Book Bonanza in Grapevine, TX, and October of 2024 where I’ll be at the Romantasy Book Convention in Orlando, Florida.
DLL. Those sound like a blast. Enjoy and much success!
Tell us about the Arcane Society, which presented beautifully illustrated special editions of Master of Crows and Entreat Me in its October box. Can you share a little about the perks of membership and its benefits to you as a writer?
GD. I’m not a member myself, but I hear from some subscribers that AS puts out some beautiful editions with incredible artwork on both the books and the separate art cards. The enamel pins are also lovely. I can attest to all of this based on what they’ve done for me as well as The Four Horsemen series (by Laura Thalassa) that I received from AS. Breathtaking books anyone would be proud to put on their shelves. High quality product and definitely money well spent if you get a subscription.
Arcane Society Member Edition
I think the greatest benefit in collaborating with AS was getting paid of course (bills to pay and mouths to feed) and expanding my audience.
I can sing the praises of AS all day long but would be remiss if I didn’t do the same with Fae Crate who put together gorgeous special editions of RADIANCE and EIDOLON.
DLL. I think it’s great to have these opportunities for readers and writers to own their favorite works in such beautifully illustrated volumes. I also enjoyed the Four Horsemen series by Laura Thalassa and what fantastic artwork for those as well. It would be a dream for me to write a book that inspires artists to create images for it. I did a Google search and found so much fantastic fan art for Brishen and Ildiko! It’s easy to understand what about those two inspire so many artists.
Where else can we find signed copies or special editions of your books?
GD. I also have a hardback omnibus edition available on Amazon (and can be ordered through Barnes and Noble or your favorite independent bookstore) titled Wraith Kings, Volume I which contains both RADIANCE and EIDOLON.
On the technical side, can you share your journey into publishing your stories? Is there anything you would do differently now that you can look back on it?
GD. I started out writing fan fiction as a hobby and learned some basic techniques from other more experienced writers. In 2005, I submitted a short story to a now-defunct digital-only publishing house (I would NEVER do that now. Way too risky). I won a contract with them and published that story, along with a few novellas and my first novel (MASTER OF CROWS). When Amazon rolled out KDP, that was a game changer for everyone, including me. I got rights back on most of my work and started self-publishing on KDP. Best decision I ever made to go the self-publishing route. I’m now a hybrid author, involved in both self-publishing and traditional publishing.
As far as doing something differently, I’d definitely practice better risk management by learning more about the many publishing outfits out there. Some are honest, hard-working companies invested in their authors’ success. Others, however, are predatory scam outfits that make money off a hopeful’s dreams. I was very, very lucky that the first publisher I worked with was both professional and honest.
DLL. Thank you. It is so helpful to get a writers’ experiences on navigating the crazy path to publishing. It’s also a lot of fun getting a take on the early days of KDP. These new self-publishing platforms give us so many options and a lot of competition, which is why I like hearing about the hybrid options.
What are your favorite techniques and tools for drafting a manuscript? Have your methods changed a lot over the years?
GD. I go very old school in that I typically handwrite my drafts in spiral notebooks, then transcribe them later. It’s terribly inefficient, especially when I’m actually a fast typist. However, ideas flow better for me when I’m handwriting. This is also why I’m a slow writer.
I suppose they’ve changed a lot in the aggregate but are more what I consider refinements over the years. I learn as I go. I used to write scenes and dialogue together in a very linear fashion. Now, I go with more a script method in that I write all the dialogue first with brief notes about the scene and background and then go back and fill all that in. I “hear” dialogue better than I “see” scenery, so I tackle that first.
DLL. I love finding writers who write by hand. I’ve interviewed a few, and on the other side of the spectrum, a few who love using dictation. So many ways to feel the story.
For a glimpse into your writer’s life. Do you have a favorite place to write? What are your favorite techniques or methods you use to stay creative and productive?
GD. I don’t have a favorite place to write as I typically only have one place to write – my desk in one corner of our game room.
To stay creative, I tend to relax and put myself to sleep at night by going over scenes and plot points in my head for a story I’m working on. It works to both settle my mind and build ideas I’ll incorporate into the manuscript. GD.
DLL. I came across a Medium post recently that highlighted famous authors and their daily writing routines. E. B. White’s was my favorite and your game room desk reminds me of his living room.
I never listen to music when I’m working. I haven’t that kind of attentiveness, and I wouldn’t like it at all. On the other hand, I’m able to work fairly well among ordinary distractions. My house has a living room that is at the core of everything that goes on: it is a passageway to the cellar, to the kitchen, to the closet where the phone lives. There’s a lot of traffic. But it’s a bright, cheerful room, and I often use it as a room to write in, despite the carnival that is going on all around me.
In consequence, the members of my household never pay the slightest attention to my being a writing man — they make all the noise and fuss they want to. If I get sick of it, I have places I can go. A writer who waits for ideal conditions under which to work will die without putting a word on paper.
E. B. White
I can just imagine the author writing Charlotte’s Web among the family “carnival,” sort of like a barn with a spider and her chatty friends.
What advice can you share on balancing your creativity with other aspects of life?
GD. Learn how to tune out.
I can write just about anywhere because I can tune out. Learning how to do that was a necessity for me as I live and work in a loud, very active household with constant noise and interruptions.
Also, get advice from other authors on what they do to stay productive. Some are haphazard like me, while others are more regimented. One of those or a combination of both will work for you. Basically, customize according to your needs and the demands of your life. There’s no one true way.
Do you have any parting advice for those who want to pursue a writing career?
GD. Write, write, write. Learn good technique and practice it. Accept the idea that your first, second, third, thirty-seventh attempt at something may not be good or publishable. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. Don’t be afraid to delete words and rewrite them. I wrote DRAGON UNLEASHED twice. Of the original 132k words I wrote, I kept only 9k and rewrote 120k. It’s not unusual for me to write the beginning of a book multiple times before I’ve settled in with a start I like (I wrote the beginning of ENTREAT ME six times). I have no problem killing my darlings. You shouldn’t either.
Also remember that while marketing and ads are very important aspects of publishing, writing a solid book is equal in importance. All the ad money in the world won’t move a bad product over the long term, and in this business, your brand is as important as exposure and platform.
Most of all, stay humble, stay grounded, and don’t give up.
DLL. Absolutely staggering but oh so encouraging statistics when it comes to being ruthless about what isn’t working… and never giving up. I imagine we are benefiting from your cutting room floor with all your wonderful novellas. Also a sobering thought about putting your best work out there as the first step in marketing yourself as a writer. I think my horse left the barn when I published too soon. Wished I would have talked to you three years ago.😊
Thanks again for visiting, Grace! This has been such a treat, and I wish you the best in life and writing.
Thank you so much, and all the best to you and yours!
Yes, this is about murder mysteries that make us feel good—a paradoxical genre, if there ever was one. Stories that have us curling up with a hot cup of cocoa on a chilly day to solve a crime alongside our favorite quirky, clever, and often reluctant hero. Someone sort of like ourselves—but not quite—who lives in a sleepy seaside town (with an inexplicably high crime rate), owns a charming shop, or runs a cozy home business that puts them in the path of murder, prompting them to develop a heretofore unknown knack for solving crimes. Or maybe, they come with a background perfect for the job.
For all those feels we crave, there’s usually a bestie or group of besties, a clever or goofy pet, or a sexy detective on the way to becoming a lover—either helping things along or making life more complicated, or both—and a backdrop involving something we’ve wanted to try but never found the time for. Okay, so we make the time to read. Why not kill two birds with one stone?
Here are some of my favorites: knitting, crocheting, needlework, antiquing, baking, catering, bed-and-breakfast hospitality, a witch hosting a secret vampire book club in an attic above her shop, K-9 search and rescue, dog shows, dog sledding, and even a sentient cat and corgi detective duo who adore their clever human and life on a farm. Then there are the historical periods, and more exotic pursuits like Egyptology or archaeology. Have I intrigued you enough yet?
If you happen to be a person who hasn’t read a cozy mystery, here’s a list to get you started including many of those I alluded to above. You might also enjoy this brief blog on the history of the cozy genre and how it filled a niche.
Richie Billing covers the cozy genres in a conversation with authors Jami Albright and Sara Rosett, where they also talk about marketing a series, author branding, and book launches on The Fantasy Writer’s Toolshed. I hope you find it as enjoyable and informative as I did.
Thank you for visiting and supporting an indie author. For more cozy reading, check out my paranormal romance novels at bydllewellyn.com.
Do you see it? Can you picture the whole story? There are so many things to say about the title of this 1987 movie starring Billy Crystal, Danny DeVito, and the late Anne Ramsey of Goonies fame. While my main contemplation is about how it conveys a story in five words, there are other elements worth mentioning.
But first, do you agree with me that the title is a complete story unto itself?
Right off, we have an idea about the characters, their motivations, the plot, and the setting. We know that the protagonist both loves and hates their mother. We know the antagonist has done enough awful things to be worthy of being thrown off a train, or at least having a child fantasize about it, and we get the struggle. There will likely be attempted murder action on a train. We might also guess the outcome. Could you throw your mother off a train no matter how you felt about her? Of course, we can’t foresee all the plot twists and surprises and there are many in this comedy action film, but these five words have me imagining all sorts of things.
Other information gleaned from these five words that I particularly enjoy is that they sound like a book title, which it is. So, we might grasp that element right off as well. I love that this is about a creative writing teacher and writer suffering writer’s block after his ex-wife steals his book and makes millions with it. No one could pull off that maddening fate like Billy Crystal. Throw in an emotionally stunted student who gets the brilliant idea to switch murders in a Hitchcockian Crisscross-type alibi story, and wow! So much to work with.
The creators not only conveyed a story in their title, but they could use the group of clever words as a plot device and a marketing boon… along with the hilarious images of Momma.
What other movie titles can you think of that accomplish this?
Here are some I found:
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Saving Private Ryan
Tower Heist
Snakes on a Plane
Granted, these might be more about revealing the plots in the titles than giving us a whole story, but I get a lot of information from their brevity, nonetheless. Don’t you?
I’ve also saved a few memes that convey a story in a handful of words. Here’s a favorite.
The challenge of conveying so much with so few words fascinates me, and I’ve returned to it time and again as I pursue novel writing. One of my favorite exercises was contributing two sentence stories last year to fantasy author Richie Billing for his newsletter (which he packs full of helpful resources for writers by the way). One of those is the header on my Short Stories page, Sad Swallow. Oh, alright. I’ll just add it here. It’s only two sentences.
In a voice that plucked at her heart strings, her dear swallow lamented, “All winter we exchanged stories, my beautiful Thumbelina, and it made my heart soar. When you climbed upon my back and begged me to take you to my favorite far away land, how could I have known my happy dream would end with you forsaking me for another?”
Ahem… Okay, so, they’re two long sentences. Still, two sentences. For more of these, click here. They were such a blast to do and based on a genre prompt from Richie. Sad Swallow obviously is a fairytale retelling.
I’ve also tried my hand at 100-word and 250-word stories in what are referred to as drabbles or micro fiction. And I just signed up for another 250-word micro fiction challenge with Writing Battle, taking place in August. So many good things happening on that platform! Thanks Max and Teona!
My latest endeavors in brief tales include poetry, which I’ve written to accompany three stories I will be publishing in one volume later this year. I’m very excited about what I came up with after thinking for years that I could never write poetry. It’s so satisfying and fun!
If you dare, check out my series of three 100-word horror stories here. And my 250-word action adventure drama here (with a bit of ranting on my excellent feedback).
Thanks for tripping with me over the title, Throw Momma From the Train, and have an excellent rest of your June.
Snow might visit us next week. I wanted to share our own splash of fall color, which we look forward to each year. We so enjoy our pistachio tree, which has taken years to reach this fullness. It stands out beautifully against the scrubby olive and locust trees. Don’t get me wrong. I treasure every inch of our two acres—scrubby brush and all—with our view of Mt. Rose, even before the snow caps its majestic peaks.
October is extra special. I have one treatment left to go and then maybe I can grow back my hair.
This month’s guest first came to my attention several years ago at an Autocrit short story workshop, and I’ve enjoyed her stories and lively newsletter ever since.
After participating in Rayne Hall’s latest writing contest, where she challenged writers to submit stories without any AI assistance, including editing (eek! No Grammarly!), I thought it would be fun to invite her to chat about her life as a writer (gardens, cats, and all), her works, and writing in the gothic horror genre. We will also discuss her work as a writing coach and her top five tips on the craft.
Let’s Meet the Author
I’m Rayne Hall, and I help good writers become great.
As the author of the bestselling Writer’s Craft guides, I answer writing-related questions on in the social media, post articles online, coach authors, edit books, speak at conferences and teach online classes.
I’ve been working in the publishing industry for three decades, as a trainee publishing manager, editorial assistant, magazine editor, investigative journalist, production editor, literary agent and publishing consultant.
In between, and often at the same time, I’ve been a museum guide, adult education teacher, development aid worker, apple picker, trade fair hostess, translator, belly dancer and tarot reader.
Now I’m a professional writer, with more than a hundred books published under several pen names (mostly Rayne Hall), in several genres (mostly fantasy, horror, historical and non-fiction), by several publishers, in several languages. I’m also a publisher, and these days I publish most of my own books, as well as anthologies with Gothic stories by other writers. After living in Germany, China, Mongolia, Nepal and Britain, I’m now based in Bulgaria where I enjoy visiting ancient Roman ruins and derelict abandoned homes, going for walks in the woods, organic permaculture gardening and training my rescued cats.
Let’s Get Started
Thank you so much, Rayne, for visiting with me on my Spotlight. I’d like to start at the beginning and ask: Who or what inspired you to become a writer and dedicate your life to the written word?
RH: I grew up in a conservative, restrictive home in southern Germany in the 1960s, when girls were expected to get married and become housewives. This didn’t appeal to me in the least. Cooking and cleaning all day long sounded boring.
My family was steeped in the Catholic religion, and they gave me a big book with the life stories of saints. I read the thrilling tales eagerly. Could I become a saint instead of a housewife, thus escaping the boring household drudgery?
Alas, sainthood seemed to require not only a pious life but a painful death. Most saints suffered martyrdom, pierced by arrows, devoured by lions or burned. I didn’t cherish an agonising demise.
Housewife or martyr? Both dreary options, and I didn’t look forward to growing up.
I started reading books when I was four, and by the time I was seven, I devoured all the kids’ books I could lay my hands on: fairy tales, illustrated animal stories, saints’ lives and more. When I discovered that there were women who wrote books, a window to a new world opened for me.
As a grown-up, I wouldn’t have to scrub floors all day, nor would I have to offer my feeble flesh up to torture. I could write books instead.
“When I grow up I want to be a writer,” I declared firmly, at the age of seven.
Of course, adults talked me out of this ‘nonsense’ and persuaded me to choose a more sensible career. But with twists and turns, my life path led me back to my vocation, and here I am, a writer of books.
DLL:How awesome to start life early with that gothic romance outlook. I appreciate how you knew what you wanted at the age of seven, or rather, what you didn’t want, and ended up where you aimed to be.Such a great story!
I find it fascinating to learn from different writers about how their journeys evolved. What inspired you to write horror? Tell us about your other favorite genres.
RH: Historical fiction was my favourite genre to read, and my first genre to write. I remember my first attempt at a novel – the adventures of a Venetian courtesan in the 1700s. Probably not a good choice of subject for a fifteen-year-old virgin who had never been to Venice.
After that came several more historical novels, each a notch better than the one before, because I became better and better at my craft. But success eluded me. I tried other genres, switched to short stories. Yet every manuscript I mailed out returned with a thud. In those days, submissions were on paper, and the envelopes with the rejected sample pages and stories were heavy. I learnt to recognise the sound of a rejected manuscript falling through the letter slot, a disheartening start to the day.
Then in one week, I got three acceptance letters. Acceptances – without manuscripts attached – whispered through the letter slot, what a cheering noise! All three were for horror stories. That’s when I saw a pattern. If Historical Fiction didn’t get me anywhere, but Horror did, maybe that’s what I should write.
At first, I baulked. I thought all Horror was Splatterpunk, with sadistic violence and gruesome stuff – again like the martyrs having their flesh torn with red-hot pincers – and that was not for me. But when I researched the genre, I discovered that it has subtler forms: Psychological Horror, Suspense, Gothic.
The Gothic especially appealed to me: more creepy than gory, more atmospheric than violent. I love it, and this has become my main writing category. I love creating the vibrant settings, the passionate emotions, the guilty secrets, the creepy atmosphere.
I tried to write other genres, too: Historical Romance, Cosy Mystery, Urban Fantasy, Science Fiction. But somehow, they all took a dark turn. Without my knowledge and consent, the characters hatched evil plans and hijacked the plots. So I ended up writing yet another Gothic Horror yarn.
Fortunately, Gothic fiction lends itself to layering with other genres. So I’ve created not just Gothic Horror, but Gothic Historical, Gothic Fantasy, Gothic Romance, Gothic Mystery fiction.
DLL:This is so encouraging, not only in terms of perseverance, but also in how one finds their niche. I love it!
What inspired you to teach the craft, and where do your craft books fall in your bibliography? What topics did you focus on in the beginning, as compared to now?
The Writer’s Craft books teach advanced-level writers specialist skills. They’re the kind books I would have needed years ago but couldn’t find because they didn’t exist. At the time, there were many how-to-write books for beginners. But for writers who’d mastered the basics, there was little guidance available.
Eventually, after I had reached a very high level with my own writing, I developed the series to fill the gap in the market.
Writing Fight Scenes was the first of the Writer’s Craft books. During my long learning journey, I’d been frustrated that there was no book available on this specialist subject.
When I saw online courses on this topic, I signed up at once – only to find that they were superficial and filled with platitudes instead of providing practical guidance. So I studied fight scenes in literature and developed my own system. Then I taught an online course, which was a tremendous success. Many authors needed fight scenes for their fiction and didn’t know how to go about it, and they loved my course and recommended it.
In 2011 I decided to expand my course into a book with the same title, and it instantly became a bestseller.
So I turned some of my other courses into books, too: Writing About Magic, The Word-Loss Diet, Writing About Villains. Before I knew it, I had a series with fans who wanted more.
The series now has almost 40 titles. Writing Scary Scenes, Writing Love Scenes, Writing Vivid Settings, Writing Vivid Dialogue, Writing Vivid Plots, Writing Vivid Characters, Writing Deep Point of View…
Which do you prefer to write, short stories or novels, and how can you tell when a story might evolve into a novel? What’s your top favorite answer when a reader asks you how to write a short story?
RH: I enjoy writing both short fiction and novels. My best work, the one I’m most proud of, is the dark-epic fantasy novel Storm Dancer.
But overall, I prefer short stories, simply because they’re quicker to complete. I can finish a short story in a month, from idea to polished version, whereas a novel is a commitment for years. I have many half-finished novels lingering in my file folders, and it’s doubtful whether they’ll ever see the light of publication. With shorts, I can savour the thrill of completion more often.
Many short stories want to grow into a novel. As I write, they grow and grow, and it takes discipline and skill to keep them confined to a manageable length. My two favourite techniques for this: 1. Let the story play out in a single location. 2. Let it unfold within a short time, preferably in a single day.
DLL:Thanks for the great tips! I can totally relate to your experience. I often feel torn between finishing shorter pieces and working on novels that I might never complete. It’s frustrating when I have such epic endings and vivid scenes running through my head, all while feeling like time is slipping away. So many writers publish multiple novels in a year, and I really want to know their secret. That’s when I remember that the joy is in the writing—published or not, finished or not—and that really helps.
Speaking of getting our books out into the world, do you self-publish?
RH: My first twenty or so books were conventionally published by twelve different publishers, but now I’m my own publisher. I’m actually a trained publishing manager, that’s my career. I’ve worked in many different positions in the publishing industry, so I know the business well, and now I’m using my insider knowledge.
In the 20th century, publishing involved a big capital outlay, and the only way to reach book buyers was through a complex distribution system which only publishers had access to. In those days, self-publishing was almost inevitably doomed to failure, and at huge expense. I used to advise against it.
But the publishing industry has changed to much. With e-books and print-on-demand technology, the once exorbitant production costs have evaporated. Everyone can use online bookselling platforms to make their works available to the book-buying public.
The literary agents and publishing houses, essential parts of the system in the 20th century, have become obsolete. Why should we writers – who mostly earn very little for our work – finance a big publishing apparatus we don’t need, and the salaries of multinational CEOs? Frankly, writers need publishers like they need a tapeworm in their guts.
Of course, you need to be aware that as a self-publishing author, you are a publisher as well as an author. If you want to be successful, you have to approach this as a business. You’re responsible for your own quality control, your own marketing, everything.
DLL: Ooh, great insights on traditional versus self publishing. It’s super helpful to hear from an author who’s been so immersed on both sides.
As promised at the outset, what are your top five tips for writers?
RH: Here you go:
Write the kind of book you’d love to read. This way, you’ll create a great book, and you’ll enjoy the process.
Write about what you know. This way, your won’t commit factual errors, and your book will ring with insight and authenticity.
Use specific weather for every scene – a drizzle or a downpour, dry heat or a thunderstorm – to add realism and vibrancy.
When you experience worries and problems, write about them. They make great fodder for your fiction.
Revise your writing until it sparkles. Don’t be satisfied with good writing. Make it great.
Be authentic. In this world of automation and fakery, people crave authenticity. This is your chance to stand out: instead of automating your social media, using AI for your writing and pretending to be someone you’re not, just be real.
DLL: Fantastic! Thank you for sharing those with us today.
Now, let’s dive into your writer’s life. One of my favorite aspects of your newsletters is the photos and stories about your gardens and pets. It’s clear that you find inspiration in the nature surrounding you. Can you share how these enjoyments help to balance life as a writer?
RH: I love nature, and I’ve created my personal garden paradise – 4000- square meters (that’s about 4800 square yards) filled with trees, shrubs, flowers, vegetables and fruit. It’s all organic, without use of pesticides, my private eco-project, a permaculture ‘food forest’. Bees, bumblebees and butterflies love the place. They flutter and buzz all around me. Sometimes, I see ten or more colourful butterflies in a single square meter (yard). Crickets chirp, birds twitter, storks rattle their bills.
I do my morning exercises amidst this lush abundance, and for breakfast and pick whatever fruit is currently ripe and eat it right away: peaches, nectarines, apricots, figs, plums, apples, pears, mulberries, cherries, pomegranates, grapes and more. This is my personal idea of paradise, and I feel blessed that I’ve been able to create it here in sunny Bulgaria.
I’ve had a writing chair made for me – a sturdy chair made from reclaimed materials, with broad armrests for placing my notebook and a glass of water. I love sitting there in the morning, listening to the sounds of nature and jotting down my ideas and story drafts in a notebook. Often, my cats join me (they love those broad armrests), and my dogs lie at my feet.
I savour these moments with deep gratitude. I’m able to shut out my worries and the troubles of the world, and to focus on joyful creating.
DLL:So much of this shines through in your blogging and newsletter, which is incredibly inspirational to me as a writer and blogger focused on the writer’s life. Thank you for painting such a vivid picture we can immerse ourselves in today.
Besides working in your gardens, what are your favorite activities to inspire your fiction?
RH: I find inspiration in places. Wherever I go, I observe and take notes. What does the place smell of? What sounds can I hear in the background? How does the ground feel underfoot? How does that door knob feel to the touch, what noise does that door make when it opens?
Whenever I have time to kill – at a bus stop, in a hospital waiting room – I use the opportunity to take setting notes.
Over the years, I’ve created detailed descriptions of hundreds of places, and I use can insert them into my fiction. Weather a scene takes place in a hospital, a church, a cemetery or a wildlife park, I have the vibrant details at my fingertips.
Here in Bulgaria, I like to visit places with history: ancient Thracian temples, the remnants of bath houses from the Roman period, deserted factories from the Communist era, and homes abandoned when the rural population dwindled. Each building has so many stories to tell, about the people who lived there, their loves, their sorrows, their dreams.
Those abandoned homes are my favourite spots to hang out to soak up atmosphere and inspiration. Even though the roofs have long collapsed and the window panes are broken, some still have remnants of lace curtains quivering in the breeze, cupboards are filled with dusty jars of canned fruit, and among the upturned furniture and rat-gnawed cushions I may find an old newspaper or an illustrated children’s Bible.
My pets love to accompany me when I explore these places. I’m always glad to have my dogs with me for protection, but it’s the cats who make the visits special. My black cat Sulu in particular adores entering spooky derelict buildings. He delights in walking across shattered roof tiles, scratching charred timbers and sniffing at long-abandoned hearths. Then he chooses a window-sill to lie on, and from there he watches what’s going on inside the house and in the outside world.
DLL: Have you ever thought about vlogging? I would love to follow you on your explorations. Thanks for this glimpse into life in the Bulgarian countryside.
Can you tell us about your cats, and what role they play in your writing?
RH: All my cats are rescues, and I’ve trained them. Yes, cats can be trained – if they want to. Mine love it. They can perform little tricks, shake hands, high-five and more.
When I’m writing on my laptop, the cats often join me. One naps on the rug at my feet, one sits on the printer, another curls up in an open desk drawer, and there’s almost always one snuggling between my arms. This is so sweet!
My senior cat Sulu adores books. Whenever he sees an open book on the table, he lies down to ‘read’ it, with a paw on the page. This makes great publicity photos, because what could be cuter than a black cat reading a Gothic fiction book?
DLL: Thanks again for joining me today, Rayne! Check out Rayne’s craft books here. You can find Rayne and her works on her website, subscribe to her newsletter and blogs, which she shares on Substack, and follow her on Bluesky, Instagram, and Facebook.
By D. L. Lewellyn 