Laura’s Comments (group member since Jan 11, 2018)

Laura’s comments from the Lost Lore Readalong! group.

As someone who loved The Blood-Tainted Winter (book one in the 'Song of the Ash Tree' trilogy), I was thrilled to be brought back in to Greylock's world of Norse mythology, and really enjoyed Eyja's tale.

Will we be reading more from Eyja in the future, Taya? Do you plan to keep writing Norse fantasy, or will you be venturing into other areas?

I had the pleasure of beta reading this one back when the anthology was in its early stages. A really effective tale told in a very short amount of time. I liked the sense of conflict at the end; a sort of hollow satisfaction, as if to say we never quite manage the victories we set out to achieve. Thought-provoking!

Jennifer - Thank you so much! That I can make people laugh with my words is just about the highest compliment a writer can receive. Humour isn't easy. I'm really glad you appreciated mine! :)

Benedict - It's interesting you should ask. Until recently I was working on a novel set in an entirely different world. A couple of weeks ago, some nice comments on Kane inspired me to start work on a new story, which is actually set in a post-Kane world. Think post-apocalyptic, Book of Eli/Gunslinger-type Broken Empire world with a protagonist who's almost a female version of Arki from Jeff Salyards' Bloodsounder's Arc. Another of the protagonists may also be one of the 'dragons' mentioned in Kane's story (Igniatos... the bloke who ended up with Uranus ;))... and who knows? Kane himself may even make an appearance later on!

I'm really excited about it, in case you can't tell. :D

Bryan - Thank you so much! Yes, Danse Macabre is utterly different in almost every possible way. It's a quirky little story, and I'm still really proud of it (it's the first thing I ever wrote/finished), but it's definitely not the sort of thing I'll be writing going forward. If you like it, then that's bloody awesome, but I'll also totally understand if you don't! :)

Lynn - As always, thank you for the kind words! I'm so glad you enjoyed this one, and it's great to see you here in the readalong, Ms. Grimmedian! :D

Sandy - Yes! The irony of Kane destroying everything in objection to us, well, destroying everything was definitely something I wanted to convey. His hypocrisy and arrogance (in the role of 'supreme being'/'Creator') was intended to be obvious, yet also kind of obscured as he keeps on talking. A bit like how, if you listen to one person for long enough, you'll end up believing anything they tell you. I'm still very fond of him, of course, and he was an absolute blast (pardon the pun) to write. And yes - I have a rather hodgepodge knowledge of the Bible, but I picked the name because of it's connotations ('mark of the devil', and all that), and because I also liked the idea of Kane/Abelas kind of inverting the whole Cain/Abel story. Much fun to play around with! :)

Mike - Thank you! I'm really glad you said that. I know there are plenty of moments in Danse Macabre that make me cringe looking back at them, because I really was trying too hard. I did worry that was the case here, too, but the first person voice just ran away with me at times, and in places almost felt as though it was writing itself. Which is a rare but very pleasant feeling indeed. I'm so glad you liked it! :D

Michael, I enjoyed Elsie's story a lot! As someone not familiar with the Dragon's Blade series (shame on me, I know... one day, though!) I felt like I was introduced to the world really well here. Lots of elements intrigued me (like the nature of the dragons, as others here have mentioned).

I understand this story is set quite some time before the events of the main series. Do you have plans to write more Dragon's Blade novels set even further back in your world's history? And how did Elsie come about? I can't imagine it was easy for you to write from the point of view of a young mother, yet somehow you did a brilliant job of it! :)

Michael wrote: "So I just read this incredible short story. Tell me, did Pratchett's spirit smack off the upper atmosphere and fall down towards Manchester, specifically to land in your head?"

That's such a ridiculously nice thing for you to say that I'm not quite sure how to respond. Except that I'm a HUGE fan of Pratchett, so - thank you!!

So I'm sitting here, bugged by period pains, and think to myself 'I'll go for a nice hot bath and relax with the next anthology story. Is it Tim's? I think it's Tim's. Cool!'

DEAR GOD, WOMAN

T.L. wrote: "I had the pleasure of beta reading this story last year and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's got Laura's trademark humor mixed with a dash of horror, all told in a unique, eminently engaging voice.

Lau..."

Thanks, Taya, and thank you for beta reading it all those months ago! (For everyone else, T.L./Taya is the reason I'm in this anthology. She read the original version of my story and told me I had to submit it. I'd already been invited to contribute to the anthology, but wasn't sure I'd have time to write something new. So - thanks again, Taya!)

To answer your actual question: I genuinely can't remember! I initially wrote I, Kane for a different anthology a couple of years ago, which never came to fruition. The theme was 'guns and dragons'. I really enjoyed experimenting with the first person voice (and have done in other short fiction since then), but when the anthology fell through the story just ended up sitting on my computer gathering dust. I rewrote and extended it for Lost Lore, and the rest is, well, history.

Fun fact: the original first draft was written entirely in iambic pentameter!

Just finished this one. Loved it! Given that I'm currently reading Aching God, I felt a little smug already knowing the identity (and recent trauma) of the Syraeic agent and his poor companion. Great timing for me, really. ;)

But yes. Well paced and pleasantly dark (though certainly not grimdark), I thought Barrowlands was a really fun read!

I've just finished reading No Fairytale - what a wonderful story! Though I agree with Harlow that the ending felt a bit abrupt and disorienting (I haven't read the Emaneska series, either), on the whole I found this to be a really engaging piece, with a sympathetic protagonist and intriguing side characters.

Definitely bumps The Written further up my TBR, too.

I'm currently reading Mike's forthcoming debut novel, Aching God. Though I'm only a few chapters in, the Barrowlands have already been mentioned a few times as a place of danger and ancient mysteries. There's an ominous atmosphere surrounding them; one knows terrible things have happened (and probably will happen) there, and so just the title of this story makes me eager to delve in. Will return with my thoughts once I have!

Agree with J.M. that 'menace' is definitely the watchword of this story, as it was with 'They Mostly Come Out at Night' (which I loved). There's a creeping sense of dread throughout, a masterful undercurrent of horror that keeps one reading despite the conviction that OH GOD THIS ISN'T GOING TO END WELL IS IT.

Brilliant story. :)

I'm just dropping in to say how much I enjoyed Steve's story (I had the pleasure of beta reading this bad boy while the anthology was still being put together). Brega Cohr was one of the most intriguing characters from The Emerald Blade, and it was nice to see more of him here, even though he isn't the main protagonist.

I'm a fan of the Landkist novels and feel like they've been improving with each instalment, but it wasn't until I read Steve's short fiction (both this story, and another of his titled 'First Keeper') that I was truly blown away. This bloke has some serious craft; his novels are great, and short stories are definitely his forte too. Keep them coming, Steve!