L.A. Smith's Blog, page 2

Writing Lessons

As it is the beginning of a New Year, I thought I would start off with a little reflection of lessons learned before I launch into the shiny new territory of 2023.

Specifically, as I get my thoughts organized on The Next Book, I wanted to see if there are things I can learn from writing the last three.

There are lots of things that spring to mind. I learned a lot through writing and publishing the books. But I’ve narrowed it down into two Dos and two Don’ts, just as a way for you, dear reader, t...

Best of 2022!

Welcome to my annual “Best Of” post!

I’ve done these over the last couple of years (you can find 2020 here and 2021 here). I enjoy talking about the things I love and hopefully getting others interested in them, too.

So here’s my “bests” for the past year. Settle down with your favourite beverage and maybe a little left over holiday snack. It’s a longer post this time – there’s a lot to cover!

Books

At the end of 2021, I was unhappy with my reading choices. I had read a bunch of books I felt I “...

Review: Piranesi, by Susanna Clarke

Back in the beginning of 2022, I finally read Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, by Susanna Clarke, a book I had tried to read and failed to get through the first time I tried over 15 years ago. You can read my review of that book here, but let’s just summarize and say that I LOVED IT WITH AN UNDYING LOVE to give you the jist.

One reason I read JS&MN was to gear myself up for reading Piranesi, Susanna Clarke’s new novel, which I had heard was fantastic, but a bit strange and hard to get into. Seein...

Book Launch Wrap-Up!

It’s been almost a month now since the launch of Choice, and it’s time for me to express my thanks to all of you who have bought the book. It’s a huge blessing to have people spend their well-earned dollars on my creations, and I am immensely grateful for each and every one of you!

This launch has been the most successful of all my books, which is nice. I’m seeing some sales of the previous two books as well. I’m happy about that. I am still learning this process, and I wish there were things I ...

IT’S HERE!

It’s finally here. The Traveller’s Path trilogy is complete with the launch of Choice: Book Three of the Traveller’s Path! 

It’s been a long time coming, with many ups and downs, but I can finally say all three books in the trilogy are complete. Phew.

I’m really proud of this one. I put a lot of work into the revision of this book and I truly believe it is the best book yet. I’m really happy about that. I want to deliver a great reading experience for my readers, and so I’m glad I can look at th...

Endings: Pt. 1 – Rome Departs

As the end of my historical fantasy trilogy looms on the horizon, I thought it might be fun to explore some “endings” in 7th-century England, and how they affected those involved. After all, endings can be a time of sorrow, but they can also be a time for new opportunities, right?

The first “ending” I want to look at was the one that set the stage for the so-called Dark Ages to arrive in England. If you’ve read much of my blog, you will know I really don’t like the term Dark Ages, but it is a sh...

Launch Date Reveal!

After many hours hunched over the keyboard and making all the last-minute, minor fixes, I am DONE.

Choice: Book Three of The Traveller’s Path, is complete. The writing, anyway. There are still a few more technical details in the formatting to nail down, and the all-important paperback cover to get designed, but the words-on-a-page part is FINISHED.

It’s been a long slog, and I’ve had to bump back my launch expectations because of it. I’m determined to give you the best book I can create, and I u...

Is Historical Fantasy Gaining Ground?

Historical fantasy has always been a solid subgenre of the fantasy genre. Defining historical fantasy can be tricky, however. There are some fantasy books named “historical” if their setting resembles a period of Earth’s history but is not set on Earth, but for the purposes of this article, I am defining historical fantasy as fantasy books that are set in an authentic Earth historical era. This helps to narrow down the field, and it is the type of historical fantasy I write, and that I prefer to...

Review: All the Seas of the World, by Guy Gavriel Kay

Guy Kavriel Kay is one of Canada’s most accomplished and well-known authors. Starting with The Summer Tree (1984), the first volume in The Fionavar Tapestry, he has written over ten books since then, and reached commercial and critical success. His books are loosely categorized as historical fantasy, but he resists that label. The books take place in an Earth-like settings, and mirror various times in Earth history, such as medieval Spain, Tang Dynasty China, Renassiance Italy, or Byzantium. Th...

Review: Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke

In the Beginning

Back in 2004, when Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell was first released, I knew it was a book I had to read. Susanna Clarke’s tale of two magicians in 19th-century England was a book tailor-made for my tastes. A historical fantasy set in a real-world Earth, a long, complex tale that quickly achieved critical acclaim and eventually was long listed for the Man Booker Prize and won the 2005 Hugo Award for the best novel. I couldn’t wait to read it.

I love the strong simplicity of t...