Laura Engelhardt's Blog, page 5
November 16, 2020
Unleash the Werewolf
Notes on the Making of Mages Unbound
October 14, 2020
Swimming Lessons
Thank you, readers!
I started self-publishing because I wanted to share my stories. Without readers like you, there'd be no real point in writing. So this month, I'm sharing a story with the members of my Reader List. Click here to download a copy of "Swimming Lessons" in either eBook or pdf form.
I wrote this for my first fan, Carol. Thanks for all your encouragement, and I hope you love it! "Swimming Lessons" is the story of how Cordelia gets enmeshed with a pack of werewolves. It takes place before Sirens Unbound but fits thematically with the events of Mages Unbound.
You can enjoy this light-hearted tale even if you haven't read my books. Best of all, it provides a sneak-peek at some of the characters introduced in Book Two, so it's a great way to whet your appetite for the upcoming release :)
There's a wealth of stories about the characters in the Fifth Mage War yet to be told. Send me an email if there's one you're dying to read!
Publishing Update
November 18th is the big day for Mages Unbound! The ebook is now available for pre-order, and I'll be releasing the paperback for sale in a few weeks. If you want a free copy in exchange for an honest review on Amazon and/or Goodreads, please click here.
I started self-publishing because I wanted to share my stories. Without readers like you, there'd be no real point in writing. So this month, I'm sharing a story with the members of my Reader List. Click here to download a copy of "Swimming Lessons" in either eBook or pdf form.
I wrote this for my first fan, Carol. Thanks for all your encouragement, and I hope you love it! "Swimming Lessons" is the story of how Cordelia gets enmeshed with a pack of werewolves. It takes place before Sirens Unbound but fits thematically with the events of Mages Unbound.
You can enjoy this light-hearted tale even if you haven't read my books. Best of all, it provides a sneak-peek at some of the characters introduced in Book Two, so it's a great way to whet your appetite for the upcoming release :)
There's a wealth of stories about the characters in the Fifth Mage War yet to be told. Send me an email if there's one you're dying to read!
Publishing Update
November 18th is the big day for Mages Unbound! The ebook is now available for pre-order, and I'll be releasing the paperback for sale in a few weeks. If you want a free copy in exchange for an honest review on Amazon and/or Goodreads, please click here.
Swimming Lessons
Thank you, readers!
September 15, 2020
Off The Beaten Path
Starting this Thursday, I will be running a Kindle Countdown promotion for Sirens Unbound. If you haven't already purchased your copy, get it while it's on sale! I've timed the promo with an overall rebrand of the series...
August 3, 2020
Summer Rivers
Today, I thought I���d riff a little on some of the music that appears in the Fifth Mage War series. While Sirens Unbound focuses on Amy���s medical discoveries, sound and music play a HUGE role in the series, especially in ...
June 16, 2020
Midsummer Move
I’ve spent most of June frantically packing instead of writing; it’s amazing how much stuff you accumulate over time (and how much you can find in a move)! For example, I discovered the Greek watercolors I’d planned on framing 15 years ago wrapped in cardboard and tucked on the back of a shelf. When I was in Athens, I remember thinking how magnificent the Parthenon must have looked with its original bright paint: imagine the stark white ruins of the Acropolis painted in brilliant shades of green, red and blue. I picture gold leaf everywhere – though the ancient Greeks probably had better taste than that ;)
Greek Mythology
The term for sacrificial love in Greek is agape, and self-sacrifice is such an extraordinary and noble act. I love to use mythological figures into my writing, even though I take liberties with their stories. The tale of Aphrodite as a great mage who sacrificed herself for love of a fae lord is such a wonderfully tragic backstory in the Fifth Mage War series: to save the fae from extinction, Aphrodite sacrifices herself to create the sirens. In my world, a mage-cast spell dies with its caster, unless the spell is fueled by a life-sacrifice. But mages are not known for their selflessness, and Aphrodite is unique in that she didn't make her sacrifice out of desperation or dire need, but out of love instead.
Love
Love is a theme that flows through the Fifth Mage War series: in Sirens Unbound, we discover the depths of the bonds uniting the Bant family. Mira has to reckon with her troubled past in order to protect her children. Thomas investigates a prison camp out of love for his youngest sister, and Mary comes to Amy’s aid (even though she doesn’t approve of her sister’s choices). In Mages Unbound, I explore romantic love that doesn’t emerge organically. Is love real if it springs from a spell? Does its origin even matter? After all, you still feel the emotion, regardless of whether it results from a spell, or a pill, or even when it erupts from the depths of your soul. Why should only the latter be "valid?" June 24th is midsummer & I must say Titania's story in a Midsummer Night's Dream was a key inspiration for this part of Mages. While Shakespeare has the comedy locked down, I like to think my take on bewitched love highlights another angle to the story.
Writing Update
Editing Mages Unbound is going more slowly than I expected — between remote learning, the move & everything else we're all experiencing now — it’s been difficult to find the time to focus. I refuse to sacrifice quality for speed & while I could send it off to the typesetters tomorrow, I want to devote more time to polishing it. Once I'm in the new house, I promise CONSTANT focus until I finish it for you!
My writing may have stalled a bit, but I'm making progress in rebranding the series. While I LOVE the cover design for Sirens Unbound, some of you have pointed out that it's a bit too YA and urban for the story. So, I'm going in a different direction. Over the next few weeks, I'll post sample covers for both Sirens and Mages on my Facebook page, so stay tuned!
Stay safe & keep well,
Laura
PS-For you modern opera lovers out there, the Met is streaming this season's Akhnaten on Friday.
Greek Mythology
The term for sacrificial love in Greek is agape, and self-sacrifice is such an extraordinary and noble act. I love to use mythological figures into my writing, even though I take liberties with their stories. The tale of Aphrodite as a great mage who sacrificed herself for love of a fae lord is such a wonderfully tragic backstory in the Fifth Mage War series: to save the fae from extinction, Aphrodite sacrifices herself to create the sirens. In my world, a mage-cast spell dies with its caster, unless the spell is fueled by a life-sacrifice. But mages are not known for their selflessness, and Aphrodite is unique in that she didn't make her sacrifice out of desperation or dire need, but out of love instead.
Love
Love is a theme that flows through the Fifth Mage War series: in Sirens Unbound, we discover the depths of the bonds uniting the Bant family. Mira has to reckon with her troubled past in order to protect her children. Thomas investigates a prison camp out of love for his youngest sister, and Mary comes to Amy’s aid (even though she doesn’t approve of her sister’s choices). In Mages Unbound, I explore romantic love that doesn’t emerge organically. Is love real if it springs from a spell? Does its origin even matter? After all, you still feel the emotion, regardless of whether it results from a spell, or a pill, or even when it erupts from the depths of your soul. Why should only the latter be "valid?" June 24th is midsummer & I must say Titania's story in a Midsummer Night's Dream was a key inspiration for this part of Mages. While Shakespeare has the comedy locked down, I like to think my take on bewitched love highlights another angle to the story.
Writing Update
Editing Mages Unbound is going more slowly than I expected — between remote learning, the move & everything else we're all experiencing now — it’s been difficult to find the time to focus. I refuse to sacrifice quality for speed & while I could send it off to the typesetters tomorrow, I want to devote more time to polishing it. Once I'm in the new house, I promise CONSTANT focus until I finish it for you!
My writing may have stalled a bit, but I'm making progress in rebranding the series. While I LOVE the cover design for Sirens Unbound, some of you have pointed out that it's a bit too YA and urban for the story. So, I'm going in a different direction. Over the next few weeks, I'll post sample covers for both Sirens and Mages on my Facebook page, so stay tuned!
Stay safe & keep well,
Laura
PS-For you modern opera lovers out there, the Met is streaming this season's Akhnaten on Friday.
May 12, 2020
May is for Mothers
Mothers feature prominently in the Fifth Mage War series, and I spent a lot of time thinking about how the different cultures in my books approach parenting.
Sirens, in particular, have an unusual view of motherhood. Genetic parents are known as blood-mothers and blood-fathers, but only the person who raises the siren child is their Mom or Dad. Siren culture is built around adoption and single-parenting. In my world, active sirens give their children up for adoption — either to mundane parents if the baby is a latent siren, or to an older siren if the baby is an active siren.
This custom arose because the transition from latent to active siren status is traumatic — suddenly, the siren has magical powers that upends their ability to interact with fertile humans. It would be too difficult for a newly transitioned siren to parent children at the same time as they’re adjusting to their new lives. So, sirens delay the act of parenting until they are much older, often adopting one of their own great-great-great-grandchildren.
I remember reading somewhere that the biologically “ideal” age for a woman to get pregnant is 24 years old. At age 24, I was undoubtedly in the best physical shape of my life, so I can understand how that might be true. However, I KNOW I wasn’t in the best mental place to actually raise a child. While 33 may not be the ideal age to have a baby, biologically speaking, I certainly had a lot more life experience at that point in my life. Sirens in my world live more than 500 years, so I think their separation of the act of bearing children from raising them is a cool idea.
Of course, the matriarch in my book, Mira Bant, bucks conventional wisdom and insists on raising all her children personally, no matter what the risk or cost. While this did have the benefit of keeping her family intact, it certainly left scars on all of them. Would it have been better had she simply followed siren custom? Only the Oracle could tell ;)
So Happy Mothers’ Day to all you mothers out there, blood-mothers and moms! I hope you enjoyed your weekend and that your families made you feel appreciated and loved.
Writing Update
April was a challenging month in terms of finishing the edits on Mages Unbound. At the last minute, I decided to change one of the storylines. So for all of my ARC readers, June is my new target for getting you an advance copy.
Thanks
Finally, I wanted to send a special shout-out to Mark and Tiffany, who posted reviews on this month! Great feedback. If you’ve finished Sirens Unbound and also want to post one, click here to access the review page.
Stay well,
Laura
Click here to join my reader list and I'll send you my monthly newsletter + alert you to special promotions.
Sirens, in particular, have an unusual view of motherhood. Genetic parents are known as blood-mothers and blood-fathers, but only the person who raises the siren child is their Mom or Dad. Siren culture is built around adoption and single-parenting. In my world, active sirens give their children up for adoption — either to mundane parents if the baby is a latent siren, or to an older siren if the baby is an active siren.
This custom arose because the transition from latent to active siren status is traumatic — suddenly, the siren has magical powers that upends their ability to interact with fertile humans. It would be too difficult for a newly transitioned siren to parent children at the same time as they’re adjusting to their new lives. So, sirens delay the act of parenting until they are much older, often adopting one of their own great-great-great-grandchildren.
I remember reading somewhere that the biologically “ideal” age for a woman to get pregnant is 24 years old. At age 24, I was undoubtedly in the best physical shape of my life, so I can understand how that might be true. However, I KNOW I wasn’t in the best mental place to actually raise a child. While 33 may not be the ideal age to have a baby, biologically speaking, I certainly had a lot more life experience at that point in my life. Sirens in my world live more than 500 years, so I think their separation of the act of bearing children from raising them is a cool idea.
Of course, the matriarch in my book, Mira Bant, bucks conventional wisdom and insists on raising all her children personally, no matter what the risk or cost. While this did have the benefit of keeping her family intact, it certainly left scars on all of them. Would it have been better had she simply followed siren custom? Only the Oracle could tell ;)
So Happy Mothers’ Day to all you mothers out there, blood-mothers and moms! I hope you enjoyed your weekend and that your families made you feel appreciated and loved.
Writing Update
April was a challenging month in terms of finishing the edits on Mages Unbound. At the last minute, I decided to change one of the storylines. So for all of my ARC readers, June is my new target for getting you an advance copy.
Thanks
Finally, I wanted to send a special shout-out to Mark and Tiffany, who posted reviews on this month! Great feedback. If you’ve finished Sirens Unbound and also want to post one, click here to access the review page.
Stay well,
Laura
Click here to join my reader list and I'll send you my monthly newsletter + alert you to special promotions.
May is for Mothers
Mothers feature prominently in the Fifth Mage War series, and I spent a lot of time thinking about how the different cultures in my books approach parenting.
April 14, 2020
April Showers
I hope you and your family are healthy, safe & staying as sane as possible! I’m not sure what you’re doing to keep sane, but I’ve been eating way too much chocolate. The Easter bunny was indeed able to make it to my house only to discover unusually picky children. Ah well, their loss is my gain (literally ;)
Good news for Mages Unbound – my editor has kept me on track, so I’ve moved onto the cut/polish mode. ETA on publication is June/July. We’ve had a lot of rain recently, which makes me think of Amy. One of the bright spots for her in Mages is her discovery that when she watches the rain, she experiences “magical synesthesia.” Here’s the draft passage from Chapter 11:
---------
There was magick in the raindrops: each a minuscule whirlpool of color, encapsulated in a millimeter-sized drop of water. Walking through the light rain was like drinking a rainbow. Amy couldn’t help but turn around slowly as she made her way towards the entrance to the Tosteson Medical Education Center, watching the way the magick seemed to hop from raindrop to raindrop in a fluid dance.
After a moment, Ted interrupted her reverie. “Although it seems almost cruel to tear you away—”
Amy shook herself. “Yes, I know. But my God, is that beautiful!”
Ted paused and leaned close. “Smell,” he whispered.
Amy inhaled and heard music. And not just the sound of a lone instrument playing, but a whole symphony. As if it were just around the corner. A wave of sound with a cacophony of different melodies that somehow made a harmonious whole.
---------
While this past month has been difficult for everyone, there were two definite bright spots for me: First I entered Sirens Unbound in the Ink & Insights writing contest last year, and was excited to learn that I made the Top 10 & Judges’ Favorite lists. Check out all the winners here. Second, I published the paperback edition of Songs of the Suffragists for my local League of Women Voters chapter. I’m still working on the Kindle version, but hope that will be out later this month.
Reading-wise, this has been a month of DNFs (did-not-finish). And it’s nothing on the authors, to be sure. I think I’m just feeling rather low — like many people nowadays — and going for escapism and easy reads hasn’t been working. So, I’m going to try a different approach: Wallowing. Instead of looking for light romance and adventure, I’m going for drama and trauma. Which means opera and dark reads. If you’re in my same headspace, The Met Nightly Opera Streams are free right now. Please send me your dark read recommendations! I haven’t been able to find my copy of The Firebrand by Marion Zimmer Bradley, so may have to spring for it again if it’s available on kindle. I read it thirty years ago and remember crying so hard, I could barely see the last few chapters. Let’s see if it’s stood up to the passage of time — I’m hoping for some magical synesthesia as well :)
Stay well,
Laura
PS – If you haven’t read Sirens Unbound yet, you can get a copy from Amazon. To read past newsletters, please check out my website. If you’re interested in receiving an advance review copy (ARC) of Mages Unbound sometime this May, please shoot me an email.
Good news for Mages Unbound – my editor has kept me on track, so I’ve moved onto the cut/polish mode. ETA on publication is June/July. We’ve had a lot of rain recently, which makes me think of Amy. One of the bright spots for her in Mages is her discovery that when she watches the rain, she experiences “magical synesthesia.” Here’s the draft passage from Chapter 11:
---------
There was magick in the raindrops: each a minuscule whirlpool of color, encapsulated in a millimeter-sized drop of water. Walking through the light rain was like drinking a rainbow. Amy couldn’t help but turn around slowly as she made her way towards the entrance to the Tosteson Medical Education Center, watching the way the magick seemed to hop from raindrop to raindrop in a fluid dance.
After a moment, Ted interrupted her reverie. “Although it seems almost cruel to tear you away—”
Amy shook herself. “Yes, I know. But my God, is that beautiful!”
Ted paused and leaned close. “Smell,” he whispered.
Amy inhaled and heard music. And not just the sound of a lone instrument playing, but a whole symphony. As if it were just around the corner. A wave of sound with a cacophony of different melodies that somehow made a harmonious whole.
---------
While this past month has been difficult for everyone, there were two definite bright spots for me: First I entered Sirens Unbound in the Ink & Insights writing contest last year, and was excited to learn that I made the Top 10 & Judges’ Favorite lists. Check out all the winners here. Second, I published the paperback edition of Songs of the Suffragists for my local League of Women Voters chapter. I’m still working on the Kindle version, but hope that will be out later this month.
Reading-wise, this has been a month of DNFs (did-not-finish). And it’s nothing on the authors, to be sure. I think I’m just feeling rather low — like many people nowadays — and going for escapism and easy reads hasn’t been working. So, I’m going to try a different approach: Wallowing. Instead of looking for light romance and adventure, I’m going for drama and trauma. Which means opera and dark reads. If you’re in my same headspace, The Met Nightly Opera Streams are free right now. Please send me your dark read recommendations! I haven’t been able to find my copy of The Firebrand by Marion Zimmer Bradley, so may have to spring for it again if it’s available on kindle. I read it thirty years ago and remember crying so hard, I could barely see the last few chapters. Let’s see if it’s stood up to the passage of time — I’m hoping for some magical synesthesia as well :)
Stay well,
Laura
PS – If you haven’t read Sirens Unbound yet, you can get a copy from Amazon. To read past newsletters, please check out my website. If you’re interested in receiving an advance review copy (ARC) of Mages Unbound sometime this May, please shoot me an email.
